Defense Minister Katz moves to extend IDF service to 36 months

In the statement, Katz indicated that combat soldiers and other conscripts who are already serving and scheduled to complete their service during 2026 may have to delay their discharge from the IDF.

The standard amount of service time for an IDF soldier is to be extended from 30-32 months to 36 months, according to a plan being prepared by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich , the pair announced in a Friday morning statement following the approval of the state budget.

“If the law is amended, ten thousand service days per year will be added by conscripted soldiers,” Katz’s office said.

In the statement, Katz indicated that combat soldiers and other conscripts who are already serving and scheduled to complete their service during 2026 may have to delay their discharge from the IDF.

The move comes as the government promotes legislation exempting the ultra-Orthodox population from IDF service, even as it seeks to save state funds by cutting roughly 30,000 reserve duty positions. Katz’s announcement noted that regular soldiers are expected to fill the resulting gaps. The government intends to advance a fast-track measure to extend compulsory service beginning in the 2026 fiscal year to enable this change.

Katz is making adjustments in the Israeli state budget

The Defense Minister's Office said Friday that Katz decided to make budget adjustments by reducing the scope of the reserves from 60,000 to 40,000 per year, a step that would significantly decrease the overall volume of reserve service.

Officials in the minister’s office said Katz will instruct the IDF to draw up plans and prepare accordingly for the reduced reserve framework. “If the law is amended to 36 months of compulsory service, tens of thousands of service days per year will be added by conscripted soldiers,” the office said in a briefing to reporters.

Israel's defense budget for 2026 had been set at NIS 112 billion, the defense minister's office said on Friday, up from NIS 90 billion budgeted in an earlier draft.

Opposition Leader and Yesh Atid chair Yair Lapid said the government is approving "a budget of corruption and draft-dodging."

Reuters contributed to this report.