Israel's National Security Doctrine under Strain: The Crisis of the Reserve Army

Abstract

Israel's national security doctrine necessitates a citizen's army ("nation-in-arms") based on universal conscription, requiring citizens to serve in the military reserves for many years. This reserve army is the mainstay of Israel's military. The willingness of citizens to serve in the army is analyzed here, using four approaches: the individual level, the institutional or organizational levels, competing commitments, and social conditions. This is the first empirical study to be published on this topic based on a representative sample of the relevant Israeli population.