Bureau Européen de l'Objection de Conscience | Europäisches Büro für Kriegsdienstve
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United Kingdom
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Conscription currently imposed? |
No |
Conscription imposed 1916-1919 and again from 1939. Abolished 1960. Last conscripts demobilised 1963. |
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Conscientious objection first recognised |
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CO release of professional soldiers |
Regulations within each of the service branches cover the handling of applications for release. |
An “independent” Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objection - is the ultimate appeal tribunal, but has met only once this century and upheld the military decision. |
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Minimum recruitment age |
16 for voluntary service |
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Population |
Total |
% males 15-19 |
Thus approx. annual cohort reaching 18 |
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68,138,000 |
2.9 |
395,200 |
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Armed forces |
Total strength |
Of which conscripts |
Compared to annual cohort above |
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144,400 |
- |
36.5% |
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Military expenditure |
$ (% change from 2022) |
Per capita |
% of GDP |
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$59,990m (+16.9%) |
$1,106.4 |
2.3% |
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EBCO concerns
EBCO’s principal concern in the UK is that a large proportion of the voluntary military recruitment is of persons aged sixteen, a situation which was criticised in detail by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2023 (see Section 1.3.2 above).