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Israel
Reserve Duty
The Defense Service Law required that each male conscript, upon
completion of his active-duty service, had an obligation to perform
reserve duty (miluim) and continue to train on a regular
basis until age fifty-four. Very few women were required to do
reserve duty but were subject to call-up until the age of thirty-four
if they had no children. The duration of annual reserve duty depended
on security and budgetary factors, as well as specialty and rank.
After 1967 reserve duty generally lengthened as the IDF experienced
a growing manpower need. The average length of reserve duty was
temporarily increased from thirty to sixty days in early 1988
to help deal with the Palestinian uprising. After about age thirty-nine,
reservists no longer served in combat units.
This comprehensive reserve system, the most demanding of any
in the world, was vital to Israel's defense posture. It allowed
the country to limit the full-time manpower within the IDF, thus
freeing vitally needed people for civilian tasks during most of
the year. Because of the reserve system, the IDF could triple
in size within forty-eight to seventy-two hours of the announcement
of a full mobilization. The system was burdensome for most Israeli
citizens but provided a source of escape from everyday routine
for some. Most Israelis regarded reserve duty as a positive social
phenomenon, making an important contribution to democracy by reducing
class distinctions. Nevertheless, it was undeniably a source of
discontent to many, especially those assigned to dangerous and
disagreeable patrol and policing duties in southern Lebanon and
in the occupied territories. In the past, evasion of reserve duty
had been regarded as a violation of the individual's duty to the
nation, verging on treasonous behavior. In September 1988, however,
the media revealed the existence of a bribery ring of doctors
and senior IDF personnel officers that sold medical exemptions
for sums ranging from US$300 to US$500. The lengthy military obligation
was also believed to be a major cause of emigration, although
the number who had left Israel for this reason could not be accurately
estimated. The IDF required Israeli citizens of military age to
obtain the permission of their reserve unit before traveling abroad.
Data as of December 1988
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