How big is Israel's military really? Hint: Wikipedia is WRONG!
A lot of people are interested in the size of Israel's military forces that are involved in the war against Hamas in Gaza and against other actual and potential adversaries.
What Wikipedia says
Naturally people go to Wikipedia and it says that Israel has:
a) 169,500 Active personnel; and
b) 465,000 reserves.
See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Defense_Forces
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_military_and_paramilitary_personnel#IISS2021
If you go to the source for this information, Wikipedia cites The Military Balance 2021 or 2023 a publication by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (a London based think tank).
However this document is not publicly available and costs over $700, so it is not possible to verify that this is actually what the IISS says.
Wikipedia is badly wrong
In any case it is clearly and obviously wrong.
Wikipedia misses IDF Conscripts
These figures do not include the 200k+ 18-21 year olds doing compulsory military service of 3 years for men and 2.5 years for women (both recently reduced by 6 months but being increased again in light of Oct 7).
This is a glaring oversight. Especially as it is a unique and defining feature of both the IDF and Israeli society that the vast majority of men and a majority of women do military service.
It is extraordinary how a blatant and obvious mistake gets copied and cross referenced around the internet and no one thinks to do a sanity check.
Israel is also unique in that military service is seen very positively in Israeli society.
There is great competition to get into the best units as there is a direct and lucrative path from top military units (particularly intelligence, pilots and special units) into well paying positions in the private sector.
Indeed Israel's huge high tech industry was substantially created by and is today fed new entrepreneurs and employees from top military units. Service in units such as 8200 or Talpiyot is one of the most sought after qualifications in the technology sector.
Very few countries today have serious compulsory military service and those that do conscript for sufficient time to actually train a combat soldier (at least 1 year) have much higher avoidance rates than Israel.
For example Turkey has only 6 months which can be reduced to 1 month by paying a fee and a huge rate of exemption. Russia only has one year with a large avoidance rate.
How many Conscripts are there?
Israel does not seem to publish figures for how large its conscript forces are, but it is possible to roughly calculate numbers from the published historical birth figures and the percentage of men and women serving.
In 2005, (18 years ago) there were 105,121 Israeli births in the "Jews and Others" category (which are subject to compulsory military service) and 2533 Druse (who are also subject to compulsory service and have very high rates of enlistment). These figures are from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics.
That's 107,654 Israelis turning 18 in 2023. There are also Jewish immigrants and the children of immigrants since 2005. There were 380,000 Jewish immigrants between 2005 and 2022.
I estimate that 2% of these immigrants will turn 18 in 2023.
This bring the total number eligible for military services to 115,254.
Applying a 72% enlistment rate (which includes the low service rate of the Ultra-Orthodox) you get 82,983 conscripts each year with an average service length of 2.75 years.
This is 228,202 conscripts serving in 2023.
On top of this about 1500 Bedouin and a small number of Israeli Arabs volunteer for IDF service.
So the IISS and Wikipedia have missed the largest component (230k) of the Israel's active military.
It is notable that over the next 5 years from 2005 to 2010 there was a dramatic increase in the number of births from 105k to 125k. So the size of the conscript force is due to increase almost 20% over the next few years. Also the rate of enlistment of the ultra-orthodox and Israeli society generally is likely to increase substantially post Oct 7.
Wikipedia mischaracterises and underestimates IDF Reserves
The Wikipedia / IISS figure for IDF reserves also ignores the massive difference between Israeli reserves and other countries' reserves.
Israel's main reserves are a ready reaction force capable of combat deploying over 100,000 troops in 24-48 hours and 360,000 fully equiped, combat ready troops in 2 weeks.
By way of comparison:
- when Russia mobilised 300,000 reserves last year it took then 6-9 months to equip and train them so they were ready to fight;
- NATO's "Ready Reaction" brigades are so poorly equipped and at such low readiness that they would take substantially longer (2-7 days and 30 days) to deploy than IDF "Reserves".
These reserve troops are fighting in Gaza with performance levels that meet or exceed the excellence of the IDF's full time professional units. No country in the world has reserves anywhere near as high quality. Indeed because the reserves are older and bring more life and multi-disciplinary experience they are better at adapting and innovating on the battlefield.
The Wikipedia/IISS figures also vastly understate the true amount of combat trained reserves available to Israel in extremis.
Around 75% of all Israeli men and about 55% of Israeli women in the 21 - 65 age group have done compulsory military service. This means that there are 3-4 million militarily trained Israelis in addition to the official reserves.
