4.3 Size and structure of the Slovenian Armed Forces 4.3.1 Size of the Slovenian Armed Forces The size of the Slovenian Armed Forces will reflect the real possibilities of the country’s human and economic capabilities, with an enhanced role of the contract reserve component in order to strengthen the country’s defence capacity and resilience. In pursuing the long-term target size and structure of the Slovenian Armed Forces within the framework of recasting development guidance and planning documents, it will be necessary for it to be based on the real situation and circumstances under which the defence system and the Slovenian Armed Forces operate now and will operate in the future. The most important issue for armed forces with a professional system of recruitment is the establishment and maintenance of mechanisms to increase their size and structure, in accordance with the need and the available sources and resources of the state and society. On the basis of military professional assessments, the fulfilment of legal tasks and commitments, and the need to respond effectively, taking into account the uncertain security environment in the future, the target size of the Slovenian Armed Forces is set at 8,000 members of the active component and 2,000 members of the contract reserve component. In order to achieve the long-term target size and structure of the Slovenian Armed Forces, it will be necessary to implement measures to successfully address both wider demographic trends and the decline in the population who have completed military service or have fundamental military knowledge, who represent an important resource of personnel for completing the active component and, even more so, the contract reserve component and the military strategic reserve. The actual human and financial resources, and also the current level of modernization and the already developed capabilities of the Slovenian Armed Forces, will be taken into account in the preparation of appropriate normative, development guidance and planning documents, and the proposal of the new Resolution on the General Long-Term Development and Equipping Programme of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the future medium-term defence programmes. The target size of the Slovenian Armed Forces will be achieved in stages. The objective in the period 2020-2025 is to have 7,000 members of the active component of the Slovenian Armed Forces, and 1,000 members of the contract reserve component of the Slovenian Armed Forces, while at the same time fundamentally reforming the system of recruitment and retention of members and their leaving the service. The objective in the period 2025-2030 is to increase the size and structure of the Slovenian Armed Forces to 7,500 members of the active component and 1,500 members of the contract reserve component, if the measures to improve human and financial resources are successfully implemented and the process of modernization and capability development is strengthened. In the period 2030-2035, the target size of 8,000 members of the active component and 2,000 members of the contract reserve component will be achieved. 24