Crisis Management Days

Active military service – admission, challenges, education and career development

Kruno Skendrović

University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica

Martin Ćuk

University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica

Keywords: Croatian Armed Forces, professionalization, recruitment, career development, military education

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Abstract

Active military service represents the professional performance of military duties in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, all according to contract between an individual and the state. Active military service represents the ground base for the professionalization of the Armed Forces and ensures the operational readiness and capability of the defense system to carry out tasks in peace and war. Professional soldiers are the backbone of the Croatian defense system and a framework for mobilization of larger number of soldiers if needed. This paper analyzes the active military service system in the Republic of Croatia, focusing on recruitment processes, selection, key challenges of professionalization as well as challenges related to the this specific service, military schooling system and career development opportunities within the Armed Forces. The challenges of active military service include a number of physical, psychological and administrative factors, some of the key ones being: high physical criteria, psychophysical effort and training, material rights, motivation, constant reorganizations, individual challenges, and finally the strict selection process of future members (attraction, selection and election). Aim of this paper is to give an insight what individual needs to go through during ones military career, from the selection phase up to leaving the armed forces system, bearing in mind current interest for a military profession in Croatia during multiple global security challenges.