IDF announces new benefits, classification for combat soldiers
With motivation to serve in combat roles continually decreasing, IDF announces new plan classifying combat soldiers according to proximity to enemy territory, engagement; 'spearhead' soldiers atop pyramid will receive increased wage, magnetic card for leisure activities, other bonuses.
The IDF has announced a new plan to improve the standing of its combat soldiers in light of dropping motivation for combat service over the past three years.
The proposed plan will include a number of benefits, from raising their wages to free transportation even wearing civilian clothing.
These future benefits will only be accorded to spearhead soldiers: those serving in units participating in war maneuvers, such as Infantry Corps, Armored Corps, combat engineering, Artillery Corps and other elite IDF units.
Starting November 1, spearhead soldiers will receive an increase to their wages (or living expenses, as the army terms it), from NIS 1,600 ($450) to NIS 2,000 ($560) per month in the third year of their service.
In addition, before the end of 2017, each spearhead combat soldier will receive a card loaded with NIS 1,000 ($280) that may be used in restaurants, cinemas, buying sports clothing or for other leisure activities.
This specific new addition of the benefits card is intended to not only serve as added bonus for combat soldiers, but also to wind down the IDF's reliance on donations on the one hand and free the soldiers of shopping they're currently forced to do independently on the other.
'State should show devotion to those who protect it'
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said as much Wednesday, defining the move as "part of the war on donations."
"With this card, combat soldiers will be able to purchase everything their parents would've bought them the week before they conscripted," he said. "The next step is stopping the purchase of vests and other equipment."
According to Eisenkot, the IDF will invest NIS 70 million annually to ensure each soldier to conclude training will receive a kit similar to the one provided to elite units. "Thousands of soldiers will receive the very best gear," he vowed.
Having said that, the chief of staff also stated the army intends to funnel more donation money towards scholarships. "We told the Friends of the IDF that constructing buildings and basketball courts is important, and what's most important is building people," he said. "Take 8,000 soldiers and make sure they can study in a university."
It's the General Staff's belief, he said, the state should show its appreciation to the soldiers by aiding them in their studies. "I would've been happy if donations weren't necessary to achieve that, instead institutionalizing it through the state," he lamented. "The state can and should show its devotion to those serving to protect it."
Implementation for some of these measures has already begun in the past few months, such as advanced personal equipment or the aforementioned magnetic card.
Some of the soldiers will also receive driving lesson vouchers (given out to 500 soldiers annually) and vouchers for Psychometric Entrance Test preparatory courses (given out according to criteria yet to be determined).
A new regulation will also allow the spearhead soldiers to ride public transportation buses free of charge even when out of uniform to any destination, including the far off southernmost city of Eilat.
The soldiers will also receive their combat soldier certificate at the conclusion of 18 months of service, as opposed to the 20 month wait in place today.
Redefining what it means to be a combat soldier
This plan intends to redefine the standing of combat soldiers, severely compromised in the last few years as more and more soldiers serving in other roles were defined as combat soldiers, such as Iron Dome operators for instance. Creating this reform has been under consideration since the tenure of Benny Gantz as chief of staff, but was never carried out due to internal squabbling.A soldier categorized in the spearhead class is one trained to carry out military operations and engage the enemy at mortal risk. Other combat soldiers not categorized as spearhead soldiers are, for example, soldiers carrying out routine security tasks but who nevertheless do not carry out wartime maneuvers in enemy territory, such as the mixed battalions or some of the Home Front Command battalions.
The third categorization for combat soldier has to do with soldiers in operational combat support roles, who operate in combat theaters of war at risk to their lives, in roles such as intelligence NCOs and battalion munitions soldiers.
Ranked below these soldiers are soldiers in combat support roles on the home front, including clerks for combat officers, battalion cooks and so on; that is, soldiers serving in combat units who do not risk their lives or engage the enemy.
The rest of the IDF's soldiers will henceforth be defined as rear soldiers. It remained unclear where soldiers operating the Iron Dome or other aerial defense systems will be placed, as their role is not carried out on enemy land nor does it include direct engagement or mortal risk. The IDF said this issue was still under consideration.
Decline in motivation to serve in combat roles
In the past year, motivation for combat service has continued eroding by 1.8 percent, with only 67 percent of new draftees joining combat units. "We've been dealing with the status of the combat soldiers for years, born of the understanding a multiyear process is in place of gradually decreasing willingness to serve in combat roles," said Chief of Staff Eisenkot Wednesday."We've taken a number of steps communicating the army's appreciation to those who do choose to serve in that capacity," the army commander said. "We're not trying to buy off combat soldiers with NIS 300 more a month, and are working to express our gratitude to them. Intelligence is important, cyber is important, but the single most important thing for carrying out both the IDF's tasks and its overall mission are combat soldiers."
This plan will also include overhauling the entire combat service, investing hundreds of millions of shekels in refurbishing outdated bases for the Nachal and Givati brigades and new service tracks for elite units. Soldiers serving in the elite units Shayetet 13, Sayeret Matkal or Shaldag, for instance, will be required to serve eight years, of which two years and eight months are regular service, two years will go to academic studies on the subject of their choosing—paid for by the army—and the remainder of the term will be in standing army service.
This change has already been implemented at Sayeret Matkal this year, and will be continuing in the coming Shaldag and Shayetet 13 recruitment cycles. The IDF expects fewer soldiers to join the aforementioned units, since those who have already joined will serve for longer periods of time. The plan also refers to another already implemented change: shortening the period of time between receiving ranks, so a combat officer will be promoted to lieutenant immediately upon entry into permanent service.
