Israeli reservists rest before crossing into the northern Gaza Strip January 12, 2009. An Israeli military spokesman said army reservists had been thrown into the campaign that Israel launched with the declared aim of ending cross-border rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled territory to its south. Israeli troops fought gun battles with Hamas fighters on Monday, keeping military pressure on the Islamist group while avoiding all-out urban warfare that would complicate ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza war.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)Israel Confronts Flagging Interest In Military Service -- Washington Post
TEL HASHOMER, ISRAEL - Since Israel's founding, the military here has served not just as a defender against outside threats, but as the glue that brings together a patchwork nation of immigrants.
Now, the Israel Defense Forces' position as the country's most venerated institution appears to be slipping. While service is compulsory for most young men and women, a growing minority is avoiding conscription, leaving planners to worry the military won't have the troops it says it needs.
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My Comment: Israel is not the only country that has problems in maintaining interest among its young to serve in the military .... most countries that have compulsory military are having problems with a growing minority that are trying their best to avoid conscription.But unlike these other countries .... Israel's existence is dependent on maintaining a robust and well trained military. Take away a crucial component like military conscription away .... the end result will be the slow degradation of a military that will not be up to the task when conflict and war are on the horizon.