# Armed Forces of Croatia

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Oružane snage Republike Hrvatske – OSRH) are the military forces organized for the defense of the Republic of Croatia and its allies by military means and for other forms of use and use in accordance with the domestic and international law. The Croatian Armed Forces protect the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Croatia and defend its territorial integrity.
In accordance with the requirements set for the Croatian Armed Forces in national defence and the fulfilment of obligations arising from NATO membership, the missions and tasks of the Croatian Armed Forces have been defined. The Croatian Armed Forces have three basic missions and those being: Defence of the Republic of Croatia and its allies, contribution to the international security and supporting civil institutions.
The President is the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief and exercises administrative powers in times of war by giving orders to the Chief of Staff, while administration and defence policy execution in peacetime is carried out by the Government through the Ministry of Defence. This unified institution consists of land, sea, and air branches referred to as:
* Croatian Army (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska - HKoV)
* Croatian Navy (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica - HRM)
* Croatian Air Force (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo - HRZ)
In 2023, Armed Forces had 15,900 members, of which 14,103 were active military personnel and 1,806 civil servants. Total available male manpower aged 16–49 numbers 1,035,712, of which 771,323 are technically fit for military service. Conscription is to be introduced once again from January 2025.
The Army has 650 AFVs, around 150 pieces of Artillery, 105 MLRSs, 75 Tanks, and 25 SPGs. The Air Force has 10 Dassault Rafale F3-R fighter jets, 4 UH-60 helicopters, 10 Mi-171 combat-transport helicopters and 15 OH-58 attack helicopters. The Navy has 30 ships, out of which five 60-80 metre fast attack craft are used in offensive capabilities. In April 2024 Croatia acquired first 6 out of 12 used French Rafale F-3R.

## History
### Formation in the early 1990s

In the late spring of 1991, the first military units of the National Guard Corps were formed, established on 20 April 1991. by the decision of the President of the Republic and which, for legal and political reasons, was formally part of the Ministry of the Interior. In addition to the structures and units that were created by state policy, there were also party armies or their loose affiliations. The Croatian Party of Rights organized its armed detachments, the Croatian Defence Forces (HOS), which were privately armed, relatively well trained and trained at the tactical level, and deployed to critical positions on the battlefields. The Party of Democratic Change (Reformed Communists, SDP) armed its activists in Istria, the Littoral and Dalmatia, as did the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in other parts of Croatia. In some places, however, the TO system was reactivated (e.g. in Zagreb), which gave better results.
The system of command and control was initially critically confused, and the competencies were vague and unclear. The ZNG is thus under the dual jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense. A large part of the command in the field was transferred to local crisis staffs composed and led by political officials who did not necessarily have military knowledge broader than those they had acquired during their conscription service in the JNA. There were often several different units in the field, which, even if they were nominally in the same organization, often did not have a common higher command.
The main tasks of the ZNG (later HV) were to prevent the penetration of the JNA and other forces in the most important directions, to defend cities and critical areas, and to conquer JNA barracks in the depth of their own deployment. These tasks began to be fulfilled more comprehensively and systematically only after the armed forces were organized into a single Croatian Army (HV) on the basis of the new Defence Law, and when the General Staff was established on 21 September 1991, with Chief General Anton Tus as its Chief. At that time, a more systematic mobilization of reserve soldiers and the organization of units, commands and institutions began, as well as the planned use of forces.
On 1 October 1991, large military-territorial and combat commands (Operational Zones) were formed with headquarters in Osijek, Bjelovar, Zagreb, Karlovac, Rijeka and Split. Subordinate to them were operational groups that commanded certain directions and areas. The basic and at the same time the highest tactical units were infantry brigades (professional and reserve), and brigades and battalions of other branches were also formed. By the end of the year, 63 brigades had been formed and developed.

