The army has introduced an austerity plan it says will save Israeli tax-payers about IL 100 million a year without reducing the efficiency of the armed forces, though it may reduce the weight of some soldiers. One element of the plan, designed to cut down on wasted food, is already evident at military bases and installations around the country. Smaller loaves of bread, smaller packages of margarine and smaller quantities of jam and olives are being served in the mess-halls.
Those are the items of greatest waste, according to the three generals, including the Quartermaster General, who devised the plan. Since they were cut down, the soldiers have been consuming the same quantities as previously, but leaving less on their plates. So far no complaints have been reported.
The army is also issuing senior officers smaller Fiat-132 staff cars instead of the gas gulping Detroit models heretofore used. Smaller fuel quotas are being issued to units and the cars will be run for longer periods before trade-in. The army is also making an effort to conduct more advance training programs for officers in Israel instead of sending personnel abroad.
Another item on the austerity list is newspapers and magazines. Fewer will be distributed to each unit and the army’s own publications will be reduced in number. The Army Broadcasting Service, Galei Zahal, has been ordered to cut down expensive programming.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
