09.11.2021.

Salaries increased for military volunteers

Today, after visiting the Army Training Centre in Požarevac, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD presented the novelties related to voluntary military service. In addition to the simplified application procedure for military volunteers, salaries have been increased, but also the procedure for securing employment with the Serbian Armed Forces upon the completion of military service has been accelerated and simplified.

Minister Stefanović said that over the past period, the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces have worked hard on improving the concept of voluntary military service.

– We wanted to make the simplest and most straightforward procedures for the people who decide to join the military in this way and serve Serbia. The improvements we have carried out are based on what the soldiers themselves told us during their voluntary military service, and a large number of them want to continue their careers in the Serbian Armed Forces. They pointed out that the medical examination procedures were too long and complicated, they used to undergo medical examinations before they started performing their voluntary military service, only to be subjected to more checkups before becoming professional soldiers. We analyzed all those shortcomings and harmonized all criteria and procedures, so now, the soldiers who have been subjected to medical examinations before the commencement of their voluntary military service, do not have to go through similar procedures and examinations when applying for professional service - said the Minister.

He explained that this has greatly accelerated the procedure of joining the professional military service for soldiers who had completed their voluntary military service.

– First of all, we have saved money. We have saved about 11 million dinars of the Military Health Department’s funds because performing double medical examinations costs that much. Soldiers who express interest in becoming professional soldiers during the six months of their voluntary military service, can now apply to join specific units, submit all their documents and undergo security clearance procedure during that period. With their medical examination results still valid, they will know whether they have been accepted in the sixth month of their military service and whether they can join the ranks of professional soldiers the following month - Stefanović pointed out.

He noted that the admission procedures used to last for 18 months to two years, which led to the candidates giving up professional service because in the meantime they received job offers from other employers.

– We have also increased salaries. So far, the average salary has been 20,968 dinars for a private, 22,000 for a lance corporal and 23,000 for a corporal performing voluntary military service. Reserve Officers’ Course participants were paid about 15,881 dinars on average. The new monthly salary will be 34,766 dinars for a private, 36,504 dinars for a lance corporal, 38,000 for a corporal and 38,000 for a Reserve Officers’ Course participant, which is a considerable increase. Thus, the total salary of military volunteers has been increased from a total of 125,000 dinars to 208,000 for the period spent in the military, which is a 66 percent increase in salary for a private and 141 percent for a Reserve Officers’ Course participant, because we thought it was unfair that the people we train as reserve officers be paid less than military volunteers - the Minister emphasized.

According to Stefanović, the incomes are now decent and that will be a strong stimulus. He cited another novelty, the simplified application procedure. All those interested in applying for military service will be able to do so at 1,500 Post Office locations and via e-government. He noted that so far, the candidates could only apply at the competent Ministry of Defence centres.

The Minister also stated that over the past three years, the number of recruits sent to training centres has been constantly rising: 963 recruits in 2019, 1,154 recruits in 2020, and 1,268 this year, excluding the December class.

– We expect that the total number of recruits, including the December class, will be 1,400, which is certainly one of the best results in the last couple of years. I am not saying that we are absolutely satisfied with this number, but there is an upward trend and we want to motivate young people to join the military, to see what it offers, what specialized skills they can acquire and what they can learn - explained Minister Stefanović.

He added that these are not the only measures that the Ministry of Defence, motivated by the proposals and suggestions from soldiers and citizens, will implement in the coming period.

– We really listen to what people are saying and we react and solve problems. Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk to the president about it. He is someone who fully understands the problems of the military. I want to thank him for his huge support and help, especially for the salary increase for employees of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence, which will be one of the largest in the country. Without the president’s support, this concept that we discussed today, and everything we are doing to increase salaries, would not be possible and I really expect that we will continue to strengthen our armed forces in the future - said the Minister of Defence.

Stefanović says that he is proud of every soldier who performs voluntary military service.

– I want to thank them and their families. It is a great honour for all of us to have them in our military. I believe that it is a great honour for them, too, to be part of one of the strongest organizations, which has been the greatest support to our people throughout history - the Minister concluded.

Today, at the Army Training Centre in Požarevac, Minister Stefanović also attended a part of the training for soldiers who are performing their voluntary military service in infantry, armoured, artillery, engineer, military police and reconnaissance units. During his visit, the newly introduced M-84 tank crew training simulator, produced by the Military Technical Institute, was presented, which enables all crew members of this armoured combat vehicle to be trained simultaneously and in a synchronized fashion with the help of a computer simulation. After the visit, the Minister held a meeting with members of the Army Training Centre, where he informed them about the novelties in the work of their unit and its current and future members. He also took the opportunity to hear, first hand, the suggestions from the members of the Centre regarding the improvement of working conditions and the functioning of that unit.

Today's activity was attended by State Secretary Branko Živanović, Assistant Minister for Human Resources Katarina Tomašević, Deputy Commander of the Training Command Brigadier General Nikola Dejanović, Head of the Personnel Department Colonel Zlatko Mišić, Chief of the Defence Obligations Department Colonel Dragan Kotarlić and the Commander of the Army Training Centre Lieutenant Colonel Duško Jović.

To download the presentation about the novelties related to voluntary military service, follow the link below:
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