Croatia's Defence Ministry Plans to Reinstate Mandatory Monthly Military Training for Youth after School

Croatia's Defence Minister Ivan Anusic said that the ministry is currently working on the concept of returning shortened basic military training in the country.

"This is a very serious topic that requires operational, financial, infrastructural and political consensus. When the best way to return to military service or military training is agreed upon, it will be communicated to the public. Everyone has their own idea of what it will look like, but at the end of the session, they will say how it will be implemented," Minister Anusic said, as reported by HRT.

For his part, Croatian Veterans Minister Tomo Medved said on Monday that intensive work is underway to reintroduce military service, and that mandatory segments are being analysed.

"The security platform around the world has changed significantly over the past two years. We are looking at the direction in which it will go," Medved said.

He added that in the coming weeks he will address the Croatian public with proposed solutions, taking into account the integrity as well as the risks faced by Croatia.

Voluntary military service is currently in place in Croatia. However, in recent years, the interest of young people in serving has fallen sharply. The percentage has almost halved to less than 400 conscripts annually. This is clearly not enough, given that Croatia is a NATO member, and given the global security challenges, starting with the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East. 

Therefore, the Ministry of Defence will propose to the Government modules to be included in connection with the training of young people, whether it is in response to climate change, natural disasters, catastrophic situations or threats of war.