Total Size of IDF
Thus Israel's military actually comprises:
a) ~180k full time professionals;
b) 230k compulsory service
c) 360k "rapid reaction" reservists.
d) 3M+ inactive reserves who did compulsory military service but have not maintained active reserve status.
Thus Israel has around 800k battle hardened, highly motivated troops with the best military tech in the world, plus a backup of 3M+ militarily trained citizens.
This is actually one of the largest and most powerful militaries in the world.
800k is similar to the US Army, Marines and Reserves combined.
I will publish a separate post with more detailed comparisons to other military powers.
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We have 7 Million in our Army. We will all fight
It is a sad fact that Hamas can make a valid argument that any military-age Israeli is probably a "valid military target" tanks to such conscription while Israel says the same of any adult in Gaza without merit.
Let's hope we can find a way to advocate peace this Christmas.
Neither of your arguments has any valid basis.
1a A person who is not an active soldier/ combatant is not a valid military target under any international treaty on war. The very idea that a person who once served in the military but was no longer serving would be a military target would have destroyed the concept of civilian as when those treaties were written mandatory universal male conscription was the norm.
1b In any case Hamas and Gazan "civilians" indiscriminately slaughtered, kidnapped and raped anyone they came across. This included children, Thais, Israeli Arabs, many foreigners and many Israeli Jews who had never served in the IDF.
2 Israel does not say that all adult Gazans are valid military targets.
Hamas turned almost every building in Gaza into a military target by placing weapons inside and military tunnels underneath and uses Gazans as shields.
Israel attacks legitimate military targets and civilians are killed because of Hamas's actions. Civilians are not the targets and Israel is far too careful to protect Gazan civilians at the risk to its soldiers and the mission.
I will acknowledge that "valid" was the wrong word to convey my intended meaning. "Plausible" would be closer to my midnight intent.
And yet the US has used "military-age male" as an equivalent to "terrorist" for many, many years. And so has Israel. And innumerable other countries. Further, the very concept of a democratic process has been used to justify collective guilt for political abuse worldwide.
None of what I am saying is justifying or excusing terrorism. I am just pointing out that if Israel has nearly universal conscription, Hamas can make the argument that all adults are military targets. This is in contrast to the repeated insistence that all residents of the Gaza Strip are somehow responsible for Hamas gaining power. Never mind how half the population is under 18, and no one under 35 or so has even had a chance to vote, and when the last election occurred, Hamas didn't even have an absolute majority.
Do you remember the hospital tunnel story? That wasn't built by Hamas or a terrorist cell. That tunnel was built by Israel. How much more misinformation are we being given regarding terrorism? This kind of incident is like when cops plant drugs to justify traffic stops. How many "terrorists" are just men 17-34 or so?
Victim-blaming just perpetuates the cycle of violence and sparks more terrorist retaliation. You want to believe it is surgical strikes with accidental collateral damage, but is that really the case? People keep insisting when Israel drops leaflets warning of an upcoming strike, it's somehow humanitarianism and not terrorism.
Israel did not build ANY of the tunnels connecting to Shifa Hospital. It build an underground floor as was standard in any Israeli hospital of the period.
Hamas expanded it and connected it to a massive tunnel network of 1000s of kms.
This article you link to is an example of twisting the truth to suit an agenda. It is not journalism. It is Hamas propaganda.
The "cycle of violence" was perpetuated by Israel failing to completely destroy terrorist groups over the last 30 years and adopting a "mowing the grass" approach of trying to manage terror.
Oct 7 showed this is a failed strategy and so now you will see that if you kill every terrorist and their family then the cycle of violence will end.
Peace is achieved through total victory, not concessions and half measures. Are Germany and Japan threats today?
Are Chechnyans a threat to Russia anymore? Indeed their defeat was so total that they have been co-opted by Russia and are their most fierce troops in Ukraine.
Are the Tamil Tigers a threat to Sri Lanka anymore?
The West has forgotten how to win wars.
Israel is showing them how its done. But many or most Westerners have become so weak, woke and squeamish that they no longer have the balls required.
The Gaza Strip is a humanitarian crime somewhere on the spectrum with the US tribal reservations and the Warsaw ghettos. The solution to terrorism is to stop forcing people from their homes, stop preventing them from developing independent utilities, stop cutting them off from trade, and in general stop treating them as second class citizens in their own homeland. October 7th was the inevitable tragic blowback following decades of abuse.
There is no moral or rational supremacy in victory through violence. Your analysis collectivizes innocent people with criminals, and your calls for total war are not courage or strength, but true cowardice and hatred.
