In which countries is military service mandatory in 2024?

One of the main characteristics of States is that they have to differentiate themselves from (and often take advantage of) others and, by doing so, often end up sending their citizens to war.

In today’s article we tell you which countries have mandatory military service and why.

We have divided this article into two parts: The first part consists of a basic comparison of the position of different countries regarding compulsory military service. We will look at each country individually to understand the terms and conditions of conscription. In this part of the article, we will try to show you what the current situation of conscription is from an international perspective, but keep in mind that regulations can change quickly.

The second part seeks to explain why the current circumstances in each country described in the first part are the way they are. We analyse the incentives and reasons behind recruitment policies, and how things might be if there were no conflict, no bloodshed, no families losing parents or children, and no shootings and bombings.

We still believe that freedom implies always taking a stand against conflict (especially if it is not even one’s own conflict, one individual with another), coercion, abuse, exploitation, corruption, state power dynamics, mistreatment, slavery, exploitation, repression, bribery, and so on.

Europe dusts off conscription?

In the current climate of international tension —a war in Ukraine that has dragged on beyond imagination and has already taken the form of a new Cold War, or the never-ending conflict between Israel and Palestine— concern for national defence has been gaining importance among the European countries, but how does this affect us? What does it really mean? Firstly, that the State is proving ineffective in responding to the main reason it tries to convince you of its existence: to guarantee your security —something it can never do as well as you can yourself, by the way.

In Germany, for example, a proposal to reinstate compulsory military service, inspired by the Swedish model, has already been put forward by the Executive. A few days before the European elections, we observe with great regret the course to which European countries are leading their citizens: a climate of insecurity in which echoes of the coming wars resound, the glorification of a liberticidal patriotism and, what is even more worrying, the acceptance by a large part of citizens of commitments to the State without there being a proportional compensation —how is it compensated to send you to the front to die and to kill? In Spain, parties such as Vox have already put forward proposals for the reestablishment of a compulsory military service —similar to those of the German Executive. European States feel defenceless against external aggression and want to reinforce their security by forcing citizens to serve in the army.

In other words: the attacking State claims that it must protect itself from foreign aggression by using you, who are legally and constantly under attack. They do not want to allow other aggressors to attack them, so they throw you and many others into the arena, as cannon fodder, and let you bleed to death while they enjoy some popcorn in the stands.

But the question is not whether there should be compulsory military service or not: the question is when the State will cease to exist and people will be allowed to live in peace and harmony without war and conflict.

Debates about compulsory military service try to find a “moral and ethical logic” in something that is intrinsically the most unethical and immoral thing you can imagine: the State. It is absolutely contradictory.

In the event of war, is it Emmanuel Macron or Ursula von der Leyen or Rishi Sunak who marches to the front and bleeds? Is it Joe Biden who drops the bombs? Is it Putin who shoots people with machine guns or pilots the tanks? Is it Schwab who attacks and razes cities to the ground? No, no and no: they enslave us to do it for them and provoke others to do it to us, when all we really want is to live our lives in peace.

It is time to accept that the State enslaves us and demands that we bow our heads, because either you let them plunder you and send you to the battlefield to die in their name or they will hunt you down to put you in jail.

From Denationalize.me we will continue to point out this kind of manipulations perpetrated by the State to use the individuals who are trapped in the country. And they will use big words like national security, and democracy, and collective responsibility; but do not fall for their deception: your life is not worth less than that of the general, the Prime Minister or any Head of State. Nor is your freedom.

We always insist —and we will not tire of repeating it as many times as necessary, with more force each time if necessary— on how important it is to leave your country of origin and obtain additional nationalities in order to be more independent and to guarantee yourself greater security against the dangers of the uncertain future.

A comparison of countries and their respective conditions

Below you will find an overview of the position that different countries around the world take on conscription. In this list you will find countries listed as NC (No Conscription), which means that they do not normally have mandatory military service, although the situation in these countries may change —especially in response to international or internal crises.

