Prague, Dec 16 (CTK) – The lower house of Czech parliament on Wednesday passed two bills that should motivate people to join active reserve troops and allow them to voluntarily undergo military training.
The bills still need to be passed by the upper house and signed by the president to take effect.
The annual financial reward given to the members of the reserve troops will be three times higher and they will have further advantages if the bill takes effect.
At present, there are some 1200 reservists. The Czech military would like their number to reach 5,000. The army wants to make this kind of involvement attractive especially for students.
According to the amendment to the conscription law, young people who would be voluntarily drafted would undergo a three-month military training within two years. People whose health condition was bad and those who committed a crime or supported extremists groups would not be allowed to undergo the training.
The current conscription law does not allow for call-ups or military training at peace time. Since 2005, everything has been voluntary and the service only concerns professional soldiers and members of active reserves units.
The government originally proposed the reintroduction of universal conscription of 18-year-olds, but the lawmakers opposed the idea. The lawmakers said the original plan was merely an administratively demanding registration of all the young men and women as it did not include any training.
The government argued that it would gain information about the health condition of the population and its readiness to take part in defending the country if it were threatened.
The Defence Ministry says it employs approximately 21,000 soldiers, while about 27,600 would be needed to fulfil its tasks. The military plans to recruit new soldiers in the next several years.
