About 20 cadets raised problems they were encountering after completing their schooling in foreign countries, saying that they had not yet been awarded ranks and that they felt they were not welcome.
Air Force Cadet Ozren Trupeljak said that the cadets were unable to apply the knowledge gained abroad to their job because they were rarely assigned to appropriate posts. He complained that "the cadets trained in the United States are looked upon as being indoctrinated by the US.
Trupeljak and his colleague, Navy Cadet Daria Gvozdenovic, both said that as soon as they fulfilled their obligations to the Defence Ministry and the Armed Forces they would leave the services unless the situation improved.
Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic said that some cadets had not returned from their training abroad, saying that those young people had signed contracts that were detrimental to the Defence Ministry. The contracts did not clearly define their obligations to the Defence Ministry, so it is necessary to take some steps in this regard, he added.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Josip Lucic said that the defence system had been struggling with the downsizing of the armed forces and money cuts, and that the Croatian armed forces had reached breaking point. He added that this was the crucial year for the armed forces.
Mesic said that everyone should be aware of the financial situation the country and its armed forces were in, but pointed out that relevant laws should be passed to promote the cadets to a higher rank and to make better use of their knowledge.
Earlier in the day, Mesic briefly met military police officers who are to replace the Croatian military police contingent deployed in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission at the end of this month.