Vucevic: Suspension of compulsory military service to be lifted

BELGRADE - Serbian Defence Minister Milos Vucevic announced on Thursday the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff would submit an initiative to the president of Serbia as commander-in-chief and the parliament to abolish a decision to suspend compulsory military service.

The move would reinstate the law on compulsory military service, Vucevic told Happy TV.

He said the Defence Ministry was proposing compulsory military service of up to four months and that the initiative was based on an assessment of the security situation in the country.

"After 13 years, we have a need to fill the ranks of the reserve... Our security needs are to have new recruits who will always be ready to protect the country. We understand the security risks. This is not a need that is characteristic of only Serbia - many European countries are reinstating compulsory military service," Vucevic explained.

He also said a decision to raise wages in the military by 10 pct from January 1 was very important and that the Serbian Armed Forces had ended 2023 as a much stronger army when it comes to military equipment and the level of training of their personnel.