Israeli Defense Ministry Proposes Compensation Model for Extended Mandatory Service

The Israeli Ministry of Defense, Treasury, and IDF have developed a new compensation model to address the extension of mandatory military service from 30 to 32 months. The model, set to be presented to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee soon, aims to provide financial compensation to soldiers required to serve the additional two months. This plan targets the "transition generation" of conscripts enlisted between July 2024 and June 2026, with differentiated benefits based on enlistment date.

Under the model, soldiers recruited from July 2024 to June 2025 will receive 100% increased living allowances for months 31 and 32, while those enlisted from July 2025 to June 2026 will get a 75% increase. New recruits joining after the law's enactment will serve 32 months but receive no additional pay for the extended period. The compensation includes increased monthly living allowances, discharge bonuses, and deposits, with frontline combat soldiers receiving the highest pay.

Simulations show that a frontline soldier from the 2024 cohort could earn up to 8,782 shekels monthly during the extended service, nearly doubling the current 3,553 shekel allowance. The Treasury emphasizes that the increased pay is designed to balance urgent defense needs with maintaining soldier motivation and fairness, reducing resentment among those whose service is extended unexpectedly.

The model ranks compensation from highest to lowest as follows: frontline combat soldiers, regular combat soldiers, combat support, technological units, and finally rear-echelon units. The Treasury highlights that while the transition generation receives enhanced pay, new conscripts will not benefit from increased allowances for the extra two months, maintaining the base rate. This differential aims to manage budgetary constraints while addressing public concerns about the service extension.