Country	Duration	Gender	Voluntary?	Alternatives	Exemptions	Age range	Governmental source
Albania	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-27 years old	Ministry of Defence Albania
Germany	NC	Men and women	Voluntary (since 2011)	Civilian service possible	Medical causes or conscientious objection	17-23 years	Federal Ministry of Defence
Andorra	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	No	18-55 years old	N/A
Angola	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	20-45 years	Ministry of Defence Angola
Antigua and Barbuda	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-45 years	N/A
Saudi Arabia	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Ministry of Defence of Saudi Arabian
Algeria	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	19-30 years	Ministry of National Defence Argelian
Argentina	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-24 years old	Ministry of Defence of Argentina
Armenia	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Armenia
Australia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-45 years	Australian Defence Force
Austria	6 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civil Service	Medical causes or conscientious objection	18-35 years old	Austrian Ministry of National Defence
Azerbaijan	18 s	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan
Bahamas	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF)
Bangladesh	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Bangladesh Armed Forces
Barbados	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Bahrain	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Bahrain Defence Forces
Belgium	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-34 years	Belgian Defence
Belize	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-55 years old	N/A
Benin	18 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Ministry of Defence Benin
Belarus	18 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus
Bolivia	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-22 years	Ministry of Defence Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-40 years old	Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Botswana Defence Force
Brazil	10-12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civil Service	Medical causes or conscientious objection	18-45 years	Ministry of Defence of Brazil
Brunei	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-40 years old	N/A
Bulgaria	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Bulgaria
Burkina Faso	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Ministry of Defence of Burkina Faso
Burundi	NC	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18 years	Ministry of National Defence and Veterans
Bhutan	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Cambodia	18 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Ministry of National Defence of Cambodia
Cameroon	12 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	Ministry of Defence of Cameroon
Canada	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-60 years old	Canadian Armed Forces
Qatar	4 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Ministry of Defence of Qatar
Chad	NC	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	20-30 years	Ministry of National Defence Chad
Chile	12 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-45 years	Ministry of National Defence of Chile
China	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-22 years	Ministry of National Defence of the People’s Republic of China
Cyprus	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-50 years	Ministry of Defence of Cyprus
Vatican City	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Colombia	18-24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-24 years old	Ministry of National Defence of Colombia
Comoros	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
North Korea	10 years	Men and women	Compulsory military service	No	No	17-27 years	N/A
South Korea	18-21 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes or conscientious objection	18-28 years	Ministry of National Defence South Korea
Ivory Coast	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Costa Rica	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	No	18-50 years	N/A
Croatia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia
Cuba	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	17-28 years	Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR)
Denmark	4-12 months	Men and women	Compulsory and voluntary military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-30 years	Danish Defence
Dominica	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-50 years	N/A
Ecuador	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-22 years	Ministry of National Defence of Ecuador
Egypt	18-36 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-30 years	Egyptian Armed Forces
El Salvador	12 months	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18 years	Ministry of National Defence of El Salvador
United Arab Emirates	12-16 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	UAE Ministry of Defence
Eritrea	18 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	No	No	18-40 years old	Ministry of Defence of Eritrea
Slovakia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic
Slovenia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Slovenia
Spain	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-29 years old	Spanish Ministry of Defence
United States	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	17-35 years old	U.S. Department of Defense
Estonia	8-11 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-27 years old	Estonian Defence Forces
Eswatini	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Philippines	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	Department of National Defence Philippines
Finland	6-12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civil Service	Medical causes or conscientious objection	18-29 years old	Finnish Defence Forces
Fiji	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-55 years old	N/A
France	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	17-40 years	French Ministry of Armed Forces
Gabon	18 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	20-35 years	Ministry of Defence of Gabon
Gambia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Georgia	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Georgia
Ghana	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-26 years	N/A
Great Britain	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	16-36 years	UK Ministry of Defence
Grenada	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Greece	9-12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	19-45 years	Hellenic National Defence General Staff
Guatemala	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-21 years	N/A
Guinea	18 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	Ministry of Defence of Guinea
Guinea-Bissau	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Guyana	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Haiti	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-50 years	N/A
Honduras	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Hungary	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Hungarian Defence Forces
India	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-42 years	Ministry of Defence of India
Indonesia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-48 years	Ministry of Defence of Indonesia
Iraq	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Ministry of Defence of Iraq
Iran	18-24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Ministry of Defence and Logistics of Iran
Ireland	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Irish Defence Forces
Iceland	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-60 years old	N/A
Marshall Islands	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-28 years	N/A
Solomon Islands	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Israel	24-32 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical or marital status reasons	18-26 years	Israel Defence Forces
Italy	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-45 years	Ministry of Defence of Italy
Jamaica	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-40 years old	N/A
Japan	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-32 years old	Ministry of Defence of Japan
Jordan	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Jordan Armed Forces
Kazakhstan	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan
Kenya	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-26 years	Kenya Armed Forces
