President Milanović Congratulates First Generation of Conscripts Starting Basic Military Training
“Congratulations on taking the oath! It is short and very clear – just a few words, two or three sentences – and yet it says it all. That oath is voluntary, and you are volunteers in my eyes. You have willingly accepted the training and have willingly pledged to serve the Croatian state, its Constitution, and its laws,” said the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović addressing the first generation of conscripts undergoing Basic Military Training, who took their oath today at the “Eugen Kvaternik” Military Training Ground near Slunj.
In his speech at the ceremony, President Milanović recalled that Croatia had not conducted conscription for 18 years “because eighteen years ago the response to conscription was low.” “Almost everyone opted for civilian service, which is a constitutional right and category, so the practice was discontinued at the time. Today’s initiative reflects Croatia’s need to maintain a standing army and fill its ranks, ensuring that alongside a professional army, we also have a reserve,” he added.
Congratulating the conscripts on their oath, President Milanović expressed satisfaction “with your personal, conscious decision to spend two months here in training, learning military skills.” “After two months, which is a brief period, you will leave here as the same individuals. You will remain connected to yourselves, your lives, and your families,” the President said, confident that the conscripts will remember this training as a meaningful and valuable period of their lives, “a new experience that is also important for Croatia, which needs both a professional army and a reserve.”
“The times are such that modern weapons systems cost the state enormous sums and will only become more expensive. Those who produce these weapons and hold monopolies over their production will not waste time and will seek to maximize their profits,” the President noted.
“In the hope that everything you are learning – and will learn over the next two months –serves only as a useful warning and a supplement to your knowledge, and is never actually required for national defense, I wish you success, fulfillment, and a positive experience during this training. I hope you return to your successful civilian lives afterward. And if anyone chooses a military career – my respect, because it is a true calling. The army, as you swore, embodies discipline and hierarchy, but with a humane face, not abuse. It also represents friendship and brotherhood among soldiers, courage, and responsibility,” President Milanović concluded.
Today, a total of 801 conscripts took the oath at three locations: 400 at the “123rd Brigade HV” barracks in Požega, including 82 women; 201 at the “General Andrija Matijaš Pauk” barracks in Knin; and 200 at the “Eugen Kvaternik” Military Training Ground near Slunj.
In addition to the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief, the ceremony at the “Eugen Kvaternik” Military Training Ground was attended by the envoy of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Republic of Croatia, State Secretary at the Ministry of Defense Drago Matanović, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Tihomir Kundid. President Milanović was accompanied by the Adviser to the President of the Republic for Defense Ivica Olujić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić