A look at the countries where military service is compulsory for their citizens

On June 14, the government of India announced "Agnipath Scheme" for recruitment in all three services of the Indian armed forces.

This scheme gives the youth of India an opportunity to serve in the Indian armed forces for four years. After the completion of four years, 25% of them will be absorbed into the services permanently while the rest of the 75% of the "Agniveers" will make a skilled and disciplined workforce.

After the backlash and protest from across the country, the government of India in its clarification said that such short-term services exist in several countries.

There is no exact match to the Agnipath recruitment scheme available anywhere in the world. However, many countries have made military services compulsory for a certain period for their citizens.

Let's take a look at a few countries where military service has been made compulsory:

Israel

In Israel, military service is mandatory for both men and women. The minimum serving period for men in the defence is 3 years and for women is 2 years. This rule applies to all Israeli citizens.

In case of emergency or in situations of special circumstances, athletes may also have to serve in the defence for a short period.

South Korea

Military service for all men between the age of 18 and 28 in South Korea is compulsory for at least 21 months in the army, 23 months in the navy, and 24 months in the air force.

Apart from this, the young men also get a chance to work as a police coast guard, or in the fire service, or in some special cases serve in the government too.

But exemptions are made for athletes who have won a gold medal in the Olympics and Asian Games, and the ones who are unable to win gold are asked to serve in the army again.

North Korea

North Korea’s Army service has the longest compulsory serving period in the world. Conscription takes place at age 14 and the service starts at 17 and ends at 30. It’s compulsory for men to serve in the defense force for 11 years and for women this period is 7 years.

Russia

All men aged between 18 to 27 are conscripted for military service for a period of 12 months. However, the Russian constitution allows opting for a non-military form of national service if the man's “convictions or religious beliefs contradict military service

Eretria

In this African country, military training and national service are compulsory for all irrespective of gender. Men, women, and unmarried females are conscripted to serve the army for 18 months.

It is almost impossible for Eritreans, especially men and boys to avoid conscription.

Switzerland

The men from 18 to 34 years are conscripted to serve in the Swiss Army. The mandatory period of serving in the defense service is 21 weeks long. However additional training is given throughout adulthood and most commonly it amounts to six training periods of 19 days each.

For women, there is no compulsory law to join the army, but if they wish to volunteer and join the army, they can.

Brazil

As soon as the men in the country turn 18, they are sent for military training. This mandatory service period is for 10-12 months. Exemptions can be granted for health reasons. And if the young man is studying at a university, the service can be delayed.

Syria

Military service is compulsory for all Syrian men between the ages of 18 and 42. In March 2011, the tenure of service was changed from 21 months to 18 months.

Citizens, who work as government officials, can lose their job if they haven’t served their mandatory military service.

Georgia

One-year compulsory military service is mandated in Georgia in which 3 months of combat training is given and for the rest of the months, they work as a duty officer and help the professional army.

Lithuania

Men between 18-26 years of age have to serve in the military for one year in Lithuania. However single fathers and students studying in universities can be exempted from this rule.

Turkey

All men above the age of 20 to 41 years of age are mandated to serve in the army for 12 to 6 months.

Those pursuing higher education or vocational training are allowed to delay service until they have completed their studies.

Greece

Men between the ages of 19 and 45 are required by Greek law to perform military service. This applies to any individual whom the Greek authorities consider to be Greek, regardless of whether the individual considers himself Greek, has foreign citizenship and passport, or was born or lives outside of Greece.

Iran

All the men above the age of 18 are mandated to serve the army for a period of 24 months. Exceptions are made for those who cannot serve because of physical or mental health problems and disabilities, and students can delay service while enrolled at a university.