Facing Reservist Shortage, Israeli Army Units Resort to Dubious Recruitment Campaigns on Social Media - Israel News - Haaretz.com
On the morning of October 7, 2023, Israeli soldiers from an Armored Corps battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Yonatan (a pseudonym) did not wait for the official call-up order. Instead, they swiftly left their homes and headed to the unit's emergency warehouses in northern Israel.
When they arrived at the warehouses, the commanders were struck by the exceptionally high turnout of reservists reporting for duty – far beyond what was required. "The shock of October 7 triggered an overwhelming response," Yonatan says. However, as the months of war dragged on, a shift happened; motivation waned and so did the battalion's turnout.
"In the second round [of fighting] we dropped to 90 percent, and in the third to 70 percent," Yonatan adds. "I don't know if we'll even reach 50 percent turnout next time."
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The battalion, which later fought in both the Gaza border communities in southern Israel and inside the Gaza Strip, is not an exception. Since the war began, most battalions in combat brigades have undergone three deployments – some even four – and, as several senior Israel Defense Forces officers told Haaretz, turnout rates continue to decline.
An ad seeking combat fighters for the IDF. "While your brethren are at war, you'll sit here?" reads the ad.
"Every reservist has his own reasons," Yonatan says. "One refuses to report because of the hostage situation, another because his business is collapsing. Some students aren't willing to miss more classes, while others are dealing with personal struggles at home. People simply can't afford to disappear for another extended period."
As a result, Yonatan realized he needed to find creative ways to recruit new soldiers and sustain the battalion's operational readiness. "We're working day and night to find more people," he says. "I never imagined the battalion would turn into a recruitment agency, but here we are."
Most units and brigades prefer to recruit through private social media groups, operating without data security, oversight, or any attempt to conceal shortages from the public or the IDF's Personnel Directorate.
The IDF recognizes the growing shortage of reservists and has even launched a recruitment platform on the Reserve Forces Corps website. However, most units and brigades prefer to recruit through private social media groups, operating without data security, oversight, or any attempt to conceal shortages from the public or the IDF's Personnel Directorate.
According to officers who spoke with Haaretz, these groups have become alternative "recruitment centers," where commanders openly post job listings for nearly every role, seeking volunteers from the public.
Dozens – sometimes even hundreds – of job postings are published online every day for various IDF units and a wide range of positions. "Tens of thousands of reservists have already enlisted through us, and there's room for everyone," reads a description of one such Facebook group, which has tens of thousands of members. Recently, regular army units have also begun posting recruitment listings, seeking to add soldiers in various roles.
"Combat soldiers are needed for the deputy battalion commander's command and control unit, which has achieved tremendous success in Gaza and Lebanon," reads one such recruitment ad.
An ad seeking a reserve army cook with high motivation, "great love for patrol unit troops," "a passion for the culinary field" and managerial experience.
There are many more like it: An Armored Corps battalion fighting in Lebanon is looking for a medic, tank commander and gunner; a reconnaissance battalion operating in Gaza and Lebanon requires combat soldiers and operational drivers; another combat battalion deployed in Gaza and Lebanon needs drivers for an armored personnel carrier and gunners. There was even an ad for a unit from the Commando Brigade which was seeking a Company Sergeant Major – a position traditionally held by a veteran soldier who has served in the unit for many years, rather than an outside recruit.
Haaretz contacted nine job postings published by various reserve units and brigades, most of which were for combat roles. The phone numbers directed callers to logistics officers, company commanders and – in one instance – even a battalion commander. Some units insisted on the requirements specified in the ad, while others were more flexible.
"In principle, it's only for soldiers with a rank of rifleman 07 or higher, but we can try to recruit those with lower ranks. The main thing is that they show up," was the response to an inquiry from one of the combat units seeking soldiers. "We're really short on manpower so every person who shows up helps," they added. "These aren't the days when the war started, when everyone was eager to enlist."
"The company you fought with six months ago isn't the one you'll find deployed today. The cohesion of the unit has been compromised, and this impacts the company's operational readiness as well."
Some of the job postings offer sensitive roles that, even during peacetime, would require strict military screenings before being accepted and extensive training afterward. "The gaps today in the reserve units are across all positions," a senior reservist officer says. "There's not a single battalion commander who'd tell you he's ready to go on operational duty or return to fighting in Gaza with all the manpower he needs."
According to him, when he is short on manpower, such as combat soldiers and drivers, he takes whatever he can get, from wherever he can find it.
A reserve deputy battalion commander explained that the problem is that the units being formed in this manner are not organic. "The company you fought with six months ago isn't the one you'll find deployed today. The cohesion of the unit has been compromised, and this impacts the company's operational readiness as well."