Kyrgyzstan	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Kyrgyzstan
Kiribati	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Kosovo	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Kuwait	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Kuwait Ministry of Defence
Laos	18 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	Ministry of Defence of Laos
Lesotho	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Latvia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Latvian Ministry of Defence
Lebanon	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Lebanese Ministry of Defence
Liberia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Libya	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Liechtenstein	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-60 years old	N/A
Lithuania	9 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-38 years	Lithuanian Ministry of Defence
Luxembourg	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-28 years	Luxembourg Ministry of Defence
Madagascar	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Malaysia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Malaysian Ministry of Defence
Malawi	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Malawi Defense Forces
Maldives	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Mali	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-29 years old	N/A
Malta	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-55 years old	Malta Armed Forces
Morocco	12 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	19-25 years	Royal Moroccan Armed Forces
Mauritius	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Mauritania	NC	Men	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Mexico	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-40 years old	Mexican Secretariat of National Defence
Micronesia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Moldova	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Moldova
Monaco	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-50 years	N/A
Mongolia	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	Ministry of Defence of Mongolia
Montenegro	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Montenegro
Mozambique	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Myanmar	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Namibia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Namibian Defence Force
Nauru	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-50 years	N/A
Nepal	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-40 years old	N/A
Nicaragua	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Nicaraguan Army
Niger	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	Ministry of National Defence of Niger
Nigeria	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Nigerian Armed Forces
Norway	19 months	Men and women	Compulsory and voluntary military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	19-44 years old	Norwegian Armed Forces
New Zealand	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	17-55 years old	New Zealand Defence Force
Oman	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Ministry of Defence of Oman
The Netherlands	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	17-45 years	Dutch Ministry of Defence
Pakistan	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	16-23 years	Pakistan Armed Forces
Palau	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-40 years old	N/A
Panama	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Papua New Guinea	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-45 years	N/A
Paraguay	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	Ministry of National Defence Paraguay
Peru	12 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Poland	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-28 years	Polish Ministry of National Defence
Portugal	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Portuguese Ministry of Defence
United Kingdom	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	16-36 years	Ministry of Defence
Central African Republic	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Czech Republic	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-28 years	Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of Congo	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Dominican Republic	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-21 years	Ministry of Defence of the Dominican Republic
Rwanda	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Romania	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	20-35 years	Romanian Ministry of National Defence
Russia	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes or conscientious objection	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Samoa	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-45 years	N/A
St. Kitts and Nevis	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-50 years	N/A
San Marino	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-55 years old	N/A
Sint Maarten	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-50 years	N/A
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-55 years old	N/A
Saint Lucia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-50 years	N/A
São Tomé and Príncipe	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Senegal	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Serbia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Ministry of Defence of Serbia
Seychelles	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Sierra Leone	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Singapore	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-21 years	Ministry of Defence Singapore
Syria	18-24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes or conscientious objection	18-42 years	Syrian Ministry of Defence
Somalia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-40 years old	Ministry of Defence
Sri Lanka	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka
Swaziland (Eswatini)	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
South Africa	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-49 years	South African National Defence Force
Sudan	12-24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-33 years	Sudanese Armed Forces
South Sudan	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-40 years old	N/A
Sweden	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-47 years	Swedish Armed Forces
Switzerland	18-21 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	18-30 years	Swiss Armed Forces
Suriname	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Thailand	6-24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	21-30 years	Royal Thai Armed Forces
Taiwan	4 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-36 years	Ministry of Defence Taiwan
Tanzania	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	N/A
Tajikistan	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan
East Timor	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-35 years old	Ministry of Defence
Togo	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	N/A
Tonga	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-45 years	N/A
Trinidad and Tobago	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A
Tunisia	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes	20-35 years	Ministry of National Defence Tunisia
Turkmenistan	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Turkmenistan
Turkey	6-12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	Civilian service possible	Medical causes or conscientious objection	20-41 years	Minister of National Defence of Turkey
Tuvalu	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-45 years	N/A
Ukraine	18-24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
Uganda	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs Uganda
Uruguay	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-45 years	Ministry of National Defence Uruguay
Uzbekistan	12 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Uzbekistan
Vanuatu	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-40 years old	N/A
Venezuela	30 months	Men and women	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Ministry of the People’s Power for Defence of Venezuela
Vietnam	24 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Vietnam
Yemen	1-3 years	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-27 years	Ministry of Defence of Yemen
Djibouti	18 months	Men	Compulsory military service	No	Medical causes	18-25 years	Ministry of Defence of Djibouti
Zambia	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	Zambian Defence Force
Zimbabwe	NC	Men and women	Voluntary	No	Medical causes	18-30 years	N/A

