Serbia to reintroduce conscription from March 2027

Serbia will reintroduce compulsory military service from March 2027, more than 15 years after scrapping conscription.

President Aleksandar Vucic announced the plan during a visit to the Milenko Pavlovic military airport in Batajnica, near Belgrade.

He said the service would be “very short”, but did not say how long it would last. He has previously suggested it could last 75 days.

The plan still needs approval from Serbia’s parliament. Military service has been voluntary in Serbia since 1 January 2011, but officials have discussed bringing it back for several years.