Military service – purpose, importance and challenges

Abstract

Security is a feeling, a state, the absence of an immediate threat to an individual and society. Nowadays, security is an increasingly frequently mentioned concept, regardless of how we define security, there is rarely an individual who will not highlight security as one of the priorities for normal life, work, and the functioning of society. On the other hand, few people ask themselves what is needed to achieve security, so that we as a society can be safe. The armed forces are a state organization primarily intended to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, deter potential aggression, in short, the primary task of the army is the ability to conduct armed combat, i.e. to wage war. As the security paradigm has changed throughout history, the armed forces have also undergone certain forms of transformation, primarily increasing professionalization in terms of staffing. Military service has traditionally been present in the vast majority of European countries, and after the end of the Cold War, security assessments have tended to indicate that there will no longer be a major conventional conflict in Europe and that there is an increasing trend towards low-intensity conflicts, i.e. that mass conventional armed forces are not needed. Events related primarily to the Ukrainian crisis are re-analyzing and redefining military doctrines, which also affected the Republic of Croatia. The paper seeks to provide an overview of 3 units: 1) Conceptual definition and clear definition of what is related to military service; 2) Analysis of military service from multiple aspects (security, socioeconomic, social, motivational); 3) Systematic approach to building a state security system, elements that need to be taken into account, and clearly declaring existing challenges.