The Serbian government plans to suspend mandatory army service, with the last group of cadets to be sent to the barracks. As of January next year, military service will be strictly voluntary. This decision should be passed at the next state parliament session.
If the ruling coalition provides enough votes for the measures to be adopted, there will be grounds for the creation of a modernized and more professional army. However, it would change the two-centuries-long tradition of obligatory military service, and it is still not clear how the public will react to the decision.
It should also be noted that a professional army will be more costly to maintain. Some experts claim that the suspension of the recruitment system will also bode ill for the country in the case of natural disasters and emergency response obligations. In the past, emergency response systems have proven lacking in the case of fires and floods, and critics of the move say this will only further deteriorate.
In an interview with ISA Intel’s Igor Jovanovic, given to SETimes.com, Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said: “The big defence system reform will wrap up early next year, and Serbia will have an army of nearly 36,000 members who will meet the highest professional standards. According to the structure, size and level of training — and partly the equipment — the Serbian military will be one of the more modern in the region. Our army is largely seen as a factor of stability, not only in the Balkans. The system of defence is fast becoming modern — an engine spearheading reforms in Serbia and accelerating its path to the EU.
Sutanovac is a strong proponent of joining NATO, and has recently suggested the country be allowed to do so without holding a public referendum.
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