CAF Reserve Battalion line-up ceremony in Osijek

on 8 November 2014, in a first event of the kind since the termination of the Homeland War.
The line-up was attended by Assistan Minister of Defence for Human Resources Management (in the capacity also as the Minister’s envoy), Sunčana Vukelić, Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Drago Lovrić, Croatian Army Commander, Major General Mate Ostović, Inspector General, Lieutenant General Mirko Šundov and other MoD and Armed Forces officials. 
Addressing the soldiers and the visitors, Assistant Minister Vukelić said that the Reserve Component was called into service for the first time since the Homeland War, and that the building of the Component’s capabilities constituted a long-term project to extend for the upcoming decade, with planned two to three battalions and a total of 20,000 members annually. “Today’s line-up ceremony is a symbolical event, demonstrating the commitment to continuous development of defence capabilities, particularly of the reserve component, which has not been a priority“, said Assistant Minister Vukelić. She also said that the members of the Reserve Component would join other Armed Forces units in the conduct of missions within the national territory.
“The very high response evinced by the Battalion in Osijek today is a proof of the readiness of its citizens to defend their country and assist the civilians if need be, and to take up any other task assigned to the Armed Forces”, said the Chief of the General Staff, who went on to remind of the engagement of the Croatian Armed Forces earlier this year, assisting the flood-hit areas residents and to announce the establishment of 12 reserve units with a total of 20 000 members. “Along with the assigned component, Croatia has at its disposal a non-assigned component made up of its eligible citizens, but we deem that the active component and the reserve component organised in such a way quite sufficient to meet all needs”, concluded General Lovrić.
The reserve component has been re-introduced in line with the Defence Act, aimed at strengthening the overall defence capability of the Croatian Armed Forces to carry out regular and emergency tasks to respond to different threats and disasters occuring in the country.
The establishment of the Reserve Component of the Croatian Armed Forces will run in  several phases, the first one involving the manning of one reserve battalion. The line-up ceremony in Osijek will be followed by another one, to take place in Dubrovnik. 
The enlisted soldiers billets have been manned by younger conscripts, and NCO and officer billets by those aged up to 55. They were issued the basic equipment, without weapons.