Vucic: 75-Day Military Service to Start in March

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday, September 13, at the Pester training ground near the village of Budjevo in the Sjenica municipality, that the country is ready to reintroduce mandatory military service. According to him, the service should start in March next year and last 75 days. He made the statement after the conclusion of the joint tactical exercise with live firing, “Pobednik 2026,” which began at the training ground at 11 a.m.

“Everything is ready, and I think it will normally start in March,” Vucic said, responding to a reporter’s question about how far preparations by the state, the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces had progressed toward reintroducing military service.

More than 2,000 members of the Serbian Armed Forces and more than 500 key pieces of military equipment took part in the exercise, involving the Land Forces, the Air Force and Air Defense, special units and the military police. Besides Vucic, who attended as supreme commander, the exercise was also attended by Chief of the General Staff General Milan Mojsilovic, caretaker Prime Minister Djuro Macut, caretaker Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic, and the president of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Milorad Dodik.

Vucic also explained why he believes the short length of service still makes sense.

“That’s little, 75 days, nothing, but it will mean a lot in terms of gaining responsibility, seriousness and commitment.”

The president added that reintroducing military service could help develop the towns where barracks are located, particularly in border areas, and cited Pirot, Priboj and Sombor as examples.

“When you have that kind of barracks, it’s like having a factory in that town,” Vucic said.

Digital army and shorter decision-making time

Vucic also spoke about the direction in which the army is developing, announcing the formation of what he called a digital army, meant to expose soldiers to as little combat action as possible in future conflicts. According to him, this is a long-term, gradual transformation, not a rapid change.

“At one point, when our combat vehicle detects a target, that vehicle immediately sends a digital signal to our rocket artillery so it can hit it,” Vucic said, explaining that the goal is to shorten decision-making time, which, he noted, “gives the most modern armies an advantage.”

The exercise featured, for the first time, demonstrations of robotic unmanned aerial vehicle attacks, a total of eight types of drones, as well as robot dogs equipped with a revolving-drum grenade launcher, a Zolja rocket launcher and a 7.62 millimeter machine gun. The HQ-17 anti-missile system was also demonstrated; according to Tanjug, its range is between 1.5 and 15 kilometers. After the exercise, General Mojsilovic gave Vucic a model tank, and the president rated the units’ performance as very good, noting that the exercise was carried out in unfavorable weather conditions, with strong wind.

Dodik: I see the Serbian Army’s success as my own

The exercise was also attended by SNSD president Milorad Dodik, who said after it concluded that Serbia and the Serbian people are proud of what was shown at Pester.

“Serbia and the Serbian people can be proud of what the Serbian Army showed at Pester,” Dodik said, assessing that progress was visible compared to last year, primarily in digitalization and modernization.

Dodik added that in Republika Srpska, people view the Serbian Army with emotional attachment.

“This is like our own army, and I see its success as my own. A strong Serbia is a pillar of support for the Serbian people, wherever they live,” Dodik said, thanking Vucic for allowing Republika Srpska to be present at the exercise. He also assessed that “Serbia is on the right path.”

Vucic did not specify an exact start date for military service or the legal procedure through which the obligation would be reinstated. For now, only the month, March next year, and the length of service, 75 days, are known.