 

Some countries have chosen not to maintain a standing army, whether for historical, political, or financial reasons:

• Andorra: Andorra depends on treaties with Spain and France for its defence.
• Bhutan: Bhutan has a small army, but relies heavily on military and defence assistance from India through a special Friendship Treaty.
• Costa Rica: Costa Rica abolished its army in 1959, and relies on police forces for internal security.
• Dominica: has no army of its own, and relies on regional security pacts such as the Regional Security System (RSS).
• Grenada: After the 1983 US invasion, its army was disbanded.
• Haiti: disbanded its army in the 1990s, but in recent years attempts have been made to reintroduce military units.
• Iceland: does not have its own army but, as a NATO member, is defended by other NATO countries.
• Kiribati: No standing army.
• Liechtenstein: has no army of its own. Its last military unit was disbanded in 1868.
• Marshall Islands: has no army of its own. Its defence is provided by the United States.
• Micronesia: Its defence is provided by the United States.
• Monaco: has a very small military presence, with mainly ceremonial functions.
• Nauru: has no army of its own. Its defence is provided by Australia.
• Palau: has no army of its own. It is defended by the United States.
• Panama: after the 1989 US invasion, disbanded its armed forces and replaced them with a national police force.
• Saint Lucia: has no army of its own. It is part of the Regional Security System.
• Vincent and the Grenadines: does not have its own army. It is part of the Regional Security System.
• Samoa: No standing army.
• San Marino: has some military units, but mainly for ceremonial purposes.
• Sao Tome and Principe: has no army of its own. Instead, defence is organised at the police level.
• Solomon Islands: no standing army. Police are responsible for national security.
• Tuvalu: has no army of its own. Depends on Australia and New Zealand for defence.
• Vanuatu: No standing army.
• Vatican City: has no army of its own, but is protected by the Pontifical Swiss Guard, which serves specifically to protect the Pope and the papal enclave within Rome.

As a general rule, Denationalize.me recommends emigration without “immigration”, i.e. becoming a Perpetual Tourist and not becoming a resident of any other country without sufficient strategic considerations. If you want to know how we can help you, please contact us or book a consultation with us.

There are cases in which emigration will not be enough

Some countries force you to do military service even if you have left the country and live somewhere else:

• Azerbaijan: Men aged 18-25 (12 months for university graduates) must fulfil military service. This also applies to those who live abroad and may be called up for service.
• Brazil: Brazilian men must register for compulsory military service at age 18, regardless of their residency status. Those living abroad must register at a consulate and may have to return for service.
• China: Chinese citizens, who are generally not actively conscripted for service while living abroad, must participate in military training, and are subject to conscription rules that could force them to serve if they return to China during conscription periods.
• Cyprus: Cypriot men must fulfil military service, even if they live abroad. Failure to do so may entail unpleasant legal consequences on their return.
• Colombia: Colombian law requires all male citizens to fulfil military obligations. Those living abroad are not exempt and must register with the consulate to determine how they will serve.
• South Korea: South Koreans must complete military service before emigrating. Failure to do so can lead to unpleasant legal consequences upon return.
• Denmark: Danish citizens, including those living abroad, are subject to compulsory military service. Those who qualify must either return to Denmark for conscription or contact the Danish authorities to clarify their status.
• Egypt: Egyptian citizens must perform military service before they can leave the country. Those who emigrate without prior authorisation may be obliged to serve on their return.
• Estonia: Men aged 18-27 must serve, including those living abroad —and are expected to return for service.
• Finland: Finnish men living abroad are still obliged to perform military service if they spend more than six months in Finland or return and settle in Finland.
• Greece: Men aged between 19 and 45 must serve, including those living abroad, unless they can prove that they have lived continuously outside Greece for enough years.
• Iran: All male Iranian citizens must perform military service, and those living abroad must return to Iran to perform military service or work with consular services to defer or arrange for their service.
• Israel: All citizens, including those living abroad, are subject to compulsory military service, with special guidelines for those who move or live abroad for long periods of time.
• Jordan: men aged 25-29 must perform military service for 12 months if they are unemployed, including those living abroad.
• Kuwait: Men between 18 and 35 must perform military service for 12 months – including those living abroad —and complete it or face legal consequences upon return.
• Lebanon: Lebanese are subject to compulsory military service, and those living abroad are subject too, which usually involves registration and possible service if they return to Lebanon.
• Norway: Norwegian citizens may be obliged to perform military service in the event of war, even if they live abroad.
• Russia: Russian men may be obliged to perform military service even if they live abroad. They may face sanctions if they return without having completed their service.
• Switzerland: Swiss men must do military service even if they live abroad. If they return without completing their service, they can be sentenced.
• Serbia: Serbian nationals are obliged to perform military service, regardless of their place of residence. Upon return, they must clarify their service status.
• Singapore: Singaporeans must complete military service before moving abroad on a long-term basis. Returning without having completed compulsory service can have unpleasant legal consequences.
• Turkey: Turkish citizens living abroad must complete their military service or obtain an exemption. Failure to do so may have legal consequences upon return to the country.
• Ukraine: Ukrainian citizens of enlistment age may be forced to return and perform military service in case of crisis.

