Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such as Israel, require a specific amount of military service from every citizen, except for special cases, such as limitation determined by a military physical or religious belief. Most countries that use conscription systems only conscript men; a few countries also conscript women. For example, Norway, Sweden, North Korea, Israel, and Eritrea conscript both men and women. Currently, four countries conscript women and men on the same formal conditions: Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands (in the latter conscription is suspended during peacetime). Some nations with conscription systems do not enforce them. Nations which conscript for military service typically also rely on citizens choosing to join the armed forces as a career. Some nations with armed forces do not conscript their personnel (e.g. most NATO and European Union states). Instead, they promote military careers to attract and select recruits; see military recruitment. Some, usually smaller, nations have no armed forces at all or rely on an armed domestic security force (e.g. police, coast guard).
World summary In this summary, 195 countries are included.
No enforced conscription The following 106 countries and territories have been identified as having no enforced conscription:
Both compulsory and voluntary The following countries and regions have been identified as having both compulsory and voluntary military service:
Selective conscription The following 13 countries have been identified as having selective conscription:
Civilian, unarmed or non-combatant service option The following fifteen countries have been identified as having a civilian, unarmed or non-combatant service optional alternative to compulsory military service:
Compulsory for both genders
Limited to 1 year or less The following twenty-five countries have been identified as having compulsory military service limited to 1 year or less:
Limited to 18 months The following 11 countries have been identified to having compulsory military service limited to 18 months or less:
Longer than 18 months The following 25 countries have been identified as having compulsory military service terms longer than 18 months:
No defense force
The following 21 countries have been identified as having no defense forces or as having no standing army but having very limited military forces:
* Countries having no standing army, but having very limited military forces.
By country
Non-mandatory Compulsory military service has declined considerably since 1970. A 2016 study finds "that the probability of a shorter military service time is positively associated with smaller country populations, smaller lagged army sizes, increases in primary schooling among young males, and having common law legal origins."
Albania Albania had compulsory military service. Albania's armed forces announced an objective to create a professional army by the end of 2010.
Argentina
Argentina suspended military conscription in 1995 and replaced it with a voluntary military service, yet those already in service had to finish their time in service. This came as a result of political and social distrust of the military, dwindling budgets which forced the military to induct fewer conscripts every year, the experience of the 1982 Falklands War which proved the superiority of professional servicemen over conscripts and a series of conscription-related brutality scandals which came to a head with the murder of Private Omar Carrasco at an Army base in 1994, following a brutal disciplinary action. Military conscription has not been abolished; the Mandatory Military Service Law is still in the books and might be enforced in times of war, crisis or national emergency. Conscription was known in Argentina as la colimba. The word colimba is a composite word made from the initial syllables of the verbs correr (to run), limpiar (to clean) and barrer (to sweep), as it was perceived that all a conscript did during service was running, cleaning and sweeping. Conscripts themselves were known and referred to as "colimbas".
Australia
Australians participated in the Second Boer War (1899–1902) as volunteer forces. Two conscription referendums were defeated during World War I, and military service during WWI was voluntary (First Australian Imperial Force). Military service was initially voluntary in World War II (Second Australian Imperial Force). Volunteer militia units (part-time civilian soldiers) were to be used only within the Commonwealth of Australia. In 1942, some militia units were deployed to Papua New Guinea, as it was considered part of Australia at that time, to fight the advancing and later withdrawing Japanese invasion army. Various levels of conscription (National Service) were in force during the 1950s, but only for service in Australia during times of conflict. In 1964, compulsory national service for 20-year-old males was introduced under the National Service Act 1964. Australian troops were later deployed in the Vietnam War, with over 500 men killed in action and thousands wounded in action. The Vietnam War was lost on 1 May 1975, over three years after the Australian Defence Force withdrew in late 1971. All forms of conscription were abolished by the Whitlam government in later 1972. Conscription can be reactivated at any time should war break out; first upon mere declaration by the Governor General, followed by final approval 90 days later as a retrospective action by parliament. The defense act of 1903 clearly states this.
Barbados Barbados has no conscription. The country has set the minimum age for voluntary recruitment into the Barbados Defence Force at 18. Younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent.
Belgium Belgium suspended conscription on 31 December 1992 by amending the 1962 Law on Conscription, which became applicable only to conscripts drafted in 1993 and earlier. In practice this meant that the law no longer applied to those born in 1975 and later. Since 1 March 1995 the Belgian armed forces consist of professional volunteers only.
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