SPECIFICITIES OF RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION IN THE DEFENCE SECTOR – THE CASE OF MONTENEGRO

Abstract

The paper analyses key specificities of recruitment and selection in the defence sector, providing an example of Montenegro. Personnel in ministries of defence and armed forces are public servants and constitute a part of national administrations in a larger sense, which need genuine professionals. From the legal point of view, there are usually several categories of staff within the defence sector: civil servants, military officials and civilian personnel in the armed forces, which all have some specificities due to the nature of the work they carry out in the public service. The paper first analyses key international standards on recruitment and selection in the public service and those which are specific for the defence sector. The central part of the paper examines key contentious issues in the legal framework regarding recruitment and selection in the defence sector of Montenegro, especially exemptions from the open competition rule, ministerial discretion in appointing the candidate from an open list, and the lack of a possibility to challenge security clearance decisions of perspective candidates (for military personnel and civilian personnel in the army). The authors conclude that although it is relatively easy to pinpoint necessary legal changes to improve the current system, it is not very likely that the system will be changed without a strong and unwavering political support, which will be able to force the holders of excessive powers to release it and ensure the observance of the merit principle.