It is not yet necessary to introduce compulsory military service (conscription) in the Czech Republic, said President Petr Pavel at a debate with students in Sluknov today during an official visit to the Usti Region.
According to Pavel, mandatory military service can be replaced by creating the conditions for voluntary participation.
The Czech Republic is not even ready for the introduction of compulsory military service, Pavel said.
However, a responsible approach to the issue of security is important, he stressed. When it comes to internal security, people should not be indifferent to what is happening, and as far as external security is concerned, it is good to create conditions for the involvement of active citizens who can take part in military training and offer their expertise, such as the use of drones, control of modern technologies and so on, Pavel said.
Besides, the option for people to register independently for military service is cheaper for the state, Pavel noted.
He also answered the students’ questions regarding artificial intelligence in schools and the post of the president. He reiterated that he had not yet decided whether he would run for head of state again.
After the debate, the president headed to the housing estate in Sluknov, an excluded locality.
“I am not afraid. This is not my first visit to such a locality,” he said. He added that he had been to similar housing estates in Chanov in Most and Janov in Litvinov. Sluknov has roughly 5,500 inhabitants, 1,000 of whom live in this housing estate.
After lunch, Pavel will walk through the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, and will end the first day of his two-day visit to the Usti nad Labem Region with a debate with citizens in Decin.
