no conscription (2001)

Liberia
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2001)

Libya
17 years of age (2004)

Lithuania
19-45 years of age for compulsory military service,
conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for
volunteers (2004)

Luxembourg
a 1967 law made the Army an all-volunteer force; 17 years
of age for voluntary military service; soldiers under 18 are not
deployed into combat or with peacekeeping missions (2004)

Macedonia
conscription to be phased out by 2007; current tour of
conscript duty is six months; 18 years of age for voluntary military
service (2005)

Madagascar
18-50 years of age; conscript service obligation - 18
months (either military or equivalent civil service) (2004)

Malawi
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2001)

Malaysia
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)

Maldives
18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Mali
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;
conscript service obligation - two years (2004)

Malta
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2001)

Mauritania
18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation -
two years; majority of servicemen believed to be volunteers; service
in Air Force and Navy is voluntary (April 2005)

Mexico
18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript
service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for
voluntary enlistment (2004)

Moldova
18 years of age for compulsory military service; national
service obligation - 12 months (2004)

Mongolia
18-25 years of age for compulsory military service;
conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense
forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5
percent) is comprised of contract soldiers; women cannot be deployed
overseas for military operations (2006)

Montenegro
compulsory national military service abolished August 2006

Morocco
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)

Namibia
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Nepal
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Netherlands
20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)

Netherlands Antilles
16 years of age for National Guard recruitment;
no conscri