Subject of the compulsory military service has been heating up in the Serbian public for some time now. It was announced during 2025 that the first generation of conscripts could enter the mandatory military service at the beginning of 2026, and now Minister of Defense Bratislav Gasic he announces it without a date, adding that everything is ready.
He stated on Friday (January 2) that the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army are ready for the return of mandatory military service and that a legal solution has been prepared that should be submitted to the parliamentary procedure soon.
Gašić told Tanjug that 125 facilities were brought to that purpose last year, and that it was planned that there would be 5.000 soldiers each in the first and following generations who would spend 75 days in military service, for which they would be paid.
New equipment was purchased, uniforms were purchased, new weapons were purchased, added the minister.
Gašić reminded that in September 2024, at a special session of the Government, a decision was made on the organization of the army and preparations for military service, and that for a year and a half they were engaged in comprehensive analyses, and that now it is a matter of political decision when the law will go to the assembly.
None of the three previously amended laws - the Law on the Army, the Law on Health Insurance for Military Conscripts and the Law on Military Education - refer to the return of mandatory service.
A slightly more concrete reason for the discussion on the return of mandatory military service was given by the budget for 2026, in which around 86,5 million euros were allocated for military service for the next three years.
"There's nothing to it"
Military analyst and "Vremen" journalist Davor Lukač, he stated earlier that since the return of mandatory military service at the beginning of 2026, "there is nothing" and that the first problem that arises is logistics.
"The capacity is being worked on quickly, but even if they pass a law, there is no chance that it will all be ready by the end of next year. They announced military service at the beginning of this year, then in June, then in September, but they can't finish everything. They invest a lot of money, for example, in kitchens. You have to feed the soldiers in barracks that were abandoned until yesterday. You have to hire cooks. And those are some of the most banal things," he said.
Lukac also stated that there is a problem with the lack of non-commissioned officers.
"Who is going to train these young people? You can't give someone who finished training yesterday and got the rank of corporal or corporal to train young soldiers after a few months, that's impossible," said Lukacs and added that even the talk about the budget doesn't hold water, since the figure mentioned there is "ridiculous" compared to the real costs of military service.
What will military service look like?
Men between the ages of 18 and 30 will be obliged to serve in the military, while women will be allowed to serve voluntarily, Gašić said.
He pointed out that it is planned that the first 60 days of military service will be in the barracks, and that the 15 days after that will be spent in certain camp premises.
He added that it is also planned that these soldiers have a certain number of exercises every year where they could acquire new knowledge and renew what they acquired in the first 75 days.
Warming up the topic
The topic of re-compulsory military service, which was suspended in 2011, first appeared and was widely discussed in public in 2017, and then in 2018, when a research was published. Various officials and "experts" expressed their opinions, poured in from empty to empty, and then it all stopped. "Vreme" wrote earlier.
Those "experts", as well as relevant ministers and most of the media, referred to "research" that almost three quarters of Serbia's citizens are in favor of military service. It's just that both the pro-state media and those who were against the government at the time skipped over one important fact - who conducted the research.
It was published in 2017 by a non-governmental, and in fact a pro-government organization, some kind of Research Center for Defense and Security, referring to field research conducted on a sample of 1.117 respondents in 11 municipalities and cities in Serbia, and through the organization's website to another 1.382 of them. it said "Time".
In June 2018, Center representative Jasmina Andrić said that 75 percent of female respondents and 77 percent of male respondents were in favor of introducing mandatory military service. It's just that the regime media kept silent about the fact that most of those who were in favor of introducing military service, 79 percent of them, were over 60 years old.
What do young people think?
At the end of 2024, another study was published that showed that 45 percent of young people are against the introduction of military service, while 44 percent support the idea.
The research was conducted by CESID, and Ivo Čolović from that organization said at the time that it was shown that those who are no longer at risk of being conscripted are much more inclined to introduce conscription for the younger generation.
"However, the opinion of young people is also divided on this issue - 45 percent of them are against the introduction of military service, and 44 percent support it. Those young people who live in urban areas, such as Belgrade and Vojvodina, young people who come from the ranks of national minorities and those who have a higher education are against the introduction of military service," Čolović said at the time.
On the other hand, as he explained, those with high school education, who are currently still in the process of schooling, who come from southern and eastern Serbia, are mostly in favor of introducing military service.
A total of 16 countries in Europe have compulsory military service, but only a minority have a real obligation with potential criminal sanctions for those who do not respond to the summons. Armies generally have a sufficient number of volunteers. Greece has the strictest system, and Sweden and Denmark have the most liberal.
Source: Tanjug/Vreme
"Young people will rather go to Cyprus and work as a waiter for 75 days than serve military service"
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