(Bloomberg) -- Croatia is bringing back compulsory military service for men from next year, part of the NATO member’s effort to boost its defense preparedness.
The Balkan nation, which canceled obligatory basic training before joining the military alliance in 2009, is now re-introducing two-month long stints to have “much better, stronger and higher-quality defense forces,” Defense Minister Ivan Anusic said in an interview with local broadcaster RTL on late Thursday.
Nations around Europe are boosting their defense budgets, modernizing and expanding their militaries as they adjust to a different security environment following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its third year.
“There’s no room for austerity when it comes to modernizing and equipping” the military, Anusic was quoted as saying.
--With assistance from Jasmina Kuzmanovic.
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