### Croatian War of Independence

During the Homeland War, the armed forces gradually grew to about 300,000 members. Most of the units were filled from the reserve, i.e. from the personnel who acquired basic military knowledge during their compulsory military service in the Yugoslav People's Army. Thanks to the growing military experience, the quality of these units grew, and the organization of the entire system improved over time.
The training of new generations of 18-year-old young men who served in the Croatian Army continued, whereby army units during military service were generally not used for combat tasks (young men would mostly receive call-ups for combat units soon after completing their compulsory military service).
As the war progressed, through clandestine operations (the legal procurement of military equipment for the war-torn territory of the former Yugoslavia was prevented), significant amounts of military surpluses created after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact were purchased; in particular, the procurement of combat aircraft of Soviet origin was significant for the formation of the Croatian Air Force. The Croatian Air Force had included about twenty Mig 21 aircraft and several Mil Mi-24 combat helicopters, as well as several transport helicopters. Also, the domestic industry has become capable of significant independent production of weapons and military equipment.
The Croatian Navy was created to a large extent thanks to the successful action of capturing about one quarter of the Yugoslav Navy vessels in Šibenik in 1991. RBS-15 anti-ship missiles were also captured: this system made in Sweden has not yet been put into operation by the Yugoslav Navy, and the Croatian Navy succeeded in doing so after Croatian experts independently developed the "Phobos" fire control system; Namely, the Swedish manufacturer was not allowed to deliver that key part of the weapon system. With the introduction of modern missiles with a range of over 70 km into operational use, the Croatian Navy has largely prevented serious action by the enemy navy.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia were in a wartime structure until 12 March 1996, when they switched to peacetime by the decision of the President of the Republic of Croatia.

### Reforms

With the stabilization of the situation after the end of the war, several important waves of reforms followed. There was an increasingly visible trend of other transition countries, as well as NATO members, to put emphasis in the development of the armed forces on mobility, on multifunctionality and flexibility in the use of the armed forces, and not on the mass composition and heavy equipment. Economic over-demanding and conceptual inadequacy, i.e. the inapplicability of the old Cold War conception became obvious. New security threats and a new international constellation called for deeper changes in the way armed forces were designed. The process of reforming the defense system began in 2002. The aim of the reform and reorganization is to establish a modern structure of the defence system that will be able to respond to the challenges of the new era, taking into account the membership of the Republic of Croatia in NATO and security arrangements within the European Union. The main guidelines for the reform are set by strategic documents adopted by the Republic of Croatia: the National Security Strategy of the Republic of Croatia, the Defence Strategy of the Republic of Croatia, the Military Strategy of the Republic of Croatia. During 2003, the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff began working on the Strategic Defence Review (SPO), which was adopted in 2005. With the adoption of the Long-Term Development Plan of the Croatian Armed Forces 2006 – 2015 (DPR) in the Croatian Parliament on 7 July 2006, clear content and time frames for further reform, development and modernization of the Croatian Armed Forces in the next ten years were set.
The essence of the changes consists in the gradual transition from Croatian individual (national) to collective defence and security mechanisms, and this also implies:
* transition to the professionalization of the Croatian Armed Forces, which means replenishment of soldiers voluntarily, and not through conscription (it also implies significant changes in the method of replenishment of the reserve, because the system of voluntary/contractual reserve will no longer be able to be replenished by conscript soldiers after the completion of conscript service);
* the transition to a collective defence system means a smaller active and reserve composition, but better trained, equipped, compatible and interoperable with allies.
* the possibility that smaller nations that are members of the Alliance, such as Croatia, can partially "specialize" in order to be able to contribute to joint operations in a specific way with their limited capacities.
* even greater overall engagement of units and members of the Croatian Armed Forces in collective activities, international missions, preventive security activities, etc.
In 2007, the Decision was made not to call up recruits for military service which represented an important step towards the professionalization of the Croatian Armed Forces, which implies the abolition of compulsory military service and the introduction of voluntary military service. The first generation of volunteer conscripts began serving in November 2008.
After the Long-Term Development Plan of the Croatian Armed Forces for the period 2015-2024 envisaged a frugal development of the armed forces, the complication of the security situation in Europe regarding Russia which culminated in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 the political will to decisively strengthen the Croatian Armed Forces was formed in Croatia, and the military budget was significantly increased.

