Israel Needs a Professional Army - Boaz Arad on Channel 10

New Study by JIMS (11 Nov. 2010)

Israel Needs a Professional Army
The full Report is available (in Hebrew) at www.jims-israel.org/pdf/pparmy.pdf


"The draft and idea of a citizens' army have become impediments preventing Israel'sarmy from fulfilling its mission," stated the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies in a Position Paper issued November 9, 2010 in Jerusalem.




According to Boaz Arad, JIMS analyst and author of the paper, the army long ago ceased being a citizens' army. The pretense of it still being so hurts military preparedness and causes a loss of NIS 9 billion annually to the Israeli economy. It also increases tensions between different sectors of the Israeli population..




According to statistics published by JIMS, approximately 23% of draft age individuals do not serve at all. 40% of draft-age women are exempted. Another 18% of those drafted do not complete their service. Only 20% of the males who serve, do so in combat roles. 20% serve in administrative roles. About 10 different programs are used to allow terms of service to be shortened; when all is considered, less than a third of each year's draftees completes a full term of service.




One major but usually overlooked problem made worse by the enforced drafting of so many people unsuited for service is suicide. The single highest cause of death of Israeli soldiers outside of combat is suicide; on average, at least one soldier commits suicide every two weeks.




JIMS' analysis shows that for the sum of NIS 0.9 BN, over 175,000 soldiers could be paid a real salary rather than current low enlistee wages, and this would go a long way to encouraging the army to use its manpower more efficiently, and to encouraging draft-age youth to choose to enlist. This would be a more worthwhile reform than the current highly talked about and controversial intent to extend the draft to specific sectors of the population who do not want to serve, such as Haredim.




JIMS commissioned a national poll to discover the public's attitude toward changing to a professional army. The results, as analyzed by JIMS, are that 47% support replacing reservists in non-combat roles with outsourcing, while close to 39% oppose this. Nearly 56% support the outsourcing of military support services such as catering, laundry, auto repair and cleaning, while 29% oppose this. Yet only 18.% support moving to a professional army, while 74% oppose it. At the same time, 50% support the idea that employers should not hire those who do not serve, while 46% oppose it. JIMS concludes that the public agrees with the need to streamline the army and make it more efficient, but it stops short of recognizing the benefits of a professional army because it is not willing to forego the idea of a citizens' army.




The full Report is available (in Hebrew) at www.jims-israel.org/pdf/pparmy.pdf

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Israel Professional Army
• Boaz Arad Channel 10

[Fitplayer66]

@TheBiotchify What would be the incentive of dragging the United States into the war? Before the war started the United States firmly warned Israeli foreign minister Abba Eban that an Israeli pre-emptive attack would destroy any chances of U.S intervention. Furthermore, Israel established air supremacy and virtually won the war after the first few hours. Furthermore, Israel made no attempt to conceal its involvement in the attack after realizing it was an American ship.

[TheBiotchify]

@Fitplayer66 Actually the opposite is true. One of the Israeli pilots came clean and stated unequivocally that Israel knew it was an American ship. Also don't forget their were survivors who told their stories. Why did they originally deny that it was them? It was an attempted false flag operation...an attempt to sink the ship and blame it on Egypt, which would bring us into the war. Watch "Dead in the Water" documentary. What does compensation have to do with anything?

[TheBiotchify]

@maishiranui33 My mistake...Congratulations on being a SHEEP!

[Fitplayer66]

@TheBiotchify Don't hold Israel accountable and treat them differently from other states. Palestinians within Israel proper have full basic democratic rights and citizenship. Of course there are forms of discrimination but I could make an argument with strong validation that Palestinians within Israel proper are treated significantly better and live more comfortably than in most Arab states. Jordan and Lebanon, for example, deny Palestinians from participating in certain occupations and movement

[Fitplayer66]

@TheBiotchify Lastly, the Lavon affair was indeed a tragic affair that led to the self resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Moshe Sharrett after a long range of trials in Israel concerning the instruction of the incident. Look, Israel has its faults and an Israeli I can admit them. I am against the current right-wing coalition government which sponsors settlement expansion. Nonetheless, the fact is that most Israel's are secular, oppose settlements and support the two state solution.

[Fitplayer66]

@TheBiotchify What an idiotic response. Do you think Israel deliberately and intentionally wanted to attack United States forces? What would be the purpose of that? Furthermore, tapes were released empirically proving that an Israeli pilot involved in the attack, as well as someone working in the squadron’s control tower, believed that the ship was Egyptian. Don't forget that Israel compensated for the casualties on the ship.

[TheBiotchify]

@maishiranui33 I would supply you with sources for all of the facts I have stated, but I suspect it will not make a difference, because you will remain in denial. I can only hope that more Americans will wake up to the truth and stop putting the interest of another nation ahead of our own. Good luck with your sheepish endeavor, i.e., Blind support for Israel...

[maishiranui33]

@TheBiotchify You're the one that's been fed unfortunate anti-Israel propaganda.

It's easy to believe lies when you don't do actual research for yourself. Yet, you preach the same to me?

[TheBiotchify]

@maishiranui33 You need only do a little research, instead of parroting the AIPAC line. It's obvious that you have been fed a strong dose of propaganda, but for your own benefit you should do the research and this way not sound so ignorant about the facts. I too was like you, until I was forced to come to terms with the hard truth about our "ally" Israel. If you have a religious angle, then the facts I have provided you will be of no consequence.

[maishiranui33]

@TheBiotchify I believe you have Iran and Israel mixed up lol.