1. China
Military budget in 2015 in USD billions: 145.8
Compulsory Service Length
Men: 24 months
Women: None
The number one on our list of the strongest countries with compulsory military service, China has been desperately trying to close the technological gap between its armed forces and those of its neighbors for decades. In the recent years, as the number of sophisticated high tech equipment and weapons reaching the hands of an average People’s Liberation Army recruit has drastically increased, Chinese high-level officers have discovered the old military maxim, that the weapon is as good as the soldier who uses it. In an effort to increase the education level of the armed forces, China has introduced several amendments to its conscription laws, removing the stipulation that allowed university students to defer military service and raising the maximum age for recruitment to 24 years of age.