## Defence expenditure

The trajectory of Croatian military budget and spending was constantly below 2% of GDP, a major difference from the 1990s when defence expenditure represented a major stake in Croatian budgetary expenditure due to then ongoing Croatian War of Independence. For example, in 1995 the Croatian defence budget stood at 12.4 billion Croatian Kuna or around 10% of GDP, which was also represented at the time highest defence expenditure rate. In late 2019, the Croatian Government issued a revised defence expenditure strategy which will see the country increase its defence expenditure to gradually meet the 2% NATO target, with 2019 and 2020 defence budgets seeing immediate revisions and increases to meet the new spending plan. However, if defence pensions are included in Croatia's defence expenditure, then Croatia already meets the 2% target recommended by the NATO. Some €1140 million was paid in defence pensions to some 97000 individuals in Croatia.
Defence expenditures in recent years;
| Year | Amount (in USD) | % of GDP | Change in % |
| 2014 | 1.064 bil. | 1.78 | |
| 2015 | 883 mil. | 1.73 | 1.03 |
| 2016 | 837 mil. | 1.58 | 5.96 |
| 2017 | 926 mil. | 1.64 | 6.15 |
| 2018 | 966 mil. | 1.56 | 2.81 |
| 2019 | 1,001 bil. | 1.61 | 7.19 |
| 2020 | 983 mil. | 1.69 | 3.02 |
| 2021 | 1,361 bil. | 1.95 | 30.82 |
| 2022 | 1,285 bil. | 1.78 | 2.40 |
| 2023 | 1,441 bil. | 1.74 | 0.73 |
| 2024 | 1,624 bil. | 1.81 | 7.11 |
With the publishment of the new budget for the year 2025., defence expenditure will reach 2% mark as per the obligations to the NATO. Furthermore, in regard to the modernization of the equipment of the Armed Forces, it is planned that 29% of the total amount will be spent on acquiring new NATO standard equipment, well above 20% that NATO charter obliges its member state to spend.

## Structure

The Armed Forces are divided into branches, services, professions and their specialties. The branches of the Armed Forces are the Croatian Army, the Croatian Navy and the Croatian Air Force.
Branches of the Armed Forces are parts of the Armed Forces within which the preparation and equipping of individuals, units and purpose-built forces are carried out for the execution of tasks in certain geographical areas (land, sea, air) whose primary task is to maintain the required level of combat readiness of operational units.
The armed forces have a peacetime and a wartime composition. The peacetime composition of the Armed Forces consists of active military personnel, civil servants and employees assigned to the Armed Forces, reservists called up for training, contract reservists, cadets and persons who have received voluntary military training. Exceptionally, the peacetime composition of the Armed Forces also consists of conscripts when compulsory military service is in force. The wartime composition of the Armed Forces, in addition to military personnel, civil servants, employees and conscripts (when compulsory military service is in force), also consists of conscripts mobilized into the Armed Forces.
The current structure of the Croatian Armed Forces has been in force since 1 December 2014 and consists of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Croatian Army (HKoV),Croatian Navy (HRM), Croatian Air Force (HRZ), Croatian Defence Academy (HVU), Support Command (ZZP), Special Forces Command (ZSS), Military Disciplinary Court (VSS), Military representations (VP) and Headquarter support units (PP).
* General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces is a joint body organized within the Ministry of Defence which is responsible for the command, preparation and use of the Armed Forces. General Staff commands the entire Armed Forces in accordance with the dictate of the Commander-in-Chief (President of Croatia) and the Minister of Defense and performs other professional activities for the Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of Defense. It also has a number of units under its direct command, including the ZSS, Honour Guard Battalion and several others.
* Commands of the branches of the Armed Forces are responsible for the functioning of the branches of the Armed Forces and are responsible for the preparation of subordinate commands and units for the execution of tasks. Branch commands participate in the professional development of personnel and are responsible for the training of active and reserve personnel.
* Croatian Defence Academy "Dr. Franjo Tuđman" (HVU) is a higher educational military institution of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia. It is responsible for the training of individuals for the needs of the entire Croatian Armed Forces. It is located in the "Petar Zrinski" barracks in the Zagreb district of Črnomerec.
* Support Command (ZZP) is the most important part of the logistics system of the Croatian Armed Forces and is responsible for the implementation of logistical, medical and part of personnel support for the Croatian Armed Forces. It's responsible for the acquisition and preparation of all State resources allocated to the Armed Forces and for the overall plan of their use and its applicability to operations on the battlefield.
* Croatian Special Forces Command (ZSS) is one of the three independent commands of the Croatian Armed Forces, subordinate directly to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia. CROSOFCOM mission is to ensure the combat readiness of the special operations forces for operations in defense of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Croatia and to participate in NATO and coalition-led operations.
* Military representations (VP) represent the Armed Forces and carry out their duties, professional tasks related to participation in the work and monitoring the work of departments, working groups, permanent and temporary bodies at the North Atlantic Alliance, European Union and at the Allied Command Operations and the Allied Command Transformation.
* Staff support units (PP) are established for the purpose of developing capabilities for the implementation of various tasks and support activities, which other compositions, due to the specificity or scope, cannot be provided by the Armed Forces within its organic composition. Those units are: Intelligence Center (SOD), Military Police Regiment (PVP), Honor Guard Battalion (PZB), Center for Communication and Information Systems (SKIS), Personnel Management Center (ZUO) and Home of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (DGSOS)

