Researcher Muhsen AlMustafa at the Omran Center for Strategic Studies stated that “the privileges announced by the regime are not new; what is new is revealing them so explicitly.” He explained that the Syrian regime needs human resources in a routine sense, like any institution wishing to assert its presence amid the shortage of manpower in Syria, and that this is not necessarily related to military operations.

AlMustafa suggested that the regime’s goal through these contracts is to withdraw members from militias and integrate them into the official military institution. According to him, those who sign these contracts are subject to the same laws that govern military service under Legislative Decree No. 18 and Military Pensions Decree No. 17 of 2003, covering compensations and other entitlements in cases of death or permanent disability.

He clarified that compulsory service is waived for volunteers after five years of service under the law, considering that “these contracts are a continuation of the drive toward the militarization of society and military profiteering.” He added that through the salaries citizens receive under such contracts—which they cannot earn even in civilian jobs despite higher education degrees—it is clear that the regime seeks to militarize society, either by directing people into militias or using them as soldiers in the army.
AlMustafa further explained that the regime exploits citizens’ needs through these contracts, offering financial incentives and encouragements to finish service within a defined timeframe, unlike in previous years.