Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASS) organized a forum on the recently updated topic of mandatory military service. Namely, the topic is recognized as legitimate and significant for the academic community as well, which can offer new and more comprehensive approaches when determining priorities and specific development goals of a society and state. For the development of long-term plans, policies and opportunities, the analyzes and research results of scientific institutes, faculties, expert teams, as well as the involvement of the wider public, are very important, in order to more clearly and precisely determine all potential problems and obstacles that indicate limited opportunities to carry out the announced changes, that is, presented the benefits and opportunities for the realization to be successful.
The segment that was less talked about in public, and is important for the topic of mandatory military service, includes part of the realization of the recruitment process itself. In its structure, this process implies the fulfillment of numerous criteria, which through standard procedures exclude a significant part of potential recruits, because they require minimum mental, medical and physical standards, educational and moral requirements, age limits, the issue of security checks and the like. For this reason, it was important for the public to hear the words of experts from various scientific and professional bodies and institutions in the fields of medicine (psychiatry, public health), education, security, physical culture and education, economics and many others, which we partially managed to provide to the interlocutors who responded to our call.
The tribune was held in Tuesday, 21.6.2022. year at 6 p.m. in Club Polet (Cetinjska 15, Belgrade).
The speakers were:
- Jovan Mirić, prof. of the Faculty of Philosophy in retirement (Department of Developmental Psychology)
- Svetlana Stanarevic, associate professor, Faculty of Security, UB
- Dr. Miroslav Marković, Institute for the Improvement of Education and Training, President of the Serbian Association of Physical Education and Sports Teachers
- Slobodan Spasic, psychologist, PhD student (Faculty of Philosophy)
After an introductory presentation on the chronology of initiatives on the reactivation of mandatory military service from 2011 to the present day, the political, media and professional discourse in the said period was briefly presented. It was pointed out the last advertisement of the competent minister, with the statement that several models designed in the Ministry of Defense are ready, which will be sent to the president, and then a wider public discussion will be opened. While we are waiting for that moment, MASA has organized a forum, in order to listen to the thoughts of the academic public and the community on the issue and open up space for engagement in future public discussions. There were talks about moral behavior and moral governance of young people, patriotism, theoretical insights into those concepts, but also the importance of connecting with the subject of mandatory military service. Meeting physical standards during the recruitment process requires certain physical characteristics and readiness of potential recruits. Based on recent research on the physical and motor skills of children and young people and very worrying results (increased obesity, diabetes, various forms of spinal deviation, etc.), the potential of the future recruitment contingent can be questioned. In addition to the importance of meeting physical criteria and standards, it is very important to take into account the psychological and mental state of the young population, especially in the process of psychological assessment and selection for military service, the characteristics of psychometric instruments, weaknesses and strengths, as well as the possibilities to adapt to gender requirements in in the event that both women and men are recruited, the different experiences of foreign armies when it comes to mixed or unisex military units, and more. Based on the content of the speaker's presentation, we can say that the need for an important role of the academic community has been confirmed, which is increasingly showing its willingness to engage in public discussion regarding issues that represent the strategic determinations of our society and the state in the sphere of security, but also beyond. It is necessary to determine what are the capacities and significant research endeavors, which can result in a greater contribution in fulfilling normative, political, strategic and operational requirements, so that life takes place in conditions of greater safety, security and better quality. Also, it is important that public policy planning is carried out in an integrated way, whereby greater attention must be paid to the balance between responding to security needs and other essential needs of the population (such as education, health, employment, access to clean water, food, access energy, etc.). Representatives of the academic community and educational institutions at all levels, with their different specializations, represent a set of expertise that can contribute to improving the state's response to the multidimensional (security) needs of citizens, but also support public decision makers by analyzing needs, analyzing opportunities, independent evaluation of existing policies and formulating proposals for future work.