## Command and control

The Commander-in-Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces is the President of the Republic of Croatia. Command of the Armed Forces in peacetime shall be exercised by the Commander-in-Chief through the Minister of Defence, who shall be responsible to the Commander-in-Chief for the implementation of the order and shall report to him on the implementation. In a state of imminent threat and a state of war, the Commander-in-Chief directly issues orders to the Chief of the General Staff and at the same time informs the Minister of Defence of the issued orders. In this case, the Chief of the General Staff shall be responsible to the Commander-in-Chief for the implementation of the order. If the Minister of Defence fails to carry out the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, the Commander-in-Chief may exercise command of the Armed Forces directly through the Chief of the General Staff.
Command and direction in the Armed Forces shall be carried out by officers and non-commissioned officers appointed and assigned to command duties in the Armed Forces. Command is based on the principles of single-leadership and subordination. Members of the Armed Forces shall be accountable to their superiors for their work, command and management.
For the purpose of establishing a unified system of command and control over all parts of units in the country and abroad, a new organizational unit was established at the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces: the Command Operations Center (ZOS). A unique operational picture is created in the Command Operations Center and enables the conduct of all activities and operations of the Croatian Armed Forces units in the period of up to 96 hours, including the engagement of forces in the execution of tasks of surveillance of the air and sea space of the Republic of Croatia.
The Croatian Parliament exercises democratic control over the Armed Forces.

