st
Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Military
Singapore

Military branches:

Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense)
(2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-21 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of
age for volunteers; 2-year conscript service obligation, with a
reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,277,862 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,038,603 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 27,742
female: 26,325 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues
Singapore

Disputes - international:

disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to
Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works, bridge
construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore
Straits; in November 2007, the ICJ will hold public hearings as a
consequence of the Memorials and Countermemorials filed by the
parties in 2003 and 2005 over sovereignty of Pedra Branca
Island/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge; Indonesia and
Singapore continue to work on finalization of their 1973 maritime
boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Indonesia's
Batam Island; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

Illicit drugs:

drug abuse limited because of aggressive law enforcement efforts; as
a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is
vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for
money laundering

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Slovakia

Introduction
Slovakia

Background:

The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World
War I allowed the Slovaks to join the closely related Czechs to form
Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia
became a Communist nation within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe.
Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more
became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate
peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU
in the spring of 2004.

Geography
Slovakia

Location:

Central Europe, south of Poland

Ge