ZSK:
That Chilonim don’t accept תורתו אומנותו as a valid exemption is absolutely no reason anyone shouldn’t utilize that exemption, regardless of Chilonim not accepting it.
By the way, Chilonim do accept the “soldiers” in the IDF who are part of the IDF choir (Lakat Tzahal) or the orchestra (Tizmorot Tzahal) or the band or the honor guard (Mishmor Hakovod), entertainment positions in the IDF, filmmaking , photography, sports, or the radio and media (Galei Tzahal), the IDF theatre group (Teatron Tzahal) and other non-critical, non-combat units.
Yet, תורתו אומנותו is less important than to have entertainers, theatre production, filmmaking, orchestra, choirs, etc., who are not fighting in combat. Torah study, of course, is being “parasitical”.
The mathematical reality is that only a tiny tiny percent of Jews opt out due to Torah. The fact that the majority aren’t religious r”l altogether and even by the religious most don’t value Torah enough to dedicate themselves to it, thereby leaving Chareidim as the main source for the tiny percent of Jews dedicated to Torah, is irrelevant to the fact that means the Chareidim need to mostly be exempt.
And, aside from all of the above, and as DaasYochid alluded to above, there’s every good reason even for people who are *not* dedicated to full time Torah study to make absolutely certain that they never join the treif IDF. The IDF is well reknown and infamous for its rampant immorality as well as rabid anti-religious fervor, that in order to self-preserve one’s very basic Judaism any observant Jew should stay far away from the IDF.
And all this is even before getting into the facts that the IDF is not short soldiers that is causing them to lose battles or wars due to a lack of combat personnel. This fact was well admitted to by multiple to IDF personnel before the current war. They don’t want Chareidim because they need them; they want Chareidim in order to make them no longer Chareidi.