## International cooperation

The Republic of Croatia began its first participation in the UN peacekeeping mission in 1999 by sending 10 members of the Croatian Armed Forces to the peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone - UNAMSIL as peace observers. In addition to UN peacekeeping missions, in February 2003, with the participation of Military Police platoons in NATO's ISAF mission in Afghanistan, Croatia also began its engagement in NATO missions. In October 2008, for the first time, a reconnaissance team (15 members) has been deployed to the EU peacekeeping mission (EUFOR) in Chad and the Central African Republic for 6 months.
Croatian soldiers have been participating in the KFOR operation in Kosovo since July 2009 when the first HRVCON was sent with 20 members and two Mi-171Sh transport helicopters. The contingents consisted of an infantry company, an air component (located at the Bondsteel base), national support components (command group, intelligence support team, national support element and mobile medical team), a reconnaissance team. In addition, the Croatian Armed Forces also participate with the staff of KFOR HQ and advisors in the NALT team, who are located in the "Film City" camp, KFOR HQ in Pristina.
Croatia participates in NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence operation in Poland and Lithuania. The first Croatian contingent went to Poland in October 2017, the second in March 2018, and in October of the same year, the 3rd Croatian contingent (HRVCON eFPBG – USA) was deployed to the northeast of Poland to the military training ground "Bemowo Piskie" and took over the tasks of its predecessors. The 4th HRVCON is currently in Poland, together with members of the armed forces of Romania and Great Britain and are part of the Battle Group led by the United States of America, which is attached to the 15th Mechanized Brigade of the Republic of Poland. The backbone of the contingent consists of members of the Artillery and Missile Battalion of the Guards Mechanized Brigade with a battalion of self-propelled multiple rocket launchers Vulkan, staff working as part of the BGP Command, as well as the Military Police team and the national support element with associated weapons, equipment and vehicles.
In November 2017, the 1st Croatian Contingent of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence went to Lithuania, where they participated in this NATO activity as part of the German-led Battle Group (1st HRVCON eFPBG-DEU). 181 members of the Croatian Armed Forces were sent for a period of seven months, and the majority of the forces were members of the mechanized company from the 1st Mechanized Battalion "Tigers" of the Guards Mechanized Brigade. The basic task and mission of the Croatian contingent was integration into the multinational battle group led by the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as the implementation of training in that composition, which, in addition to members of the Croatian Armed Forces, also includes members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the French Republic and the host country of the Republic of Lithuania.
As part of the further strengthening of the Allies' deterrence and defence posture and taking into account the deteriorating security situation in Eastern Europe following Russian aggression on Ukraine, NATO launched an enhanced vigilance activity in February 2022, which led to the establishment of battlegroups in Hungary, the Slovak Republic, Romania and the Republic of Bulgaria. In accordance with the Decision of the Croatian Parliament of March 2022. The Republic of Croatia has been participating in this battle group since July 2022, when the first Croatian contingent was sent to Hungary.
At the Warsaw Summit in July 2016, NATO announced the transformation of the Active Endeavour mission in the Mediterranean Sea into a broader maritime security operation. The new operation was named Sea Guardian. In September 2018, the Croatian Navy ship RTOP-41 Vukovar participated in the Sea Guardian peace support operation in the Mediterranean. The commander of the ship was Lieutenant Battalion Ante Uljević, and the commander of the 1st HRVCON was the captain of the corvette Nikola Bašić. It was the first time that a Croatian Navy ship participated in the NATO-led Operation Sea Guardian, where it carried out non-combat tasks with a focus on creating a comprehensive maritime situational picture, with the aim of deterring possible threats and ensuring common safety at sea.
Members of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia have been participating in the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) operation since July 2007 as staff officers, and since 2013 as liaison officers. In March 2023, officer of the Croatian Armed Forces was commended by the UNIFIL commander for his assistance in the evacuation of injured soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces due to the activation of a mine explosive device during March 2023.
| Current Mission | Organization | Location | Number of personnel (2023) |
| NATO Enhanced Forward Presence – Battle Group Poland | NATO | Poland | 161 |
| NATO Enhanced Forward Presence – Battle Group Lithuania | NATO | Lithuania | 195 |
| NATO Enhanced Forward Presence – Battle Group Hungary | NATO | Hungary | 205 |
| NATO in Kosovo - KFOR | NATO | Kosovo | 520 |
| NATO mission in Iraq | NATO | Iraq | 26 |
| Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 | NATO | Mediterranean Sea | 13 |
| Operation Sea Guardian | NATO | Mediterranean Sea | 66 |
| European Union Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta | European Union | Somalia | 4 |
| European Union Naval Force Mediterranean – Operation Irini | European Union | Mediterranean Sea | 5 |
| United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan – UNMOGIP | United Nations | India and Pakistan | 20 |
| United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara – MINURSO | United Nations | Western Sahara | 12 |
| United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon - UNIFIL | United Nations | Lebanon | 2 |
| Operation Inherent Resolve | U.S Armed Forces | Kuwait | 3 |
| Former Mission | Organization | Location |
| European Union mission in Chad – EUFOR Tchad/RCA | European Union | Chad |
| European Union Naval Force Mediterranean – Operation Sophia | European Union | Mediterranean Sea |
| International Security Assistance Force – ISAF | NATO | Afghanistan |
| Operation Active Endeavour | NATO | Mediterranean Sea |
| Operation Triton | European Union | Mediterranean Sea |
| Resolute Support Mission – RS | NATO | Afghanistan |
| United Nations Disengagement Observer Force – UNDOF | United Nations | Golan Heights - Syria and Israel |
| United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea – UNMEE | United Nations | Ethiopia and Eritrea |
| United Nations Mission in Liberia – UNMIL | United Nations | Liberia |
| United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone – UNAMSIL | United Nations | Sierra Leone |
| United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor – UNMISET | United Nations | East Timor |
| United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia – UNOMIG | United Nations | Georgia |
| United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire – UNOCI | United Nations | Ivory Coast |
| United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus – UNFICYP | United Nations | Cyprus |
| United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti – MINUSTAH | United Nations | Haiti |