For the first time since 2008,Croatiahas officially reinstatedmandatory military serviceto address its shortfall in voluntary military training. As a result, hundreds of Croatianteenagershave reported for duty, with training taking place at three barracks across the country.
Once on site, the recruits receive their kit and dormitory assignments, and, for the next two months, must submit tomilitarydiscipline so the country can ensure adequate military preparedness.
"They have now been torn from the civilian environment," Tihomir Kundid, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Croatia, said. Around 800 people are in the first batch of conscripts, with over half having volunteered rather than waiting for their call-up papers. One in 10 arewomen, who are under no obligation to serve.
READ MORE:The 9 world’s most eerie abandoned military sites
READ MORE:The 15 countries in Europe that already have conscription
Gen Kundid has promised a "very dynamic, very interesting" programme for the conscripts, with training covering everything from traditional skills through to "basicdronecontrol and drone protection skills" and cyberwarfare techniques and countermeasures, according to theBBC.
Croatia last had obligatory military service in 2008. Since then, people could join only voluntarily if they met certain requirements. Currently, Croatia’s military has 15,000 active soldiers and 2,000 reservists. In 2022, only 402 individuals completed voluntary training - far below the annual need of 1,000 conscripts.
However, Croatia's proximity to the war inUkraine- with onlyHungaryseparating the two countries - has prompted a move to reinstate compulsory military service.
"The situation in Croatia and all around our neighbourhood was stable. Right now, it's completely different," Croatia's Defence Minister, Ivan Anusic, told theBBC. "For four years now, we've been looking at not just the Russian aggression in Ukraine, but the proxies ofRussiaall around Europe doing their jobs."
In November 2025, the Ministry ofDefense(MORH) proposed regulations. The first calls formedical examinationsof recruits were issued by the end of last year. "Obvezni vojni rok" (obligatory military service), also known as "vojno osposobljavanje" (military training), began on Monday (March 9).
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
