Defence minister says voluntary element should be included in military service registration

Czech Minister of Defence Martin Stropnický said Friday that some voluntary formula for registration for military service combined with an obligatory period of basic exercise might be the way forward for the country. Stropnický was addressing the question of across the board registration for military service which the government said in April that it counted on reintroducing from 2017. The registration together with medical examinations would allow the state to estimate how many citizens it might be able to call up in an emergency. The lower house of parliament’s defence committee has since come out against across the board registration for service. The minister unveiled a survey showing around two-third of Czechs are in favour of the reintroduction of basic military service.