The only solution in such cases is to renounce citizenship and invoke the flag theory to free yourself from any obligation to die for a group of politicians or to swear on a flag that is only there to wrap a coffin.

In our Citizenship Encyclopedia, as well as in our consultations, we explain how to do this in detail.

Given that your country is likely to allow you to obtain a second nationality, we believe it is worth preparing in advance for possible unpleasant scenarios and taking on a new citizenship.

The second part: State autonomy

Murray Rothbard wrote a book about State autonomy. We find it simply amazing the ability of this author’s words to remain relevant and topical no matter what era you read them in, without exception —even though Rothbard wrote this essay in 1974!

Rothbard argued that the natural tendency of a State is to war and conflict. Basically, the State fears war, but at the same time sees in it an opportunity to push the existing boundaries of its competences and thus gain more power. War can be lost, but it can also be won. Even political elections are small-scale wars. It is extremely important to understand how Sates relate to each other.

War and conflict are, unfortunately, a game that few people want to play. This is because people neither hate each other nor have the will to attack each other. The people are merely enduring the terrible consequences of the misguided actions of politicians, who only want more control and hegemony. Those who crave power also want to increase it more and more. The only way to increase one’s own power is to take it away from others… and that creates conflict.

It is then that the State speaks from on high: “in order for me to defend you, you have to give me more power. You must make me big so that I can protect you from your enemies. I must know who you talk to and where you travel, what you buy and from whom. There are evil countries that I cannot let you support. I am the only one who can defend you from tyrants who want to take away your freedom.” The State makes you believe that serving your country is an honourable thing to do (although in reality you are only serving a handful of self-interested politicians).

To make matters worse, the “new governments” are not obliged to respect previous peace treaties or agreements or to assume their consequences. The State fears its own demise. It has to defend itself against the end of its rule and the removal of those in power.

A State can come to an end or lose power 1) either by conquest (one State is swallowed up by another), 2) by revolution (which is a symbolic changing of the guard), as happened with the French Revolution, 3) because the State lacks funds and sufficient capacity to control and can no longer keep its citizens in line, 4) or because someone takes power and limits the influence of the State itself so that it becomes smaller and collapses from within. The latter option seems to be possible, but is certainly not common.

In general, rebelling against the State and fighting from within does not work and is not really feasible, except on an individual and private level —by becoming a perpetual tourist and leaving the system or simply going where you are best treated.

In any case, the greater the power of the State, the greater the risk and instability for you; and the lesser the freedom of those who live under its yoke.

Who is the State really defending —the population or itself? We do not need protection FROM the States, but protection FROM State abuses. How is it possible that no one is crying foul at this incoherence?

It makes no sense to give up our freedom and put it in the hands of a tyrant to protect us from other tyrants. It makes no sense at all. No one can protect us better than we can protect ourselves.

No one can protect us better than we can protect ourselves, and it is not understanding this that leads to war. It does not matter whether we are talking about the conflict between Putin and Ukraine, or between any States. The essence of the State is conflict: conflict and war are what nourish States.

It would be wonderful if we could help everyone to free themselves from the influence of the Sate, but this change cannot happen overnight. To help as many people as possible, we have to start by helping one person first, and keep going one at a time. The desire to be helped must naturally be there for our efforts to make sense.

This article is a step in that direction: a drop in the ocean aimed at enlightening people and showing them how they can be freer. Do not be fooled by any State – your life is yours, and no one has the right to endanger it but you!

The State and its spokespersons always talk about the “common good”, but in reality it is only about their personal advantage and the good of the State itself.

