Serbian army sees record applications for professional service

We are offering regular pay, benefits, and health care in the military medical system to include the families of members of the VS [Serbian Army], says Col Stevica Karapandzin.

From 1 January the VS is transforming itself into a professional army, and will have 13,000 soldiers out of about 30,000 members. Of these 11,000 will be professionals of both sexes taken on after competitive tender, together with 2,000 young men interested in voluntary military service. From 1 July there will be a new round of applications, from which the remaining 3,000 posts will be filled, Col Stevica Karapandzin, a spokesman for the VS General Staff has told Politika.

"The response has exceeded all our expectations. We already have about 8,000 professional soldiers. Last year, too, we had several rounds of competitive tendering, for which some 10,500 candidates applied. Not all of them will be accepted in this round, because in the tendering process we have candidates who already applied in May this year. About 600 of them are already undergoing training and a similar number are waiting to be sent for training. All in all, we will need a further 1,800 people or so, whom we will admit after this round of applications," the Colonel adds.

What guarantees that the Army will fill a further 3,000 places is the response. An average of five candidates apply for each post! Moreover, the percentage of female applicants has been doubled, from 10 per cent last year to 20 per cent in the last round. Our interviewee says that there is no difference between professional soldiers based on gender. They compete on an absolutely equal basis and they are the same in all areas as regards both their admission and subsequent professional service.

The general conditions for admission are that they are medically fit, that they have not had their posts in any state bodies terminated because of serious dereliction of duty, that they have not been sentenced to a term of imprisonment in excess of six months, and that they are not over 30 years of age. Furthermore, they must of course be citizens of the Republic of Serbia, but they can also have dual citizenship. Of the special conditions the most important is that they have completed military service under arms, which does not apply to female candidates. Additionally, they must have secondary education, except for infantry snipers and members of the guard service. In the logistical services they must have appropriate specialist training for the service or duties they are applying for. Drivers of motor vehicles must have C category drivers licenses.

Candidates who wish to become professionals must submit applications to the unit with which they wish to have a contract, and the forms can be found at the reporting office of every command. Candidates who are already doing military service can also become professionals, and must apply to their superior officers in the last month of their service.

"We offer regular pay averaging about 30,000 dinars. The professional soldiers also have the right to certain non-monetary benefits, and for the reimbursement of travelling expenses for those candidates who do not live in their place of service. They have the right to pension insurance, as well as health insurance. This can also be used by members of their families, which means the possibility of treatment in the military medical system," Karapandzin explains.

The noncommissioned officer pool will be replenished in the VS primarily from the ranks of the professional soldiers. This means that every professional soldier, depending on the needs of the service and the results of his labour, can after having the status of professional soldier for a fixed time transfer to the status of noncommissioned officer for an indeterminate time provided they have suitable training. Each candidate would have to undergo training of between four and eight months, and only those candidates who successfully complete this will receive contracts. About 10 per cent do not succeed in accomplishing this. The rest sign three-year contracts and in the framework of three such contracts they can transfer to noncommissioned officer status.

The working hours of the professional soldier are eight hours a day, 40 hours a week. The hours can also be longer, with suitable compensation. The professional soldier can be engaged in all military missions at home and abroad. If, for instance, a soldier serves in guarding the administrative line with Kosovo, then the compensation can amount to a whole month's pay.

"In Nis and Novi Sad there has been an excellent level of interest, while in Belgrade the response has been somewhat less. Some units in Nis have broken all possible records, so that in this city we have 100 candidates for every one place. We are happy with the multiethnic lineup of candidates, because people from all ethnic groups are showing an interest. There has recently been an increasing number of candidates with higher education," says Col Karapandzin.