Croatia’s young men are to be called to arms again 17 years after conscription was suspended. The Ministry of Defense is only waiting for the green light from Parliament.
Croatia’s government wants to reactivate compulsory military service for men, which was suspended in 2008. A corresponding draft law will soon be presented to parliament, said Defense Minister Ivan Anusic, according to the portal “index.hr”. Military service should last two months, and the first recruits should start their service on January 1, 2025. Parliament is expected to give the green light for this.
A week ago, the president of neighboring Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, announced similar plans for his country. There, military service would last 75 days.
In 2025, 4,000 to 4,500 recruits are expected, Anusic continued. Every year, 17,000 to 18,000 young men come of age in Croatia. Compulsory military service applies from the age of 18 to 27. Everyone has the opportunity to postpone military service in order to complete their training beforehand. Croatians can refuse military service for reasons of conscience, but then they would have to perform civilian service.
The cost of training a generation of recruits would be around five million euros, said Anusic. In view of the current security situation, there was no point in cutting costs for equipping and modernizing the army, the minister continued. Officers’ salaries had also been increased.
Source: Stern
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