When a State feels it is in a stalemate, it reacts with a force that goes far beyond the means it uses to protect one individual from another. Wars are often nothing more than possible pretexts for countries to gain more power. We are free to protest now, but we will certainly not always be free to do it when the day comes.

We understand wars for what they are:

• They are literally an attack on freedom, free trade, natural rights, and people.
• They are a clear attack on property.
• They imply government by force and power.
• They are a myriad of lame excuses to justify horrible ethical crimes and disguise the filth of State hegemony.

Digression: immigration and extremist terrorism

When it is people attacking people… but is that really the case?

The issue of immigration and opening of borders has taken on a special connotation, especially in the context of the extremist racism and xenophobia prevalent in some European countries towards other nations.

The dilemma revolves around the welfare state in combination with open borders. An ideal solution would be the free movement of people, under free market conditions, including the right to bear arms and the freedom to discriminate, but without the burden of a comprehensive welfare state. A disarmed, submissive society willing to support anyone who puts itself in charge of the government while opening its doors to everyone does not sound very sustainable in the real world.

Many seek asylum because their home countries (or rather their governments) do not allow them to live the life they need. Disarming the population does not help to fight terrorism, but rather makes people more vulnerable to possible terrorist attacks.

The problem of immigration lies not in immigration per se, but in the existing policy framework, such as the welfare state, which does not necessarily attract the most motivated or capable individuals, as it offers support without demanding anything in return. Public opinion is divided on the question of whether we need a general restriction on entry to a country for fear of the presence of terrorists among immigrants.

Europe, for example, is facing a massive wave of immigration that is causing serious problems —rape, abuse, crime, and murder— partially caused by radical Islamic extremism. But the truth is that this development has not happened overnight. The question remains why a philosophy of violence and anti-rationalism has grown so much.

The answer does not lie in the trade and rationalism with which the West should have helped “develop” the Middle East. On the contrary: Western States have contributed to the destabilisation of the region with their financial and military support for conflicts, interventions, and bombings.

It is important to distinguish between the actions of governments and those of the population. Governments that promote conflict and extremism are at odds with the civilian population that suffers the consequences of these decisions. History teaches us that supporting conflict and intervening in foreign countries has often led to the instability of those nations and the rise to power of dangerous extremist groups.

Proxy wars and Islamic terrorism are complex consequences of interventions by global and regional powers, triggering unintended interactions. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in proxy wars in which they supported local factions during conflicts in third countries to extend their influence without engaging in direct conflict, often prolonging conflicts and undermining peace efforts.

European States have engaged in similar actions —with interventions in countries such as Libya— contributing to regional instability and the rise of extremism. US actions in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East have also inadvertently contributed to the emergence of terrorist groups such as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).

Government interference —especially through military interventionism and support for certain groups— has had unpleasant consequences, such as the rise of Islamic terrorism. What did they expect? Something good for a change? Historic interventions such as the Soviet-Afghan war, the invasion of Iraq and actions in Libya and Syria have destabilised entire regions and encouraged the growth and consolidation of jihadist groups.

Western support for authoritarian regimes and policies that isolate or punish third countries have often been counterproductive, and have encouraged the radicalisation of peoples. Economic policies that contribute to stagnation and marginalisation have also made populations more vulnerable to radicalisation, while colonial legacies have left lasting effects in colonial regions —also contributing to the outbreak of conflict and the rise of extremist ideologies.

The following is a list of conflicts that have been financed and supported by third States:

• Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989): The United States and its allies supported Afghan mujahideen fighters against Soviet intervention in the region.
• Invasion of Iraq (2003): a US-led coalition invaded Iraq, overthrew Saddam Hussein and had a significant impact on stability in the region.
• Libya (2011): NATO —led by the US, Britain and France— intervened in the Libyan civil war and contributed to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
• Syrian civil war (2011 to date): several countries intervened, including the following:
  • Russia and Iran, which supported the Assad regime.
  • The US, UK, France, and other Western and regional powers, which supported the diverse rebel groups to varying degrees.
• Yemen civil war (2015 to date): a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the US and UK has intervened against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

In other words, Islamic extremism would not exist if Western States did not interfere in the Middle East and fuel violence, war, conflict, and aggressions.

“It is in war that the State becomes truly great: it grows in power, in numbers, in pride, and in absolute domination of the economy and society” – Murray Rothbard

“The State thrives on war, expands and glorifies it… unless it is defeated and crushed”.