| Countries (A to Z) |
Description |
| Algeria |
19-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (6 months basic training, 12 months civil projects) |
| Armenia |
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation |
| Austria |
18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 7 months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation |
| Azerbaijan |
men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates |
| Benin |
21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
17 years of age for voluntary military service in the Federation and in the Republika Srpska; conscription abolished January 2006; 4-month service obligation |
| Bulgaria |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months; as of May 2006, 67% of the Bulgarian Army comprised of professional soldiers; conscription into the Army to end as of 1 January 2008; Air and Air Defense Forces and Naval Forces will become fully professional by end of 2006 |
| Cambodia |
conscription law of October 2006 requires all males between 18-30 to register for military service; 18-month service obligation |
| Cameroon |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; the government makes periodic calls for volunteers |
| Canada |
16-34 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise approximately 11% of Canada's armed forces |
| Cape Verde |
18 years of age (est.) for selective compulsory military service; 14-month conscript service obligation |
| Central African Republic |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation |
| Chile |
18-45 years of age for voluntary military service; service obligation - 12 months for Army, 22 months for Navy and Air Force |
| China |
18-22 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 18-22 years of age for women who meet requirements for specific military jobs |
| Congo, Republic of the |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; women allowed to serve |
| Croatia |
18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service; 6-month conscript service obligation; full conversion to professional military service by 2010 |
| Cuba |
17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation; both sexes subject to military service |
| Cyprus |
Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG): 18-50 years of age for compulsory military service for all Greek Cypriot males; 17 years of age for voluntary service; females are not conscripted; age of military eligibility 17 to 50; length of normal service is 25 months with a minimum of 3 months |
| Ecuador |
20 years of age for selective conscript military service; 12-month service obligation |
| Egypt |
18-30 years of age for male conscript military service; service obligation 12-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve obligation |
| El Salvador |
18 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; 12-month service obligation |
| Eritrea |
18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and compulsory military service; 16-month conscript service obligation |
| Estonia |
compulsory military service for men between 19 and 28; conscription lasts 11 months for junior NCOs and reserve platoon leaders; reserve officers and designated specialists have a different conscript service obligation; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men up to 2010 and, unlike Latvia and Lithuania, has no plan to transition to a contract armed forces; 17 years of age for volunteers; reserve commitment up to the age of 60 |
| Fiji |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; reserve obligation to age 45 |
| Guinea |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation |
| Guinea-Bissau |
18 years of age for selective compulsory military service |
| Hungary |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004; 6-month service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 50 |
| Indonesia |
18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 45 |
| Iraq |
18-40 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Italy |
18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch; 10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45 (Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) |
| Kuwait |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; reserve obligation to age 40 with 1 month annual training; women have served in police forces since 1999 |
| Laos |
15 years of age for compulsory military service; minimum 18-month conscript service obligation |
| Latvia |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life |
| Lithuania |
19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for volunteers; 12-month conscript service obligation |
| Madagascar |
18-50 years of age for compulsory military service; 18-month conscript service obligation (either military or equivalent civil service) |
| Mauritania |
18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 2 years; majority of servicemen believed to be volunteers; service in Air Force and Navy is voluntary |
| Moldova |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 12-month service obligation |
| Mongolia |
18-25 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5 percent) is comprised of contract soldiers; women cannot be deployed overseas for military operations |
| Mozambique |
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation |
| Niger |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation |
| Nigeria |
18 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Norway |
18-44 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age for women; 12-month service obligation, in practice shortened to 8 to 9 months; although all males between ages of 18 and 44 are liable for service, in practice they are seldom called to duty after age 30; reserve obligation to age 35-60; 16 years of age for volunteers to the Home Guard, who serve 6-month duty tours |
| Pakistan |
16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18; the Pakistani Air Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and sailors |
| Paraguay |
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy |
| Poland |
17 years of age for male compulsory military service after January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscript service obligation shortened from 12 to 9 months in 2005; by 2008, plans call for at least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for professional service; as of April 2004, women are only allowed to serve as officers and noncommissioned officers |
| Romania |
18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription officially ended October 2006; all military inductees (including women) contract for an initial 5-year term of service; subsequent voluntary service contracts are for successive 3-year terms until the age of 36 |
| Russia |
Russia has adopted a mixed conscript-contract force; 18-27 years of age; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; length of compulsory military service is 2 years; plans call for reduction in mandatory service to 18 months in 2007 and to 1 year by 2008; 30% of Russian army personnel were contract servicemen at the end of 2005; planning calls for volunteer servicemen to compose 70% of armed forces by 2010, with the remaining servicemen consisting of conscripts; as of November 2006, the Armed Forces had more than 60 units manned with contract personnel totaling over 78,000 contract privates and sergeants; 88 Ministry of Defense units have been designated as permanent readiness units and are expected to become all-volunteer by end 2007; these include most air force, naval, and nuclear arms units, as well as all airborne and naval infantry units, most motorized rifle brigades, and all special forces detachments |
| San Marino |
16-55 for voluntary service in Voluntary Military Force |
| Serbia and Montenegro |
peacetime service obligation begins at age 17 and lasts until age 60 for men and 50 for women; under a state of war or impending war, the obligation can begin at age 16 and be extended beyond 60 |
| Slovakia |
17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006; women are eligible to serve |
| Sudan |
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation |
| Sweden |
19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation: 7-15 months (Navy), 8-12 months (Air Force); after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age 47 |
| Tajikistan |
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation |
| Thailand |
21 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; 2-year conscript service obligation |
| Togo |
18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year service obligation |
| Tunisia |
20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Turkmenistan |
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation |
| United States |
18 years of age; 17 years of age with written parental consent |
| Vietnam |
18 years of age (male) for compulsory military service; females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (3 to 4 years in the navy); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Forces |
| Yemen |
voluntary military service program authorized in 2001; 2-year service obligation |
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