Laos
15 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - minimum 18 months (2004)
Latvia
19 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript
service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers;
Latvia plans to phase out conscription, tentatively moving to an
all-professional force by 2007 (August 2004)
Lebanon
18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service; conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)
Lesotho
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Liberia
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
conscription (2001)
Libya
17 years of age (2004)
Lithuania
19-45 years of age for compulsory military service,
conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for
volunteers (2004)
Luxembourg
a 1967 law made the Army an all-volunteer force; 17 years
of age for voluntary military service; soldiers under 18 are not
deployed into combat or with peacekeeping missions (2004)
Macedonia
conscription to be phased out by 2007; current tour of
conscript duty is 6 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military
service (January 2005)
Madagascar
18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 18
months (2004)