site.btaMandatory Military Service Returns in Croatia

The first 800 conscripts on Monday are entering three Croatian barracks in Knin, Slunj and Pozega to begin basic military training, which will last two months.

Of them, 446 are volunteers, including 82 women, while 354 are conscripts subject to mandatory military service. Among those called up, only ten young men have declared conscientious objection to military service; they will instead complete three or four months of service in the civilian sector. Women are not subject to compulsory service but may voluntarily undergo basic military training, Croatian media report. 

Mandatory military service in Croatia existed until 2007, when it was abolished. Now, almost 20 years later, it is being reinstated. Up to 4,000 conscripts will be called up annually to the Croatian Armed Forces. The Ministry of Defence will spend about EUR 23.7 million per year on basic military training.

On Monday, the first conscripts will be welcomed at the Eugen Kvaternik military training ground near Slunj by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ivan Anusic and the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid.

Training will begin after the recruits undergo medical examinations. Over the next two months, they will study basic military skills, ranging from handling personal weapons and operating modern equipment, including drones, to providing first aid and basic self-defence. In addition to technical and tactical knowledge, the conscripts will also learn about key military operations from Croatia’s Homeland War [Croatian War of Indepenence 1991-1995]. 

Conscripts will receive a net salary of about EUR 1,100, with the exact amount depending on tax relief and local income tax rates according to their place of residence. They will also receive two months of credited work experience, transport costs and leave will be covered, and they will be granted a one-time advantage in the form of priority for permanent employment in state institutions and in local and regional administrative bodies when conditions are equal.