On Tuesday March 14, President Emomali Rahmon signed a decree on drafting young Tajiks into the country’s armed forces from April through May 2017, the Tajik president’s official website reports.

The draft affects able-bodied male citizens in the age bracket of 18 years old to 27 years old, who are not members of the armed forces reserve.  The same decree provides for the retirement from active duty of soldiers and sergeants whose service under conscription is over.

The Ministry of Health is tasked to provide specialists from medical facilities of Dushanbe to make medical examination of conscripts for the districts subordinate to the center.

According to the Ministry of Defense (MoD), every year, some 15,000-16,000 young Tajik men are drafted into the country’s armed forces.  The two-month-long effort seeking to enlist young men aged 18-27 for the two-year compulsory military service takes place twice a year, in the spring and in the autumn.

Young Tajiks can avoid or postpone military service if they are ill, studying at university, an only son, or if they have two children.

Tajikistan’s National Army now consists of Air and Air Defense Forces, Land Forces and Mobile Forces.  The Mobile Force of Tajik Army was founded in 2005 without increase in a total strength of the country’s armed forces.  Air and Air-Defense Forces were also united in 2005.  Tajikistan’s armed forces also include National Guard and Security Forces (internal and border troops).

Unlike the other former Soviet states of Central Asia, Tajikistan did not form armed forces based upon former Soviet units on its territory.  Instead, the Russian Ministry of Defense took control of the Dushanbe-based 201st Motor Rifle Division; actually control simply shifted from the former district headquarters in Tashkent (now-independent Uzbekistan) to Moscow.