Turkish Parliament Votes To Reduce Conscription To 6 Months - Reports

The parliament of Turkey voted on Tuesday to reduce mandatory military service from 12 to six months, local media reported

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2019) The parliament of Turkey voted on Tuesday to reduce mandatory military service from 12 to six months, local media reported.

The bill, adopted in a 335-17 vote with two abstentions, halves the 12-month mandatory conscription, but allows for its voluntary extension for up to six more months of paid service, the Daily Sabah newspaper reported.

The new model could become particularly useful for Turkish nationals living abroad and willing to avoid a long-term conscription, the news outlet added.

More than 100,000 Turkish soldiers are expected to be discharged early upon completing six months of service, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ratifies the new conscription law.

The Turkish Armed Forces are known to be the second largest in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after the United States.