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| By israelinsider staff April 4, 2007 |
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Fifteen to twenty percent of reserve combat soldiers in the IDF are lacking proper combat fitness and are in need of basic training, data collected by the IDF Ground Forces Command revealed.
The data revealed that about one-fifth of reserve battalions lack knowledge of basic exercises that are usually taught after units are formed during basic training.
The data emphasizes the neglect with which the army has treated reserve soldiers training and military sources said the fitness problem shows, "a gap of a whole military lifecycle, four years of lack of skills," Ynetnews reported.
The problem was especially evident among the armored, artillery and engineering units. Reserve soldiers in these units are learning teamwork skills and weapons training.
The chairman of the IDF Reservists' Lobby in Knesset, MK Avshalom Vilan (Meretz), promoted a bill that would put the focus of reserve duty on special training sessions.
According to reserve Lt. Colonel Itai Landsberg, a representative of the Battalion Commanders' Forum, many reserve soldiers in armor and artillery units have not received basic combat training since operation Defensive Shield in 2002.
A committee to assess the performance of reserve units during the Second Lebanon War recommended that reserve soldiers undergo at least 10 days of training a year. However, due to a number of constraints, reserve soldiers will only receive five days of training this year. |
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