The Croatian Defense Ministry has recommended a return to conscription to strengthen the strength of the armed forces, and thus respond to rising tensions in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. This statement comes two weeks after Serbia announced its intention to also reintroduce compulsory military service.
With 4 million inhabitants and a GDP of barely €70 billion, Croatia is one of the smallest countries in both the European Union and NATO. Despite a defense budget of only €1 billion, or 1,5% of its GDP, excluding pensions, it has significant military power, proportionally speaking. However, tensions in Eastern Europe, as well as in the Balkans, are causing concern for the Ministry of Defense, which has just recommend a return to conscription, suspended since 2007.
Croatian Armed Forces
Despite only having a budget of €1 billion each year, the Croatian armed forces are surprisingly versatile and well-equipped. Thus, with 15 active military personnel and 000 reservists, they have, in proportion to their population, a representativeness rate (excluding reserves) of the armed forces of 20%, 000% higher than the French 0,37%, and almost twice as high as Germany’s 30%.
These are also well equipped, with 75 M-84A battle tanks currently being modernized, around a hundred Bradley IFVs currently being delivered, 150 Patria AMV APCs and even 15 Pzh2000 self-propelled guns. Its naval force consists mainly of 5 missile patrol boats out of the 30 ships that make up its fleet.
Fifteen times less populated and forty times less rich than France, Croatia nevertheless only has a particularly extensive set of capabilities, ranging from high-intensity land combat to air and naval warfare.
The Croatian Air Force, for their part, will see their Mig-21s replaced, starting this year, by the first of twelve Rafale F-3R acquired second-hand from France, as well as a dozen UH-60 and Mi-171sh maneuvering helicopters, and fifteen OH-58 Kiowa light attack and reconnaissance helicopters.
Although modest in volume, the Croatian armed forces are therefore particularly versatile, and even have certain capabilities, such as a fighter fleet, often reserved for much more populous and much richer countries.
Tensions in Eastern Europe and the Balkans worry Croatian Defense Ministry
However, the return of tensions in Eastern Europe, facing Russia, but also in the Balkans, between the countries which previously formed Yugoslavia, worries the Croatian Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Like these countries still having fresh experience of war, or at least living in a tense immediate environment, Croatia, although belonging to NATO and the EU, remains on its guard, and maintains a significant operational posture of its armed forces.
Croatia is one of the smallest countries with a fighter fleet, which is also equipped with the very efficient Rafale French.
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Source link : https://meta-defense.fr/en/2024/01/25/croatian-ministry-of-defense/
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Publish date : 2024-01-25 08:00:00
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