To address the significant shortage of personnel in various roles, the IDF has launched specialized training courses and is encouraging reservists to participate. Recently, courses have been introduced to train battalion communications officers, intelligence officers, and even infantry and armored corps officers.
An ad seeking a "responsible and organized" reserve sergeant for a maintenance position at a military base in southern Israel.
In response to an inquiry from Haaretz, one unit offered to send the reservist to a drone piloting course. "It's a one-week course in Moshav Eliakim, and you'll be enlisted for reserve duty under the emergency call-up, with all the benefits," they said. In another case, the person was offered the opportunity to attend an operational driver course of several weeks. "Because of the war, there's a lot of funding," the unit's representatives said. "It's easy to send reservists to courses now. This is something we could only dream of in the past."
Throughout these conversations, no questions were raised by the different units about the applicant's criminal history or any other issue that could indicate a problem with enlisting in the unit.
One issue that came up in the conversations was the payment for reserve duty days and service conditions, which are open to individual negotiation with the other party on the line. Early in the conversation, it was clear that there could be flexibility regarding the number of reserve duty days the candidate would serve versus the days spent on leave at home.
"In principle, we do rounds of eight days [on base,] followed by four days [at home,] but we can arrange for you to be home more often," they said. "We just log it in the system as if you're on base, without anyone knowing. Don't worry, we're experienced with this from previous rounds," they added.
One issue that came up in the conversations was the payment for reserve duty days and service conditions, which are open to individual negotiation with the other party on the line.
"We do everything we can for anyone willing to volunteer [for reserve duty]. We just need people to show up. In the past, we had to send people home because there was an excess of manpower, [but] today, we're barely managing at 50 percent."
Many of the job postings include specific requests and requirements from unit commanders that do not comply with military regulations. In several cases, the required qualifications section said that religious background was mandatory, and one ad even mentioned that the company is part of "a battalion with a religious character, with ties to the Torah world."
When asked about this, the person who posted the ad explained that they "don't exclude non-religious individuals but prefer to recruit mainly religious people and settlers [from the West Bank] for the sake of cohesion and to allow soldiers to maintain a religious lifestyle without interference."
"There are many other reserve units that are more suitable for secular soldiers," they added. "If you're not religious, I recommend you look elsewhere as you won't fit in with us."
An examination of the recruitment postings reveals that budget concerns and the waste of public resources are not a priority for many units. It seems that, too often, the IDF allows reservists to be recruited for unnecessary, high-cost positions without any oversight of how public funds are being spent.
An ad seeking candidates to serve in intelligence on reserve duty in the IDF.
For example, a rescue unit is seeking a reserve guard, while one of the battalions is looking for kitchen staff. One ad is from a combat engineering battalion that claims to be "working to destroy infrastructure in Lebanon and Gaza," and is seeking members of the Military Rabbinate to expand its rabbinical platoon. Another ad is looking for reservists to perform maintenance tasks at a base in southern Israel.
"Today there's no battalion, company or platoon that isn't short on manpower," says a deputy brigade commander. "Everyone's being told there is 80 percent turnout, but that's a lie, because a large part of the manpower consists of reinforcements who come from social media [ads] or from friends of the soldiers who want to join."
"Sometimes it's because they're not working, and sometimes it's because they need the days [of reporting for duty] to qualify for benefits," he adds.
Army officials estimate that the shortage of soldiers in reserve units will be even more pronounced in the coming year due to the heavy burden expected from the government's demand to resume combat in Gaza, the need to reinforce border security to prevent another attack like the one on October 7, 2023, and the new requirements arising from the decision to maintain forces in neighboring countries, on the Golan Heights, the Syrian Hermon and in southern Lebanon.
In an interview with Public Broadcaster Kan earlier this week, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that there will be no choice but to call for another large-scale reserve mobilization this year.
"It's obvious that we'll return to fighting in Gaza," he said. "I'm saying to all reservists – we'll need them to enlist again."
Although the IDF officially denies reports of difficulties in filling its ranks, senior officers in the Reserve Forces Corps are warning that continued neglect will result in significant damage. "After more than 200 days commanding hundreds of soldiers, I'm done with reserve duty," a senior reserve officer who served in the Gaza Strip told Haaretz.
"I invite Smotrich and the army's Chief of Staff to take a look at my brigade's WhatsApp group and see for themselves the situation of the reservists, and whether there's any motivation to return to the war, as they publicly claim."
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit responded, saying that the army is committed to the principles of equality in the enlistment process for both regular soldiers and reservists. It added that the deployment of reservists is managed following the policy of utilizing emergency call-ups, which is designed to address operational needs.
Regarding the claims about reservists' turnout rates, the army said there has been "no drastic change in attendance."