Morocco officially restarts compulsory military service
Morocco on 7 February 2019 officially restored compulsory military service, despite complaints from some young people in the North African country.
King Mohammed VI gave ‘instructions that 10,000 conscripts be called to military service in the current year, before bringing this figure to 15,000 in the next year,’ a cabinet statement carried by the MAP agency said.
Moroccans aged between 19 and 25 are set to be called up for one year, according to the legislation that was unveiled in August, some 12 years after conscription was abolished. The first conscripts will be enrolled in Autumn 2019, government spokesman Mustapha Khalfi said.
Draft dodgers face penalties ranging from one month to a year in prison, but exemptions will be made for those who do not meet physical standards and for university students. Military service will be optional for women and dual nationals.
Conscripts will be paid between 1,050 dirhams ($108) and 2,000 dirhams net per month, according to Khalfi.
Moroccans are divided over the return of military service - some view it as gainful employment for youths left behind by development, others as a tool to blunt protest movements. The palace said its goal is to improve ‘integration in professional and social life’ for young people and boost their sense of citizenship.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
-
![How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces]()
How deepening AI usage can boost efficiency and maximise effects for forces
Saab has outlined how it is using artificial intelligence to make training more like electronic gaming, while the UK’s Power Size Technologies is applying the same technology to better evaluate and design vehicle capability, moving AI-enabled innovation further upstream from the frontline.
-
![From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)]()
From systems integrator to multi-domain solutions provider (video)
Philipp von Brandenstein, Head of Corporate Communications at Rheinmetall, explains how Eurosatory 2026 marked a new stage in the company's evolution.
-
![US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system]()
US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system
The US Department of Defense has requested new contracting authorities from Congress, using the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne programme to demonstrate how competition, digital engineering and closer industry collaboration could accelerate acquisitions.
-
![US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule]()
US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule
The US government plans to accelerate production even further after achieving key B61-13 milestones months ahead of schedule, as the programme advances amid growing US-China strategic competition.
