ZAGREB, 7 April (Hina) – Defence Minister Ivan Anušić and the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General Tihomir Kundid, on Monday visited the facilities for basic military training participants at the Eugen Kvaternik Military Training Area in Slunj and said everything is ready for the training of conscripts.
“We are fully prepared to conduct basic military training for five generations a year, with 800 conscripts per generation,” Anušić said.
He recalled that in the past, military service lasted six months, but now it will last two, while civilian military service will last three or four months. Military conscripts will still be able to invoke conscientious objection.
Those who choose basic military training will receive a monthly salary of €1,100, cannot be dismissed from their job because of it, their military service will count towards their work experience and they will have priority in employment in state or public services.
“The support gives us the right to fully succeed with this project. I estimate that there will be many more people interested than expected,” Anušić said.
He added that the necessary laws must be passed before the implementation of basic military training begins, and these must first be coordinated between the offices of the prime minister and the president.
“All the documents needed for the process are in the prime minister’s office. I hope the laws will be passed by (parliament’s) summer recess, and after that, there will be no obstacles, and we will be ready to complete everything by autumn,” he said.
Anušić said President Zoran Milanović has been informed about everything and has not raised any objections, adding that the goal of the project is to fill the reserve forces of the Croatian Army.
Kundid spoke of the concept for conducting basic military training. “A typical day for a conscript is a classic military schedule – early wake-up, physical exercise, morning training, lunch, followed by afternoon training until dinner.”
The training is designed to prepare conscripts for active military service or the reserve forces. When asked whether two months of military service is too short, Kundid said it is sufficient and that the army’s goal is not to discourage young people.
