Retired general says conscription won’t solve military’s problems

“The 75 days of military service won’t solve the problems in the Serbian military because those soldiers won’t be capable of defending the country,” Ponos told N1.

“They are going to clean empty barracks and there won’t be any tank drivers,” he said adding that things are bad and will get worse with the 75 day tour of duty.

Defense Minister Gasic responded saying that Ponos’ words were ill-intentioned lies about the initiative to reinstate compulsory military service. Gasic accused Ponos of chasing the most capable officers out of the military and approving the destruction of hundreds of pieces of combat equipment. “He is lecturing us about the military’s need for personnel or even worse, he is calling the General Staff to react in the name of the military and advocate his political interests,” the minister said.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told a graduation ceremony for Military Academy cadets that he signed the documents approving conscription and adding that he hoped the government would reinstate military service which was suspended before his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came to power in 2012. The Serbian military is a volunteer force. Some attempts to restore conscription were made over the past few years, including 2 weeks of basic training for reservists.