Volunteer service in the army and in elite units! Here’s who can apply and what the hiring process is.

Serbian army, Photo: Alo.rs

When determining gender or service, the wishes expressed by the candidate, education, occupation, knowledge and skills are taken into account.

Boys and girls applying for voluntary military service will join the Serbian army at the Sombor, Valjevo and Leskovac barracks, where basic military training is given. Passing through the gate of the barracks is the beginning of military life, which was mandatory for generations of older men, and for ten years it has been done exclusively on a voluntary basis.

The experiences of the army remain an indispensable theme of the aforementioned generations, and the suspension of the obligation to perform military service seems to have also affected the collective conscience. Even after ten years of practice, for those whose closest ones have no experience in uniform, it is not as clear as serving a volunteer mandate today.

There is an ongoing competition for those interested who want this experience. They can submit an application for voluntary military service at the competent center of the Ministry of Defense in the local autonomous government, depending on their place of residence.

– We try to take into account the wishes of the recruits, but of course it depends on the possibilities and potential of the candidates themselves, as well as the recruitment plan. Of course, what gender or service someone will be trained in depends on the annual plan of instruction for voluntary military service, as well as whether candidates meet the requirements in terms of psychophysical skills, education, occupations, knowledge and skills important to the Serbian army. . When it comes to the place of military service, it is in direct connection with a certain service, they point out from the Ministry of Defense.

Serbian army, Photo: Tanjug / Tara Radovanovic

What is very interesting, and for many candidates it will be tempting, is that voluntary military service can also be used in elite special units: the 63rd Parachute Brigade and the 72nd Special Operations Brigade. Of course, if the candidate meets the prescribed requirements for special purpose units and agrees to serve in the military in certain specialties.

– A candidate who has completed at least primary school can apply for voluntary military service, and incomplete primary education is tolerated only in exceptional cases. When we talk about the Course for Reserve Officers, it is necessary that the candidate has completed an appropriate vocational secondary school relevant to the Serbian Army, that is, completed basic academic studies or basic vocational studies, that is, to have acquired a minimum of 180 ECTS points – explained the Ministry of Defense.

Military service today begins with the barracks in the three cities mentioned at the beginning of the text, where soldiers become familiar with the Serbian Army Rules of Service and are trained in the handling of weapons and basic tactical actions.

– After that, soldiers will have individual specialized training in the Pozarevac, Krusevac, Kraljevo, Gornji Milanovac, Batajnica, Nis or Pancevo garrisons, including advanced individual training during which they acquire the specialized professional knowledge and skills necessary for a specific military registration specialty. After completing three months of individual training, the soldiers are sent to commands, units and institutions of the Serbian army, throughout the territory of Serbia, for collective training and active participation in the life and work of the army units until the end of military service, the Defense Ministry explained.

Serbian Army, Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia

Among the soldiers in volunteer service last year, there were 17 percent girls, while among the students of the Reserve Officers Course there were 29 percent female.

A soldier who voluntarily serves military service is entitled to 10 days of regular leave, which is generally used in the second half of military service. The weekend leave is used based on the duties of the unit, and the first weekend leave is granted only after taking the military oath.

The military salary is, without a doubt, higher than that remembered by those who fulfilled compulsory military service. It increases as the six-month military service progresses, also depends on the military rank acquired, and ranges from 13,000 to 36,000 dinars.

During military service, knowledge, skills, and abilities are acquired that can be useful at a later stage in civilian life, such as handling weapons or operating engineering machines.

– Some civil companies, during the competition and selection of people for work, respect the knowledge, skills and abilities acquired in the units of the Serbian Army – they point out in the Ministry of Defense.

Is the Serbian army satisfied with the interest of young people in voluntary military service?

– The interest of young people is satisfactory, but the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army are always trying to increase that number – affirms the Ministry of Defense.