It is necessary to increase the share of contract soldiers in the army, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Rustem Umerov said following a meeting of the Commander-in-Chief’s Staff. “We heard a report on the results of the recruitment under the 18-24 contract service model. We must increase the share of contract soldiers in the army. We also discussed expanding opportunities for contract service for the military and new incentives for attracting trained personnel,” he said in Telegram on Friday evening. In particular, regarding joint weapons production, expansion of military assistance programs, and deepening international cooperation in the defense sector.