The Israeli Chief Reserve Officer (Hebrew: קצין מילואים ראשי) is the commander of the Israel Defense Forces military reserve force. As of September 2008, the Chief Reserve Officer is Brigadier-General Yishayahu Ben Anat, who replaced Brigadier-General Dani Van Biran after three years in this position.[1]
The position was created both as part of the 21st Century IDF reforms as well as largely due to feelings of discrimination by reservists following Operation Defensive Shield, whereby the reservists complained that employers preferred those who serve shorter durations over those serving lengthier terms. Until the position was created, the reserve force fell under the jurisdiction of the respective branch and there was no one, single officer to represent IDF reservists. Also, as part of the reserve force reform, a celebratory "Reserve Day" was established during which reservists are entitled to several benefits. Leaders of the reservists groups, however, maintained this falls short and that better employment protections and more substantive benefits are needed. During the Second Lebanon War, severe war-time shortages and other critical oversights affecting the reserve force culminated in the reserve soldiers' protest, which became an important political event in Israel, leading to the creation of the Winograd Commission.
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