Country report and updates: Belize

1 Conscription

conscription does not exist

Conscription has never existed since gaining independence in 1981.

Legislation allows for the introduction of conscription when voluntary enlistment fails to achieve the requisite number of recruits. This has never been the case as there are, in fact, more applications to join the armed forces than actually needed. [2]

recruitment

Minimum enlistment age is 18. [2]

2 Conscientious objection

There is no known legal provision for conscientious objection.

3 Desertion

No information available.

6 Annual statistics

The armed forces comprise 1,050 troops - about 0.46 percent of the population. [1]

Sources

[1] Institute for Strategic Studies 1997. Military Balance 1997/98. ISS, London. [2] US Library of Congress 1992. Belize - a country study. Area Handbooks, State Department, Washington DC.