Volunteer military

A volunteer military or all-volunteer military is one which derives its manpower from volunteers or as a voluntary occupation, rather than conscription or mandatory service. A country may offer attractive pay and benefits through military recruitment to attract potential recruits. Many countries with volunteer militaries reserve the right to renew conscription in the event of an emergency.

The Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, in 2010 the army had a strength of 1,129,900 active personnel and 960,000 reserve personnel

In recent decades, the trend among numerous countries has been to move from conscription to all-volunteer military forces. One significant example is in France, which has historically been the first to introduce modern conscription and whose model was followed by many other countries in Europe and elsewhere around the world.

Volunteer military

Afghanistan  Albania  Antigua and Barbuda  Argentina  Australia  Bahamas  Bahrain  Bangladesh  Barbados  Belgium  Belize  Bhutan  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Botswana  Brunei  Bulgaria  Burundi  Cameroon  Canada  China (de facto, conscription not enforced)  Comoros  Congo  Croatia  Czech Republic  Democratic Republic of the Congo  Djibouti  Dominican Republic  Ecuador  Ethiopia  Fiji  France  Gabon  Gambia  Ghana

Germany  Guyana  Honduras  Hungary  India  Indonesia  Iraq  Ireland  Italy  Jamaica  Japan  Jordan  Kenya  Latvia  Lebanon  Lesotho  Liberia  Luxembourg  Madagascar  Malawi  Maldives  Malta  Malaysia  Morocco  Montenegro  Namibia    Nepal  Netherlands  New Zealand  Nicaragua  Nigeria  North Macedonia  Oman

Pakistan  Papua New Guinea  Peru  Philippines  Poland  Portugal  Qatar  Romania  Rwanda  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saudi Arabia  Serbia  Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Slovakia  Slovenia  South Africa  Spain  Sri Lanka  Suriname  Swaziland  Tanzania  Timor-Leste  Tonga  Trinidad and Tobago  Uganda  United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom  United States of America  Uruguay  Zambia

See also

• Conscription
• Mercenaries
• Military service
• Military volunteer
• United States Volunteers
• Volunteer Force (Great Britain)

Further reading

• Greenberg, Greg A.; Rosenheck, Robert A.; Desai, Rani A. (2007-04-01). "Risk of Incarceration among Male Veterans and Nonveterans". Armed Forces & Society. 33 (3): 337–350. doi:10.1177/0095327x06296585. ISSN 0095-327X.
• Gilroy, Curtis L.; Phillips, Robert L.; Blair, John D. (1990-04-01). "The All-Volunteer Army: Fifteen Years Later". Armed Forces & Society. 16 (3): 329–350. doi:10.1177/0095327x9001600302. ISSN 0095-327X.
• Snyder, William P. (1984-04-01). "Officer Recruitment For the All-Volunteer Force: Trends and Prospects". Armed Forces & Society. 10 (3): 401–425. doi:10.1177/0095327x8401000304. ISSN 0095-327X.
• Bachman, Jerald G.; Blair, John D. (1975-10-01). ""Citizen Force" or "Career Force"?" (PDF). Armed Forces & Society. 2 (1): 81–96. doi:10.1177/0095327x7500200106. ISSN 0095-327X.
• McNown, Robert F.; Udis, Bernard; Ash, Colin (1980-10-01). "Economic Analysis of the All-Volunteer Force". Armed Forces & Society. 7 (1): 113–132. doi:10.1177/0095327x8000700107. ISSN 0095-327X.
• Janowitz, Morris; Moskos, Charles C. (1979-01-01). "Five Years of the All-Volunteer Force: 1973-1978". Armed Forces & Society. 5 (2): 171–218. doi:10.1177/0095327x7900500201. ISSN 0095-327X.