IDF under pressure: Israel grapples with growing troop shortage, budget shortfall
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The statement by the Chief of Staff comes at a time when Israel’s Defense and Finance ministries are locked in a dispute over additional military funding.
Amid war with Iran, the Israeli army is facing budget crunch that is affecting military readiness, said Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Thursday (Aug 27). During a multi-front situational assessment, Zamir said, "Unfortunately, these days we are also facing a challenge regarding the IDF’s budget."
“At a time when the IDF and its personnel are operating on all fronts, we must deal with a lack of funds. Such a situation harms the IDF’s readiness,” he further said, according to an army statement.
The statement by the Chief of Staff comes at a time when Israel’s Defense and Finance ministries are locked in a dispute over additional military funding.
According to reports in Israeli media, the army is facing a budget shortfall of around 40 billion shekels ($12.3 billion), largely due to continued operational expenses and reserve-duty costs.
Military procurement programs, including planned acquisitions of fighter jets and munitions has also been impacted by the "budget shortfall".
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Israel’s 2026 defense budget was set at around 143 billion shekels, including funding for military operations.
That's not all, Israel is facing shortage in troop numbers too as reservists, exhausted from war, are failing to turn up for duty, reported Times of Israel in May.
War on multiple fronts are putting a huge mental, political, and financial strain on Israel's reservists soldiers, according to experts. Hundreds of reservists have reportedly ignored summons for duty.
The military has repeatedly warned that it is currently short about 12,000 standing army soldiers, a shortfall it expects to widen further when mandatory service is shortened at the beginning of 2027, reported Times of Israel.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has on several occasions requested the government to again extend mandatory military service for men to 36 months, after it was shortened to 30 months in August 2024.
