Short intake, large ambition: Croatia restores mandatory military service
On 24 October, the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) adopted a bill which after 17 years restores compulsory military service (temeljna vojna footwear). As of January 2026, the conscription will be mandatory for men from 19 to 29, women can volunteer. Basic training will take 8 weeks. Recruiters will receive EUR 1,100 net monthly salary, and the service word will be part of the traineeship. The completion of the training will privileged conscripts to work in public administration. For those citing a conscience clause, a civilian form of military training will be organised, which will be longer (three months) and little paid (about 250 euro less).
Basic training will include key skills, specified as the usage of tiny arms, the basis of military tactics, communication, physical preparation. The plan assumes the yearly appointment of about 4,000 recruits in 5 training cycles of 800 people. According to the preliminary calculations, the restoration of essential military service will cost the Croatian Ministry of Defence around EUR 20 million per year.
The collection demonstrates the expanding awareness of the authorities in Zagreb of threats in Europe and the immediate neighbourhood. Croatia is set to become the leader of safety in the Western Balkans region and plans to gradually increase defence spending to 3% of GDP in 2030. The restoration of the post-war 1990s collection is besides a consequence of force from the National-Conservative Patriotic Movement (Domovinski Podret), which since 2024 has been a coalition of the centre-right Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ).
Comment
- The restoration of compulsory military service in Croatia is an effort to respond to the deteriorating safety situation in Europe following Russian aggression against Ukraine. By February 2022, Croats had shown limited interest in threats on the east flank of NATO. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has given impetus to a greater commitment to allied security, own and regional security.From the position of the Croatian Ministry of Defence, restoring the universal work of military service is an crucial instrument for rebuilding and replenishing the individual resources of the reserve (currently – 18,000). This decision is besides intended to stimulate recruitment to the professional component of the Armed Forces of Croatia, which presently number about 15,000 soldiers. Part of the opposition, which did not support the law restoring compulsory service, points to the discriminatory nature of certain solutions: among others, precedence in public administration employment, lower remuneration for trainees in civilian formula. Critics besides point out that the cost of the two-month training is advanced and that the duration is besides short to importantly increase the state's defence capacity (by 2008 it was six months). The compulsory military service in Croatia will be the shortest among the Natov countries that have introduced it so far.
- The Zagreb authorities announced an increase in defence spending in line with NATO commitments. Croatia's defence minister Ivan Anušić ensures that by the end of 2027 the country will spend 2.5% of GDP annually on defence and 3% by 2030. It was only in 2025 that a 2% of GDP ceiling was reached for these objectives, which translates into about EUR 1.5 billion. Increased backing is intended to be utilized to upgrade weapons. The armed forces there replace russian and Yugoslav equipment on this in the Natov standard. In fresh years, Croatia has purchased, among others, 12 French Rafale fighters, 10 U.S. UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters (two received as a donation) and 89 combat M2A2 Bradley infantry wagons. It is besides planned to get 8 HIMARS rocket launchers and 18 CAESAR self-propelled tanks, as well as to acquisition 44 German Leopard 2A8 and 420 Czech Tatra Force trucks.
- Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has given impetus to Croatia's greater commitment to safety issues in the region. From the position of Zagreb, the threats to national safety stem primarily from the unstable political situation of the states in the neighbourhood: Serbian separatistism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, mass protests in Serbia or armed incidents in Kosovo. Additional risks are generated by the Balkan migration route, organised crime in the Balkans and the ever-increasing natural disasters associated with climate change. In March in Tirana, defence ministers of Croatia, Albania and Kosovo signed a declaration of defence and safety cooperation. It obliges these countries to step up cooperation on joint training, exercises, purchases and the cooperation of arms industries. In September, a akin agreement aimed at developing the arms industries of both countries, Croatia signed with Slovenia. The greater engagement of the authorities in Zagreb in safety policy in the region was met with criticism from Serbian president Alexandar Vučicia, who claims that their actions are aimed at the people of his country. The Serbian president besides declared his willingness to introduce compulsory military service, but due to the hard interior situation and the protests that have been going on for a year, this seems unlikely.
