Conscription Returns: Teens Report for Duty in Croatia
Croatia revives mandatory military service as 800 recruits begin training amid rising European tensions and the Ukraine war reshaping regional security.
Hundreds of teenage Croatians have reported for compulsory military service – the first time since their country abolished this requirement in 2008.
Training will take place in barracks at three locations around Croatia, and it's expected that new recruits will report to the location closest to their homes.
There, they will receive their kit and dormitory assignments. For the next two months, they will be subject to military discipline.
Tihomir Kundid, Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, said, "They are now isolated from the normal environment."
If this sounds a bit gloomy, the general immediately assured any worried parents that their children would be handled with care.
Read Also
He added, "We will gradually acclimate them to the environment so they don't experience too much stress."
Many of the new recruits will also be relieved to hear that, aside from a ban on using mobile phones during training, there are "no special restrictions" on them.
The first batch comprises approximately 800 recruits. Significantly, more than half of them chose not to wait for their call-up papers, but volunteered to serve. One in ten are women, who are not obligated to serve.
Croatian officials have also reported that only 10 have so far registered as voluntary objectors. They will instead have to spend four months in civilian service – receiving less than half the €1,100 (£953; $1,273) monthly allowance that military recruits receive.
General Kundid has promised a "very dynamic, very interesting" program for the recruits. Training will cover everything from traditional skills to "basic drone control and drone protection skills" and cyberwarfare techniques and countermeasures.
Software Services
The strange proximity of the war in Ukraine prompted Croatia to reintroduce compulsory military service. Only Hungary separates Croatia from the conflict.
Croatia's Defense Minister, Ivan Anusic, "The situation in Croatia and our neighborhood was stable. Now, it's completely different."
"For the past four years, we've been witnessing not only Russia's aggression in Ukraine, but also Russia's proxies operating throughout Europe."
Where Croatia leads, its neighbors may follow. Ahead of this month's parliamentary elections, Slovenia's largest opposition party is pushing for a return to conscription.
Meanwhile, Serbia's President, Aleksandar Vucic, has announced that military service will return within the next 12 months. The country has also significantly increased military spending.
Read Also
This has caused consternation in Kosovo and Bosnia. Serbia, in turn, has expressed concern about Croatia's new military alliance with Kosovo and Albania.
Any military development in the Balkans makes the entire region much less secure because everyone perceives it as a threat to themselves, says James Ker-Lindsay, an analyst specializing in the Balkans and international conflict.
"The problem is that Croatia is buying weapons. And of course, when Croatia buys weapons, Serbia sees it and thinks we should buy them too."
But Croatia's recruitment drive is already underway. Three more recruitment drives should take place before the end of this year, with the goal of training 4,000 new recruits each year from now on.
Croatia is one of 10 NATO countries that have reinstated compulsory military service, along with Greece, Turkey, Scandinavian countries, and the Baltic states.
Thank you for reading this content.
Thank you for reading this content.
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Angry
0
Sad
0
Wow
0
