ption (2004)

New Zealand
17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers
cannot be deployed until the age of 18 (2001)

Nicaragua
17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

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

Nigeria
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2006)

Norway
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of
age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age
for women; 16 years of age for volunteers to the Home Guard;
conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)

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

Pakistan
16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers
cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18; the Pakistani Air
Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and
sailors (2006)

Papua New Guinea
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

Paraguay
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24
months for Navy (2004)

Peru
18 years of age for compulsory military service (1999)

Philippines
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service (2001)

Poland
17 years of age for compulsory military service after January
1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary
military service; in 2005, Poland plans to shorten the length of
conscript service obligation from 12 to 9 months; by 2008, plans
call for at least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only
soldiers who have completed their conscript service are allowed to
volunteer for professional service; as of April 2004, women are only
allowed to serve as officers and noncommissioned officers (2004)

Portugal
18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory
military service was ended in 2004; women serve in the armed forces,
on naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some
combatant specialties (2005)

Qatar
18 years of age for voluntary military service; land forces
enlisted personnel are largely unprofessional foreign nationals
(2005)

Romania
all military inductees (including women) are volunteers who
contract for an initial five-year term of service; subsequent
voluntary service contracts are for successive three-year terms
until