In a Letter to the Prime Minister, President Milanović Proposes Urgent Meeting of the Defense Council on Mandatory Military Service
The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović sent a letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Friday, 27 September 2024, proposing an urgent meeting of the Defense Council.
Along with the letter, the President also sent the Prime Minister the co-signed proposed text of the invitation to the 16th Session of the Defense Council with the following item on the agenda: “Deliberation on the introduction of mandatory military service in the Republic of Croatia.” In the letter, President Milanović invited the Prime Minister to agree on the time and place for the Defense Council meeting so that the invitation could be sent to its members.
Below is the text of the letter sent to the Prime Minister and in attachment the proposed invitation to the meeting of the Defense Council:
“Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
As Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces, I discovered through media outlets that the Government intends to postpone the initiative to introduce mandatory military service. If accurate, I find this both inappropriate and unprofessional, as such an important matter for the country’s defense and its citizens should not be communicated through unofficial and unverified reports. Decisions of this magnitude cannot be made without prior discussion and conclusion by the Defense Council, which is the legally mandated body for overseeing defense matters, including conscription.
Since I was not consulted or informed by your Government about the reasons for delaying the introduction of mandatory military service – just as, after all, I was not consulted about the modality of its introduction, and the only relevant information I received from the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces – I propose an urgent meeting of the Defense Council.
I am attaching the proposed invitation to the Defense Council meeting, which, according to the law, can only be convened jointly by you and me.
The Croatian Armed Forces and mandatory military service cannot be subject to your daily political manoeuvring or partisan interests. Therefore, I expect your swift response and acceptance of my proposal to convene the Defense Council.
I have said publicly many times, but now I reiterate to you: I am not against the introduction of mandatory military service. As President and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces, I support any measure that strengthens the defense system and contributes to the security of our Homeland. Mandatory military service can be justified as a way to bolster the Armed Forces reserve, which is currently inadequate. The security situation in Europe is continuously deteriorating, and Croatia must explore all options for reinforcing its defense capabilities, including conscription.
These are sufficient reasons for a serious discussion on the introduction of mandatory military service and for legal bodies to make the necessary decisions. Regardless of the postponement period and the reasons currently being cited for delaying the introduction of mandatory military service, sooner or later you will have to fulfil your legal obligation and, together with me, convene a meeting of the Defense Council to discuss various topics and unresolved issues related to the introduction of mandatory military service. Here are some of the key ones:
1. The reintroduction of conscription must not come at the expense of the professional army, which lacks not only equipment and weaponry but, above all, personnel, particularly professional soldiers. It should be determined how mandatory military service, instead of voluntary military training, could positively impact the staffing of the professional army. Therefore, material conditions and the status of professional soldiers should be further improved in order to attract new members, which is one of the fundamental tasks of the Ministry of Defense. I will not publicly disclose information about the unsatisfactory staffing of the Armed Forces, but if you do not have this data, I suggest you request it from the General Staff to see for yourself the staffing issues within the Armed Forces.
2. According to the information I received from the General Staff, your Government’s plan was to include only 4,000 recruits per year in mandatory military service, which is less than a quarter of the potential draftees. The question arises, and I have not seen an answer to it: how, by what criteria, and in what manner will exactly those 4,000 recruits be chosen from the 17 to 18 thousand potential draftees? The Armed Forces must not, under any circumstances, be subject to complaints or suspicions of favouritism in the conscription process. The criteria for selecting recruits must be clear and transparent.
3. According to the information I received from the General Staff, your Government’s plan stipulates that mandatory military service will last two months. This is another issue that needs to be discussed in detail to determine whether two months is sufficient for quality military training. I would like to highlight the views of military experts, who argue that this is too short a time frame to adequately prepare recruits to meet the needs of the Armed Forces. I remind you that the current law mandates six months of military service. It is pointless to introduce mandatory military service that will not produce the desired results. To achieve this, we must first clarify what we aim to accomplish with it.
4. According to the information I received from the General Staff, the issue of conscientious objection and the manner of serving the so-called civil military service remains unresolved. I believe that civil military service must also be properly designed to enable those who choose it to acquire certain societal skills. Additionally, individuals who serve in civil military service should later be placed in some form of reserve, just like those who complete mandatory military service. If we do not implement this, we will create inequality among citizens, where some will serve their military duty and later be activated in the reserve, while others will evade it or fulfil it only nominally.
5. According to the information available so far, the issue of students and employed draftees has also not been resolved. Specifically, those who enrol in universities or pursue studies should be called up in a manner and during periods that do not interfere with their academic obligations. Additionally, a model of compulsory military service must be developed for working individuals that does not jeopardize their jobs or professional careers.
6. According to the information I received from the General Staff, the financial aspects of mandatory military service remain unresolved. The Armed Forces have begun preparations for the introduction of military service starting in January 2025, and financial resources from the training programme and logistical support for professional personnel are being utilized for these preparations, as requested by the Minister of Defense. The budget projections for 2025 do not allocate any financial resources for the compensation of conscription-related costs. Expenses for mandatory military service must be transparently positioned as separate line items in the financial plan of the Ministry of Defense, rather than being included under the training and logistical support of professional personnel. Training and equipping professional combat units of the Armed Forces is a top priority.
Dear Mr. Prime Minister, these are just some of the issues that I believe must be resolved before making a decision on the introduction of military service, i.e. as part of the preparation for its introduction. The introduction of mandatory military service is the most complex issue in the field of defense. Such serious matters concerning the defense capabilities of our country and the lives of our citizens must not be treated frivolously or irresponsibly, especially by announcing the introduction of military service in the media, only to subsequently announce its postponement.
Therefore, I once again urge you to take the introduction of mandatory military service in the Republic of Croatia seriously and for a meeting of the Defense Council to convene urgently to discuss all relevant issues related to this matter. I welcome your suggestions regarding the location and timing of the meeting.”