If all Israelis cannot be held accountable for the actions of the government of Israel in spite of universal conscription and an active democracy, then it is downright absurd to insist all Palestinians but be punished for the actions of a terrorist organization without even a veneer of political legitimacy. Remember, the Palestinians were there first, and the militant wing of Zionists invaded them. The conflict is not Arab versus Jew, or Muslim versus Jew, it is between an indigenous people and a foreign occupier.
Christmas is about celebrating the Prince of Peace. Your rhetoric indicates you worship Mars instead. We can't continue the cycle of destruction.
Israel made many attempts for peace, people of Gaza are being cynically used as human shields for a terror base, by Iran, and even by Egypt who signed peace agreement with Israel but its a cold peace.
Israel gave entire Sinay back to Egypt, and Egypt refuse to take Gaza. The left is as a terror base close to Israel. Now they are closing the gates and don't let Palestinians leave Gaza. Israel is responsible to defend its nation. Letting people from Gaza and Genin work in Israel while they kill us is absurd. Why can't the people of Gaza work in Egypt? Why they prefer to come to Israel? The gates of Israel should be closed and if Egypt care for the Palestinian children they should take them instead of sending oil to Hamas missiles.
Some points to think about.
Why can't the people of Gaza return to their homes, their family farms, their ancestral villages? Just answer me that.
Because they raped, killed and burned Israelis.
And they abducted children, women and men and supported these horrors.
You need more reasons?
All residents of the Gaza Strip did this? They all bear collective guilt because some were driven to terrorism?
Here in the US, we have people who think US history with Japan began on Dec. 7th, 1941 or history with the Middle East began on September 11th, 2001. Israel's history with Gaza did not begin on October 7th, 2023.
All of Japan was not guilty of Pearl Harbor or the atrocities committed across the Pacific Islands and China. All of Afghanistan was not responsible for Al-Qaida flying jets into the Twin Towers. All of Gaza was not responsible for flying over a wall to murder civilians, and Israel's response has escalated tensions instead of bringing peace.
Not all Gazans did this. There are about 30% poor people there, about 600,000 people that should be safe (unlike 600,000 innicent Assad murdered in Syria). Israel can't save them while Hamas firing missles behind these poor people. I hope Egypt will come to its senses and take away those poor people especialy kids that should not be in a war zone. But for some reason Egypt is not opening its gates besides to fuel Hamas.
Turkey and Egypt took 22 million refugges from Syria. Europe took 8 million refugees from UA. But for some reason even Iran refuses to save 0.6 million people from Gaza. That is indeed terrible.
Why should Egypt or Iran take them in? Their homeland is in Palestine and territory claimed by Israel. This is like saying after the US conquered the homelands of native tribes that Mexico and Canada should have felt obligated to accept the displaced people. The premise you offer is absurd.
Gaza is a microcosm of the old adage that if trade cannot cross borders, armies will. Let Gaza be truly independent. Let them have ports and trade. When people can build real prosperity, the appeal of mindless violence diminishes. Half the population is under 18, so we could be only a generation away from peaceful coexistence if people are no longer given reasons for hate and fear.
I respected your previos comments but as the author of the post accurately understood you are not making rational points but taking a side. While its your choice I would advice to be more objective when you communicate with someone who knows the situation first hand, we see and hear the missles. We hurt the dead. You make arguments thousands of miles away, you want to be good, thats understandable, but you are to far to understand and you are missing the opportunity to listen to first hand, prefering to make second hand arguments. Be safe in the US and may god bless you.
My side is the oppressed, regardless of what their rulers or countrymen did. Objectively speaking, the Palestinians have been pushed out of their homes for decades and denied all the necessary aspects of independence. This does not justify terrorism, but it explains the mounting desperation which fuels hate. If you can understand why rockets create fear in Israel, surely you can understand airstrikes and artillery bombardment are orders of magnitude worse in an impoverished region like Gaza.
The thing is, what the holocaust showed the jews, and what Assad lately prooved again, while the people of the world say the are siding the oppresed. They usualy do nothing to realy help them.
No one helped the jews in the gaz chambers, so the survived fought their way to a nation. No one stops Putin and Assad and no one will stop Iram and extreme Islam when they will turn their Jihad towards the Jews. So while I care much and held same opinions as you do on Oct 6, after Oct 7 I dont have the privillage to care for Palestinians. And when Jihad will turm its eyes on you, I guess your progressive mind will also change. I wish it won't, I fear it will.
Also thanks for the genuine interest and the last reply after my emotional backlash on you.
