A consistent concern pre-war, mid-war, and post-war has been whether IDF reservists are properly armed.
There is no question that pre-war they were not, and that it took a significant amount of time to arm them in late 2023 and early 2024.
There is also little question that at some point, the IDF – partially due to public pressure – made progress and was supplying more and better gear to its reservist officers.
But, as with so many things in this longest war in Israel’s history, there have been later points when conditions worsened again.
Some of the worsening conditions were due to the war going on for so long, overwhelming logistics managers. Others were more fundamental in that the mega-funds were spent, and the lasting negative economic impact of the war began to take a bite out of the budgets for reservists, again.
The state of play for reservists now is a very complex picture and can differ widely depending on the specific unit and the specific front.
Some reservists unhappy with rifle performance
The Jerusalem Post has learned that at least some reserve units have seen a shortage of M4 rifles, particularly sharpshooter versions. Other reservists are using Arad rifles and are unhappy with their performance.
Moreover, since October 7, some reservists have contended that there has been no attempt to update night scopes for sharpshooters who are still using the largely obsolete Akila 4 system.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit responded that multiple distinct and complex processes were taking place, all of which were playing out over different time frames.
For example, the military said it had purchased and continues to purchase tens of thousands of M4s to distribute to both regular and reserve soldiers.
In parallel, it is purchasing thousands of Arads for certain soldiers.
According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the process for providing soldiers with the M4 is already well underway, but it is not necessarily linear.
The military said reservists who are involved in operations in Gaza are more likely to receive the latest weaponry sooner than reservists doing guard duty on the outskirts.
This means that some soldiers already have the latest weaponry, others may receive it soon, and others may not receive it for much longer.
It was unclear how the ceasefire had impacted such distinctions, but there are still different gradations of how close some soldiers are to the frontlines as opposed to others.
The process of replacing the Akila 4 sharpshooter night scope system with the T75 system – a rugged, long-range thermal imaging weapon sight that mounts as a clip-on in front of a day scope – is a separate process from the M4 and Arad distribution process.
It is expected to take at least several months, and the IDF recognizes that this means, for the time being, there will be reserve units using the much older night scope.
Some of the discussion on these issues was reignited on Thursday when the Defense Ministry announced that it would be distributing thousands of Arad rifles to local border village volunteer security teams.
That announcement was focused on showing a commitment by the IDF to getting the local villages better weaponry in their own relative terms.
But the statement struck some soldiers the wrong way, given that for portions of the war, they were provided with Arads, and some still have such weapons, having been told that they are adequate.
The superior M4
In contrast, it seems clear that the M4 is superior, and some soldiers are frustrated that they were given weapons that are now being handed out to local security teams.
In other words, these weapons may be better than what local security teams have, but they are clearly being given to them because they are lower performing than what much of the military has, and so will not be missed by the military.
There has also been some confusion among reservists about why the IDF has moved away in many respects from the Tavor rifle after many years of successful use.
It appears that it was decided over a long period of time and in large numbers that the M4 was more affordable, sustainable, and easier to replace and fix in terms of missing parts or parts that need to be exchanged regularly.
The Arad seems to have been used when not enough M4s or Tavors were available to a particular unit. Once all that is available to a particular unit at a given time is the Arad or some other weapon, they are told that this weapon is just as good or about as good as other weapons in circulation.
Reserve units might appreciate more forthrightness in such situations, even if what they would appreciate the most would be better weapons.
The true answer to the question of whether reservists are properly armed post-war is that some are, some are not, some will be, but are not yet, and some may get caught up, only to later fall further behind if the economic situation worsens again.