Serbia to Reintroduce Mandatory Military Service by Next March

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Saturday, June 27, that the country will reinstate a “very short” period of mandatory military service starting in March of next year, N1 reported.

Speaking at the Batajnica military airfield near Belgrade, Vučić stated that several preliminary administrative and logistical procedures must be completed before the draft officially resumes. The reinstated conscription will target men under the age of 30 and is expected to require a service duration of 75 days.

The move reverses a policy established more than a decade ago. Serbia officially transitioned to a fully professional armed force on January 1, 2011, when a parliamentary decision to suspend mandatory military service took effect. Since then, the country’s military has relied entirely on voluntary recruits and career soldiers.

Vučić’s announcement coincided with a large-scale presentation of military equipment, which featured a diverse array of hardware including aircraft and helicopters of the Serbian Air Force, alongside missile systems, guided bombs, and other weaponry of Chinese, American, and Russian origin.

A growing trend across Europe

Serbia’s decision reflects a broader trend sweeping across the European continent as nations reevaluate their defense postures and manpower requirements in response to geopolitical instability, particularly following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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In a parallel development, Germany is currently weighing the possibility of reintroducing mandatory military conscription for all men by 2027. According to recent reports, Berlin has been struggling to meet its ambitious military expansion targets through voluntary enlistment programs alone.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to build Europe’s strongest conventional army, aiming to increase the Bundeswehr’s active personnel from approximately 185,000 to 260,000 by 2035. However, lawmakers are increasingly concerned that this goal is unreachable without a draft.

Thomas Röwekamp, head of the German parliament’s defense committee, recently warned that the government will have no choice but to reinstate conscription if volunteer recruitment goals are not met. A final decision on the matter is expected by July 31 of next year.

Germany, which also suspended its compulsory military service in 2011, recently introduced a new military service model to address its chronic recruitment crisis. Under current legislation, draft-age German men are required to fill out a physical fitness questionnaire and undergo a medical examination, with the government explicitly reserving the right to implement mandatory service if voluntary numbers remain inadequate.