Around The World In 80 Stripes

Although military service is common around the world, there are many different types… the most obvious difference being whether you are forced to undergo it or if it is voluntary.
Malaysia however has a military service program AND a totally different national service program, where it isn’t exactly commando training and this is what you came to this website to find out about. Our National Service is similar to the National Service of Korea and Singapore, though again there are many differences. In order to show you how different Program Khidmat Negara is from military service around the world, here are a few examples of countries so that you can understand a little bit more about military service.

Military Service: Military service refers to a citizen’s commitment to defend his or her country by serving in the armed forces. The military is often made up of several different branches, such as the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. Each branch specializes in a different type of defense. The Army fights battles on the ground, the Navy fights battles at sea, and the Air Force fights battles from the air.

United States: Although U.S. military service is voluntary, the government requires all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 26 to register for possible service. During national emergencies that require a rapid increase in military personnel, service becomes mandatory for the men who are chosen. Switzerland: Switzerland has no official armed forces. Instead, all male citizens between the ages of 20 and 50 are required to serve in the militia, or citizen army. Citizens go through 15 weeks of initial military training. They then attend a two to three week training camp every year after. If a citizen has physical conditions that prevent him from serving, he must pay a special tax.

Australia: In Australia, military service is entirely voluntary. Both men and women may enlist in the military. Although many other countries require citizens to be 18 years old, in Australia citizens as young as 16 are accepted into the armed forces.

Egypt: Egyptian men between the ages of 18 and 30 must serve their country for three years. Those with college degrees are only required to serve 18 months. Most Egyptian men serve in the armed forces, but some work as police officers or prison guards.

Chile: All Chilean men between the ages of 18 and 40 are eligible for military service, but only a fraction end up serving in the armed forces. The Chilean government also has a policy that at least 10 percent of those selected are illiterate citizens. These men are taught to read and write during their period of service.

Disclaimer: Information obtained from http://www.worldatlases.com/gi/cltr_MS.pdf (Ó NYSTROM Division of Herff Jones, Inc.)

Hey and closer to home, we have the Singaporean version of national service, Basic Military Training.

http://singaporearmystories.blogspot.com is the site for tales of singaporean national service, go check it out now and find out what it's like across the Causeway.