The General Staff of the Serbian Army proposed to President Aleksandar Vucic to reintroduce compulsory military service in the country, BGNES reported.
The Ministry of Defense announced that the term of service will be four months. This is done with the aim of "raising the defensive capabilities of the Serbian army by rejuvenating and actively training the reserve staff", the Ministry of Defense specifies.
As stated, the aim of the initiative is to increase the defensive capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces by rejuvenating and improving the recruitment and training of active and reserve forces.
"The proposal of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, as the highest expert and staff body for the preparation and use of the Serbian Armed Forces in peace and war, which launched the initiative, comes after a detailed examination of the general security situation and contemporary challenges facing Serbia as a militarily neutral state, which imposed the need to adjust the recruitment model for the Serbian Armed Forces, which will allow strengthening the overall potential for recruitment and training a larger number of citizens for the defense of our country," states the the message.
Previously, Defense Minister Milos Vucevic stated that the initiative was launched based on a security assessment in the country.
"After 13 years we need to replenish the reserve. We have 13 generations that have left the armed forces, there was no conscription. Our security need is to have new recruits who are always ready to defend the country. We understand the risks to security. This is not a necessity unique to Serbia, many European countries activate compulsory military service," explained Vucevic.
Speaking about the Serbian army, he stated that it is very important that by the decision of the government and the president of the country salaries are 10% higher from January 1 and that the army ends 2023 much stronger in terms of military equipment and the level of training of the people.
"All this will be one of the key topics when the report is presented to the president at the end of the month. We will have a long and detailed meeting at the end of January," the defense minister said.
Defense Minister Milos Vucevic confirmed the return of mandatory military service. This morning, in an interview with "Happy" TV, he informed that the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense will officially start a procedure for the President and Commander-in-Chief Vučić to annul the decision to abolish compulsory military service, which was introduced in 2011.
BGNES reminds that Milos Vucevic is pointed out as the most likely future prime minister of Serbia. /BGNES
