Military service

South Korea's military shrinks amid massive drop in population

The dramatic decline in the pool of available males for military service is also causing a shortfall in the number of officers and could result in operational difficulty if it continues.

South Korean army K1E1 tanks cross a pontoon bridge during a US-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise which is a part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Yeoncheon, South Korea, March 20, 2025
HARAV AHARON LICHTENSTEIN, longtime rosh Yeshivat Har Etzion, with IDF soldiers in 2008.

International yeshiva students answer IDF's call as Har Etzion breaks records

Protesters hold a banner during a pro-Palestinian protest in front of the parliament building in Athens, Greece.

Greece situation shows caution is important, shouldn't deny right to see the world - editorial

HAREDI DEMONSTRATORS protest in Jerusalem, earlier this year, against serving in the military. The decreased immediate need for substantial expansion of the army’s ranks lessens the pressure to accelerate haredi conscription, says the writer.

How the Iran war impacted Israel's haredi conscription debate - opinion


Court gives prosecution one week to explain lack of draft-dodger sanctions

The larger issue is surrounding the tensions on the lack of a law that would exempt eligible ultra-Orthodox (haredi) men from getting drafted.

 Haredim protest against the IDF draft on Highway 4 outside Bnei Brak; illustrative, April 6, 2025.

Maj. Assaf Dagan laid to rest in military ceremony after court order approves

After being called into reserves via WhatsApp instead of via "official" channels, the military refused to recognize him as an official IDF member for burial.

 Israeli soldiers and Family members of combat navigator Maj. (res.) Asaf Dagan, who recently ended his life attend his funeral at the cemetery in Haifa, December 3, 2024.

Haredi military service: Change from the bottom up as grassroots support grows - analysis

When it comes to ultra-Orthodox (haredi) military service, the change within the haredi community will come from the bottom up.

 ‘THE HAREDI leadership argues that it is forbidden to draft yeshiva students whose Torah is their profession and that they defend the State of Israel through their studies.’

Shaike Gavish, Six Day War hero, dies at 99

The last living commander from the Six Day War died at home surrounded by family.

Portrait of retired Israeli Maj.-Gen. Shaike Gavish, at the Palmach Museum. January 05, 2016.

The military must defend the country but not preach on political or social matters - opinion

What should be viewed as incorrect is using an army platform to comment on political, social, and religious concerns.

  BRIG.-GEN. Barak Hiram stoked anger when he said that current Israeli society is detached from past commitments and from the burden of its future, and above all is devoted to the moment, the writer notes.

Ministers, MKs criticize arrests of soldiers suspected of terrorist prisoner abuse

Politicians called for "urgent debates" and were critical of each other's stances on protests which broke out at the base.

 Protesters wave Israeli flags outside the Sde Teiman detention facility, after Israeli Military Police arrived at the site as part of an investigation into suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba in southern Israel, July 29, 2024.

IDF reservist soldier who refuses to continue serving in Gaza speaks out

Yuval Green, a 26-year-old reservist, said the IDF is utilizing Palestinian homes for military purposes and that soldiers take “souvenirs, vandalize the homes, and destroy things for no reason.”

 An Israeli soldier operates during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024.

Israel on its way to temporarily extending mandatory IDF service

Knesset extends IDF service to 36 months temporarily, sparking debate over fairness and military readiness amid financial concerns and opposition.

 An IDF soldier is seen wearing a Jewish tzitzit while carrying a weapon in Jerusalem, May 13, 2024

Gov't greenlights bill to extend IDF mandatory service to three years

The bill was delayed over legal and social concerns that it unequally increased the burden of military service on some groups while leaving others exempt.

 An IDF soldier is seen praying.

How Ben-Gurion's pragmatic decision led to haredim draft exemption - analysis

David Ben-Gurion's 1948 decision not to draft yeshiva students shaped Israel's policy, sparking decades of debate on military exemptions amid societal and political transformations.

 David Ben-Gurion – Israeli politician, Zionist leader, First Prime Minister of israel.

New app by Israel's Defense Ministry helps to navigate the graves of Israel's fallen forces

The application, "Memory Paths," allows individuals to navigate to graves in military cemeteries, giving users information about the fallen buried there.

 Israeli flags on graves of fallen soldiers in Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem, on May 9, 2024, ahead of Israeli Memorial Day.