Ariel Heimann
INSS Special Publication, Jan. 7, 2024
“Lower intensity combat in Gaza still requires significant forces to defend and control the areas captured by the IDF (especially in northern Gaza); the new defense line, including a security perimeter, will be double the size of the previous one and manned with much greater density; and meanwhile, the tension in the north will continue, requiring continued reinforcement on the border.”
On the Eve of October 7, 2023
The reserve corps has always constituted a central part of the IDF’s resilience and its ability to function. Ben-Gurion understood this when he established the corps, and the norm has been valid throughout the country’s 75 years, especially in wartime. Nevertheless, over the years the reserve force received insufficient attention, which led to ongoing grievances and undermined competence.
Reservists are committed to their comrades, to the reserve corps, to the IDF, and to the State of Israel, and it appears that various systems unwittingly “exploited” this situation, knowing (as proven many times) that reservists would fully mobilize in the case of an emergency. The IDF’s senior commanders, who are all career soldiers, tend to relate to the reservists as a resource that can be taken for granted. This attitude is all the more evident at the current time, when the State of Israel and the IDF in particular are in a state of full mobilization.
The scope of the reserve force’s training and equipment (and the state of reserve stocks), and hence its competence, has experienced ups and downs over the years. According to a cautious assessment, on the eve of October 7, the reserve force was at a mediocre level compared to previous periods. Another critical issue is the lack of confidence by the IDF senior commanders (who never served in the reserves themselves) in the capabilities of the reserve force.
In the past statements were even made about the reserve corps, especially the ground forces, being unnecessary, and about their irrelevance for ground maneuver warfare. These statements and the discomfort that they caused among reservists reduced the mutual confidence between the reserve force and the army’s commanders.
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