Israel Defense Forces
 | This article may contain content lifted from Wikipedia. You can help by adapting it for Leftypedia by adding more sources or properly attributing the information on this page. (February 2024) |
| Israel Defense Forces | |
|---|---|
| צבא ההגנה לישראל | |
 Standard | |
| Founded | 26 May 1948 |
| Service branches | |
| Website | idf.il |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 17 |
| Conscription | 24–34 months |
| Available for military service |
1,554,186 males, age 17–49 (2016), 1,514,063 females, age 17–49 (2016) |
| Fit for military service |
1,499,998 males, age 17–49 (2016), 1,392,319 females, age 17–49 (2016) |
| Reaching military age annually |
60,000 males (2016), 60,000 females (2016) |
| Active personnel | 169,500 |
| Reserve personnel | 465,000 |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | |
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל),[a] sometimes known pejoratively as the IOF (Israel Offensive Forces/Israel Occupation Forces) is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and the Israeli Navy. The IDF is headed by the Chief of the General Staff, who is subordinate to the Israeli Defense Minister.
On the orders of David Ben-Gurion, the IDF was formed on 26 May 1948 and began to operate as a conscript military, drawing its initial recruits from the already-existing paramilitaries of the Yishuv—namely Haganah, the Irgun, and Lehi. It was formed shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence and has participated in every armed conflict involving Israel since 1948.
Since its unexpected successes in the 1967 Six-Day War, the IDF has had a close security relationship with the United States, including in research and development, and US police departments are known for training with the IDF in Israel.[citation needed] The IDF has almost certainly maintained a secretive operational nuclear weapons capability for decades consisting of up to 400 warheads.
Notes
- ↑ Alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym Tzahal (צה״ל).