Country report and updates: Trinidad and Tobago

1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Conscription has never existed since independence was achieved in 1962.

Compulsory military service existed while the country was part of the British Empire. [2]

recruitment

Legal minimum enlistment age for the armed forces (including the paramilitary Volunteer Defence Force) is 18. Enlistment is, however, possible at a younger age with the written consent of parents or legal guardians. [1]

Legislation allows for enlistment of under 18-year-olds in exceptional circumstances. [1]

2 Conscientious objection

There is no known legal provision for conscientious objection.

3 Desertion

No information available.

6 Annual statistics

The armed forces are 1,400-strong, which is 0.16 percent of the population. [3]

Sources

[1] Permanent mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations 1998. Response to a Quaker United Nations Office enquiry, Geneva, 13 February 1998. [2] Prasad, D., T. Smythe 1968. Conscription: a world survey, compulsory military service and resistance to it. War Resisters' International, London. [3] Institute for Strategic Studies 1997. Military Balance 1997/98. ISS, London.