Last update - 00:00 10/01/2007
IDF concerned by low officer motivation to stay in military
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
The crisis of motivation among low-level Israel Defense Forces officers has worsened since the Lebanon war, a senior military source told Haaretz on Tuesday.
The problem of motivation, which is most prevalent among the combat support professions of munitions, logistics, communications, and medicine, was already been identified two years ago. The IDF is now concerned that the crisis has spread to combat units as well.
The source said that compared with data compiled three years ago, the number of applicants for officer positions in combat support professions has decreased by 50 percent.
Officers appear most reluctant to sign on to additional years in standing army service following the three years of compulsory service and one year of standing army service required of all officers. The crisis is present mostly among first lieutenants and captains.
The main reason for the hesitance is attributed to officers' doubts regarding the importance of their positions, compared with job requirements and pay, which is not always satisfactory.
Some of the officers, mostly those with technological training, are attracted to opportunities offered in the private market, especially in the high-tech industry. The revival of the high-tech field has raised fears of a "brain drain" in IDF.
Somber attitudes among soldiers following the war in Lebanon and the decline in the army's public image following investigations into the IDF leadership also affect officers' willingness to sign on to additional years.
The decreasing number of applicants has caused many units to pressure human resources to approve the enrollment of soldiers with lower test scores than required in officers' training. A top human resources official said the pressures are usually ignored, and that a shortage in officers is preferred to the presence of under-qualified officers.
IDF is preparing to formulate plans aimed at encouraging officers to remain in standing service. Proposals for such plans include improving officers' salaries of low-level officers in combat support positions.