IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz announced Monday that all training exercises for reserve soldiers would be cancelled until the end of 2014.
The announcement came amid an ongoing dispute between the defense establishment and the Finance Ministry over the defense budget.
"The reserves will cease training for a year, in order to give top priority in training to regular service," Gantz said at a ceremony for outstanding reservists at Gelilot army base north of Tel Aviv.
Gantz said that the IDF has had to adjust to numerous changes in the region and in the threats facing Israel in recent years. Those adjustments include changes to reserve duty which include a smaller reserve structure.
"National priorities are changing and with this, unfortunately, decisions dealing with defense are also changing. As a result of this, we are dealing with a complex resource challenge that we haven't seen before and it could have dramatic implications for the IDF," Gantz said.
Gantz said that the IDF was being forced to make "painful decisions" in all fields, including reserves.
He said that given the cuts to defense he was concerned for the IDF's ability to meet challenges in the present and "very worried" about the direction going forward.