Forty-three new soldiers joined to the Croatian Armed Forces; the best reservists received non-commissioned officer ranks

The first military service contracts were formally presented to participants in specialist military training held at the Fran Krsto Frankopan Training and Doctrine Command’s Infantry and Armour Training Centre. On Friday, 12 January 2024, at the Colonel Ivan Rebrina CAF Support Unit in Osijek, members of the 2nd Infantry Regiment Osijek were awarded reserve ranks.

Contracts and ranks were awarded to CAF members by Deputy Prime Minster and Defence Minister Ivan Anušić, Lieutenant General Siniša Jurković, Deputy Chief of the CAF General Staff, Major General Denis Tretinjak, Chief of the Operations Department of the CAF General Staff, Major General Tihomir Kundid, Commander of the Croatian Army, and Colonel Dražen Batrnek, Deputy Commander of the Training and Doctrine Command.

On this occasion, Defence Minister Ivan Anušić conveyed his satisfaction with the addition of new soldiers to the active military service. He emphasised that in order to promote the military profession, the MoD and the Croatian Armed Forces will make every effort to give soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers higher-quality living and working conditions.

“You took me back to the time of glory and pride. I am proud of you; you have chosen a good and difficult life path! You are doing one of the most responsible jobs out there, so I promise I will do everything in my power to improve your financial circumstances,” he stated.

He underlined that, in addition to substantive rights, Croatian Armed Forces members will receive better working conditions and equipment to enable them to carry out their duties as effectively as possible. After all, he said, strong armed forces cannot exist without satisfied soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers.

The minister further stated that the reserve component is crucial to the Croatian Armed Forces and that he was grateful for the opportunity to thank the reservists who received non-commissioned officer ranks today.

“We place a high priority on both members who are already serving in the Armed Forces and on manning the reserve with young personnel,” said the minister, adding, “They all come together to form a modern, strong armed forces that are prepared to carry out all the tasks that are set before them. Only those who sincerely love and believe in their homeland may answer the special call of the military.”

He also mentioned a number of heroes from the Homeland War, including Blago Zadro and other individuals who made outstanding contributions. “You are the offspring of the Croatian troops that modelled themselves after the successful Croatian Armed Forces that were established during the Homeland War. For this reason, you should be role models for all Croatian Armed Forces members, both current and future,” stated the minister.

Upon congratulating the new soldiers, Lieutenant General Siniša Jurković, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, expressed his confidence that the Ministry of Defence’s new measure – allowing young people to select the branch and military occupational specialty of their choice as the position of service for which they are applying – will be recognised by the youth.

LTG Jurković also said, “In this way, the Ministry of Defence further encouraged young people to show interest in military service,” and extended an invitation to all those interested to apply for voluntary military training and join the Croatian Armed Forces, a large family in which they will have access to a variety of benefits that come with being called to active duty.

Following the successful completion of specialist infantry training, 35 male and 8 female soldiers received their first contracts for military service and joined the Croatian Armed Forces. These are members of the 43rd and 44th generations, whose training started in 2023, and who applied to the Ministry of Defence call for admission into active military service after successfully completing voluntary military training. Candidates could select their preferred branch, military occupational specialty, and location of service during the public tender.

Likewise, members of the 2nd Infantry Regiment from Osijek were awarded 20 reserve non-commissioned officer ranks during today’s ceremony. Staff Sergeant Dražen Pavlović of the 2nd Infantry Regiment took home the rightful title of best NCO of October after demonstrating exceptional performance throughout the reserve unit’s training activities. The reservists were granted ranks in recognition of their successful completion of the unit’s pre-mobilisation training, which was held at the Eugen Kvaternik military training area in Slunj from 25 September to 6 October 2023. The training was completed by 596 reserve members from the 2nd Infantry Regiment and reserve combat support units of the Croatian Armed Forces.

Representatives from the City of Osijek, Osijek-Baranja County, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, and the Ministry of Defence attended the ceremony.