IDF: 1 in 4 don't enlist in army

The number of potential new soldiers refusing to put on the IDF uniform is on the up-and-up, facts presented in an IDF forum on Tuesday show.

According to the information provided by Lieutenant Colonel Shlomi Avraham, head of the Administration for Human Resources, Technology and Research, 21% of those born in 1981 did not enlist in the military. That number increased to 23% for those born in 1983 and jumped to 28% for '89ers—those who were supposed to be inducted into the IDF most recently.

How come fewer and fewer of today's youths want to be part of the IDF?

In 2007, 11.2% said they could not enlist because they were engaged in Torah study. This is compared with 4.9 who opted out of IDF service for the same reason in 1991. Another 7.3% did not enlist because of medical reasons; a 3% increase from the 1991 draft.

Other reasons for avoiding military service included: residence abroad, possession of a criminal record, being handicapped. Only 5% of those shirking IDF duty are described as "draft dodgers" in the traditional meaning of the phrase.

The number of draftees requesting an exemption from military service for mental health reasons increased from 4.6% for those drafted in 2000 to 6% for those designated to join IDF ranks in 2005.

What do the fact shows regarding geography and its effect on enlistment rates?

In Tel Aviv, the rate of non-enlistment spiked at 34.8%, compared with only 17.4% in communities in the north. In Jerusalem, the rate passed the halfway mark at 52% non-enlistment and, in communities in the south, the rate was 22.7 percent.

Another disturbing fact presented at the forum was that 17.7% of those who were released from their mandatory service in the IDF in 2006 were set free in their first six months in uniform. Most of the discharges were on account of mental health reasons.