Here is a post that might put light on the sad effect of of Oct 7 on my perspective
https://hive.blog/israel/@amirl/i-am-truely-woke
Here are some facts that suggests we fight for our existance:
I don't want our women raped and babies burned to get pitty from the world. I rather fight and live with bad reputation. If you realy care for the palestinian lives you should support humane solutions like transfer to Egypt because any other solution is fueling war as you corrctly mentioned.
Have you ever been to Gaza? Have your visited the many high end shopping malls and fancy car dealerships, particularly in the Rimal neighbourhood?
You are completely ignorant and your worldview of oppressed vs oppressors is perverted and idiotic with no basis in reality.
Gazans were only oppressed by Hamas. Gazas had a higher standard of living than most Muslim Arabs before Oct 7.
The homeland of Arab Gazans is Arabia. They should go to Yemen.
They may be culturally Arab, but until a century ago, they wereunder Ottoman rule, and their ancestry comes from across the Levant, including Jews. Why should they go anywhere else, or to Yemen in particular?
Almost all Gazans would have raped, murdered and taken hostages if they had the opportunity, just as all the ones that had the opportunity did in Oct 7.
There is not one Gazan resident that publicly criticised Hamas for Oct 7 before Israel made them pay dearly.
There were no counter protests to the massive public celebrations of rape, murder and hostage taking that happened on the streets of Gaza.
You are right
Yes, all the residents of Gaza bear responsibility because they supported and protected Hamas and because non-Hamas Gazan "civilians" also raped and murdered and took hostages. Also they returned escaped hostages to Hamas.
They are far more guilty and responsible than the German people were for the Nazi crimes (and the Germans were guilty and held responsible).
Half the population is under 18. Of those over 18, no one under their mid-30s was eligible to vote in the last election in 2006. Of those who could vote in the last election, less than half who did vote actively supported Hamas. Collective guilt is irrational in Gaza now, and was irrational in Germany and Japan then.
By your own arguments, all Israelis are guilty of every act by the government of Israel against the Palestinians. You are justifying Palestinian terrorist retaliation in your own logic.
Because they have no such ancestral homes. They are just foreign invaders of Jewish land that became refugees and then created the most evil society of serial killers (as @amirl has outlined).
In what way are they foreign invaders, pray tell?
You speak of Christmas in one sentence and deny the entire Christian bible in the next!
Jesus was a Jew living in Roman occupied Judea.
Have you ever even read the Christian Bible?
Jews are the indigenous people of the land of Israel.
This is an indisputable fact proven by every bit of literary history and archeology and genetics.
The "palestinians" are Arabs from the Arabian peninsula.
They are not native and didn't even exist 150 years ago before Jews started bring back prosperity to the land.
This is proven by numerous American visitors to The Land of Israel who wrote about this. The most famous was Mark Twain.
Gaza is just where Egyptian forces invading Israel in 1948 were stopped. Almost all its people were refugees from elsewhere and still hold on to this status 75 years later.
So the Jews were there first (3350 years earlier) and the Arab "palestinians" are the foreign invader.
Your entire approach to this topic is informed by complete lies and illogicality.
This skit puts it best https://x.com/Eretz_Nehederet/status/1739768987913801930?s=20
Yes, Jesus was a Jew living in Roman-occupied Israel. The rest of your argument does not follow, either historically, rationally, or theologically. If you read the teachings of Christ, you might notice what He said about "the least of these." And if you prefer just the Old Testament, who was there 3351 years ago?
The Palestinians are people of mixed Levantine ancestry and Arab-influenced culture. They did exist in the region. It was not a "land without a people," it was a territory administered by the Ottoman empire for centuries under essentially a Feudal system, where like Norman England, the existing landholders were converted into tenants by taxation and conquest. The people of Gaza are refugees from land taken by Israel in 1948 and subsequent actions since.
The Jews were there 3300 years ago, and they were never ethnically cleansed. The Palestinians descend in part from Jews who remained in Palestine, and the majority of whom assimilated into Arab/Persian/Byzantine/Ottoman cultures over the centuries. Orthodox and Samaritan Jewish communities even remained.
Would I be justified in returning to the land my paternal or maternal ancestors left barely a century ago, choosing a home, kicking out its residents, and asserting it was "reclaiming my homeland?" No. Of course not. It would not matter if the people I displaced were more, less, or not even slightly of the same culture. It would be a crime regardless.
I would like to say here that war should not happen if one wants to, the biggest loss is that people's lives are lost.
Dear friend, I have to tell you that many in this platform hate jews and support the horrors of Hamas. Not sure the entire platform is doomed, and Im glad you represent us. But not sure it is worth the audience.