YU050401.
Military Museum at Kalemegdan, Belgrade
YU050402.
Figure 18. Military Ranks and Insignia, 1990
Articles 172 and 241 of the Constitution of 1974 declared military service and defense of the country to be the supreme duty and honor of every citizen. In 1990 more than four million Yugoslavs were in the YPA, the reserve, the TDF, or civil defense.
The Yugoslav people generally held favorable opinions of military personnel because of the identification with the Partisans who liberated the country in World War II. However, memories of Partisan activities had dimmed noticeably by 1990. By that time, the popularity and prestige of the YPA had begun to diminish, and military careers had grown less attractive, even among the most patriotic parts of society.
Data as of December 1990