Kuwait officially announced today that it will re-instate compulsory military training for males after age 18 . After undergoing an initial training, Kuwaiti males remain in the reserve forces until age 45. Conscripts will be required to undergo 30 days of military service every year until they turn 45.
The country suspended obligatory military service in 2001.
The law will be implemented in 2017 and citizens who evade being drafted face a two-year jail term.
Many Arab Gulf countries have started compulsory military enlisting recently, including the United Arab Emirates in 2014 .
In the case of Kuwait, lawmakers passed a non-binding recommendation to allow citizens who work in the private sector to be exempt. The Gulf country has been actively encouraging citizens to work in the private sector, spending KD 2.480 billion (around $8 billion) over the past 13 years. This money was distributed as incentive or allowance for citizens who work in the private sector.
Its efforts seem to have paid off, as in January 2015, the country reported an 18.5 percent increase of employees working in the private sector in the past five years.