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Switzerland - Military (Facts)

Military branches: Swiss Armed Forces: Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe); Switzerland has no navy, but maintains a fleet of military patrol boats to patrol Swiss borders (2006) Military service age and obligation: 19 years of age for compulsory military service; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; the Swiss Constitution states that 'every Swiss male is obliged to do military service'; every Swiss male has to serve for at least 260 days in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by seven 3-week intermittent recalls for training over the next 10 years; women are accepted on a voluntary basis but are not conscripted (2005) Manpower available for military service: males age 19-49: 1,707,694 females age 19-49: 1,662,099 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 1,375,889 females age 19-49: 1,342,945 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 46,319 females age 19-49: 43,829 (2005 est.)