50 pilots request: Call us up for reserve duty - instead of those who don't show up

March 21, 2023   

50 pilots and air crew members wrote a letter today (Tuesday) to the Chief of Staff, the Air Force Commander, and the Minister of Defense, offering to return to service to fill the places of those who are not willing to report. "We oppose refusal and are ready to immediately return to operational service," wrote the pilots who recently completed operational service in the Air Force. The letter was sent by the 'Pilots for Good' forum, in response to the announcement by the leaders of the 'Reservist Protest', according to which they will not report to service if the legal reform laws are passed. Major Shai Kalach, leader of the 'Pilots for Good' forum, told Channel 12: "We made it clear to the Air Force Commander that we will be ready to serve at any time. The defense of the State of Israel does not depend on the identity of the government. We conducted an inquiry with senior squadron commanders and discovered that the service of the Air Force Reserves is not in doubt and does not suffer from gaps in manpower." These are pilots who can return to service, and they were removed from the manpower for reasons unrelated to operational capabilities, such as the closure of a squadron. The 50 pilots who signed the letter wrote: "We pledge to respond to the call to return to active reserve service and defend the State of Israel.".