Military training may become compulsory again

The Czech Defence Ministry is drafting a new national defence bill under which the state may be able to order military recruitment even in peacetime, the daily Hospodarské noviny writes in its Friday edition. The Czech military now has roughly 20,000 professional soldiers, but in the event of a military threat, it might need tens of thousands of re-enforcements. Compulsory military service was abolished in 2004, meaning that the last conscripts underwent military training 10 years ago which the army says it too long for them to be sent straight into action. The government is scheduled to debate the bill in the autumn.