Croatia begins military training for 1,000 new recruits

A third generation of 1,000 recruits has begun basic military training in Croatia. The group consists of 947 men and 53 women, with 243 individuals having volunteered for the program. Only 1.3 percent of candidates filed conscientious objection.

Training is distributed across several locations: 400 recruits are stationed in Požega, 300 in Knin, 200 in Slunje, and 100 in Vinkovci, which marks the first time the 5th Guards Brigade Slavonski Sokolovi barracks has been used for this purpose. The two-month program covers essential skills including weapons handling, the use of modern equipment such as drones, first aid, and self-defense, as well as historical military operations.

Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić noted that training capacity has been steadily increased from 800 to 1,000 recruits per intake. He described the initiative as one of the most successful projects of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces in recent years, noting that some recruits choose to pursue professional military careers following their training.