Renewed military draft sparks surprise interest among Croatia’s youth

Croatia is the first in the Western Balkan region to introduce compulsory basic army training. Read more at straitstimes.com.

ZAGREB – Croatia is resuming mandatory military training after nearly two decades, with the initial recruits joined by far more volunteers than officials were expecting.

Beginning this week, 800 Croats will fan out across three sites, where they will learn a range of combat skills, from shooting an assault rifle, to Krav Maga defence and operating drones. Around half of them are volunteers, the other half were drafted. 

The authorities aim for most men born in 2007 – around 20,000 individuals – to be trained in batches by the end of 2026, with subsequent generations called up after that.

As Russia’s war with Ukraine grinds into a fifth year, countries around Europe are boosting their defences, increasing military spending and introducing military service programmes, with Germany pledging to build Europe’s strongest conventional army.

Croatia – a country of 3.9 million people – is the first in the volatile Western Balkan region to introduce compulsory basic army training, and will be joined by neighbouring Serbia later in 2026.

“We are positively surprised with the excellent results of the draft and high number of volunteers,” Defence Minister Ivan Anusic said.