National Service in the world
Posted by KaMaRaZaMaN on May 20, 2009
TERMS:
National Service
Conscription
Alternative Service
National Youth Service
MALAYSIA
The Malaysian National Service, or Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN), is Malaysia’s national service program. The conscripts are 17-year-old youths that are selectively drafted. The three-month program, which started in December 2003, began as way to encourage friendship between youth of certain ages with different races and ethnic groups and address concerns that the country’s various races were becoming increasingly isolated from one another.
Objectives of the PLKN
- Develop a young generation who are patriotic and with love for their country
- Enhance unity among the multi-racial communities in the country
- Instill a spirit of caring and volunteerism among society
- Produce an active, intelligent and confident generation
- Develop positive characteristics among the younger generation through good values
- Develop a generation that will always obey the current government (Nationalism)
Ranks in the National Service
Ranks are also given to trainees (wira and wirawatis) who deserve them. However, the ranking system seem to defer from camp to camp according to camp commandants. According to opinions of ex-trainees all ranks should be marginalized to avoid confusion when trainees of various camps meet. Trainees with ranks are sometimes referred through their rank names or sometimes by term S.Escort or Squad Escort.
Among the ranks available are:
- Penghulu-The leader of all trainees in the camp. (Also referred as Ketua Pelatih(KP)-Has 4 stripes-
- Penghulu Assistant-There are normally 2 in a camp. -Has 3 stripes-
- Company Commander-One for each company (Alpha,Bravo,Charlie and Delta) -Has 2 Stripes-
- Platoon Commander-Some camps don’t use platoon systems so this rank is given to the CC’s assistant -Has 1 stripe
In certain camps the rank holders are referred as Lance Corporal (1 stripe), Corporal (2 stripes) and Sergeant (3 stripes)
Other ranks: The stripes in this ranks varies from camp to camp and not all camps have the following officers.
- Public Relations Officer-Normally one for each camp
- Religious Affairs Officer-Normally one for every major religion in the camp
- Quarter Master-Normally one for each camp
- Sports and Recreation Officer-Normally one for each camp
- Dorm Administrator-One for each dorm
- Logistics Personnel-One for each camp, responsible of booking items from logisitcs and filing complaints about logistic services
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_National_Service , extracted on 20 May 2009
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SINGAPORE
National Service (NS) is the name given to the compulsory conscription in Singapore of all male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents upon reaching the age of 18. They serve a two-year period as Full Time National Servicemen (NSFs) in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF), or the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
When a conscript completes his full time service, he is considered to be “operationally ready”, and is thereafter known as an Operationally-Ready National Serviceman (NSman). NSmen are the equivalent of other militaries’ reservists. The difference in nomenclature is because the term Operationally-Ready National Servicemen conveys more importance than reservists and in the event of the breakout of war in Singapore, these NSmen will form the bulk of the defending forces under the SAF.
On an annual basis, NSmen go through either a high key training or a low key training until they reach the age of 40 or 50 depending on their rank. ‘High-key’ or intensive training involves operations and In-Camp Training (ICT), which last for seven days or longer. ‘Low-key’ training refers to a training duration of six days or less.
The overwhelming majority of conscripts serve in the Army, as part of the SAF. The reasons for this phenomenon include the relative manpower needs of the Army, compared with the other armed services, the SPF, and SCDF. Also, compared with the Army, the Air Force and Navy are smaller services composed primarily of regular servicemen. As their manpower needs tend to be more specialized, a constant turnover of staff would be very disruptive.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service_in_Singapore
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ISRAEL
Sherut Leumi (Hebrew: שירות לאומי, lit. National Service) is an alternative voluntary national service in Israel for those that cannot or do not wish to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. The majority are Jewish females who receive an exemption from the obligatory army service by declaring religious observance, but there are also a small number of males who serve in Sherut Leumi. Volunteers are between the ages of 18 and 21. Sherut Leumi gives young women (and occasionally young men) exposure to a number of environments in Israeli society. Service typically requires working 30-40 hours/week over 12 to 24 months. Volunteers have the option of doing either one or two years of the National Service. Not all volunteers are Israeli citizens. It can be done on a tourist visa, and the volunteer will later receive a special volunteer visa that lasts as long as the person will be doing their service.
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_National_Service
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The Selective Service System serves at least two purposes. It is the means by which the United States administers military conscription. It entails registering all males between the ages of 18 to 25[1] with the system for the purpose of having information available about potential soldiers in the event of war. Registration for Selective Service is also required by certain U.S. departments, before one’s application for employment may be considered.
The United States abandoned the draft in 1973 under President Richard Nixon.
The Selective Service registration requirement was briefly cancelled in 1975 under President Gerald Ford, and then was re-instated in 1980 under President Jimmy Carter. Today the Selective Service System remains as a contingency, should a military draft be re-introduced.
| WHO MUST REGISTER |
Almost all male U.S. citizens, and male aliens living in the U.S., who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service. It’s important to know that even though he is registered, a man will not automatically be inducted into the military. In a crisis requiring a draft, men would be called in sequence determined by random lottery number and year of birth. Then, they would be examined for mental, physical and moral fitness by the military before being deferred or exempted from military service or inducted into the Armed Forces.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System
http://www.sss.gov/FSwho.htm
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UNITED KINGDOM
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SOUTH KOREA
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (hangul: 대한민국 국군; hanja: 大韓民國 國軍; Revised Romanization: Daehanminguk Gukgun) or ROK Armed Forces, is the armed forces of South Korea. It consists of the following branches:
- Republic of Korea Army (대한민국 육군; 大韓民國 陸軍)
- Republic of Korea Navy (대한민국 해군; 大韓民國 海軍)
- Republic of Korea Marine Corps (대한민국 해병대; 大韓民國 海兵隊)
- Republic of Korea Air Force (대한민국 공군; 大韓民國 空軍)
There is also:
- Republic of Korea Reserve Forces (대한민국 예비군; 大韓民國 豫備軍)
Created in 1948, following the division of the Korean Peninsula by occupying Soviet and U.S. forces, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces is one of the largest standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of 3,695,000 in 2008 (655,000 active force and 3,040,000 regular reserve).[1]
The ROK military forces are responsible for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the republic, but often engage in humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts nation wide. More recently the ROK military began increasing its participation in international affairs, acknowledging its role and responsibility as the tenth economic power in the world in terms of GDP. The ROK military has participated in various peacekeeping operations, and counter-terrorism operations.
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_South_Korea
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TAIWAN
Conscription remains universal for qualified males reaching age eighteen, but as a part of the reduction effort many are given the opportunity to fulfill their draft requirement through alternative service and are redirected to government agencies or defense related industries. Current plans call for a transition to a predominantly professional army over the next decade. Conscription periods will decrease by two months each year, with a final result of three months.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China
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CHINA
Conscription has existed in theory since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949; however, because of China’s huge population and therefore the large number of individuals who volunteer to join the regular armed forces, a draft has never been enforced.
Conscription is enshrined in Article 55 of the Constitution, which states: “It is a sacred duty of every citizen of the People’s Republic of China to defend his or her motherland and resist invasion. It is an honoured obligation of the citizens of the People’s Republic of China to perform military service and to join the militia forces.” [2]
The present legal basis of conscription is the 1984 Military Service Law, which describes military service as a duty for “all citizens without distinction of race (…) and religious creed.” This law has not been amended since it came into effect. [1] [4]
Military service is normally performed in the regular armed forces, but the 1984 law does allow for conscription into the reserve forces.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_service#China_.28PRC.29
