Serbia Armed Forces formally abolished conscription in 2011 modernise military capabilities 080111-2.

The government decided to pursue a volunteer-based military on 2 October 2010 and secured the approval of Parliament on 15 December, with the legislation scheduled to come into force in 2011.

Sutanovac has been a strong proponent of such a change, envisaging a military strength of about 36,000 highly trained voluntary personnel; there are about 40,000 active personnel and an estimated 100,000 in 'passive' reserve.