Summonses for medical evaluations issued by Ministry of Defense

The Ministry of Defense has issued summonses to the first 1,200 recruits for mandatory medical evaluations as part of the government’s reintroduction of basic military training.

The eight-week program is set to begin on March 1st at barracks in Knin, Požega, and Slunj.

Military instructor Marin Kirasić said the training will cover all essential skills for soldiers, including firearms handling, topography, tactics, combat reactions, first aid, and self-defense. About 70 percent of the program will be practical, hands-on training, with the remainder focused on theory.

Brigadier Tomislav Barčan, director of the Institute of Aviation Medicine, confirmed that medical evaluations will start in mid-January at two military facilities: the Institute of Aviation Medicine and the Institute of Naval Medicine.

"The medical evaluations of recruits will be performed by health professionals selected by the Ministry of Defense," said Health Minister Irena Hrstić. "These will include occupational medicine specialists contracted by the Ministry, as well as medical staff from the Ministry itself, rather than family doctors."

Recruits who fail to report for their medical evaluations may face fines of up to 5,000 euros.

This marks the first large-scale call-up under Croatia’s renewed program of basic military training, aimed at strengthening national defense and providing young citizens with essential military skills.