Thewesternbalkans.
According to different regional media, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that mandatory military service will begin either in the end of the year 2026 or in March 2027.
“We will make this decision soon, within the next month or two, we will address the parliament and start registering conscripts,” Vučić said after a meeting with military leaders regarding the status and analysis of the capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces for 2025.
“We need to prepare all the facilities, we have enough weapons, but there are some things that are still not fully ready,” he said, as quoted by BTA.
Vučić added that it is necessary to renovate recruitment centres, as well as to improve and repair clinics.
“These are important issues because we want to be ready for this and for these young people to spend their military service in the best conditions. To acquire the necessary responsibility and seriousness, as well as to develop a patriotic attitude,” Vučić said.
The decision to start military service must be approved by Parliament through the passing of a law and depends on the readiness of capacities and military facilities. It will last for 75 days.
Comments: In recent years, representatives of the Serbian government have repeatedly announced that military service would be reinstated, but for now there are only announcements.
Against the backdrop of the military hysteria in Western Europe, and especially in Germany, it is completely normal for Serbia to seek some measures to protect the state. Moreover, the adoption of a law for mandatory military service is expected to bring a bit of order to the country, after endless and somewhat aimless protests over the past year and three months. The actions of the authorities in Serbia can also be seen as some sort of counterattack against these protests.
It remains to be seen how young Serbs will react.
