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Historical Values
Year Value
2005 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
2006 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
2007 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
2008 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
2009 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
2010 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
2011 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
2012 18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)
2013 17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
2014 17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
2015 17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
2016 17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
2017 17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
2018 17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
2019 17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
2020 17 1/2 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
2021 no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent; 18-28 for the reserves); since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 1-year of service, soldiers can continue on with JDF or seek other opportunities with law enforcement (2021)
2022 no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent); 18-28 for the reserves; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 12 months of service, soldiers can continue on with the JDF or seek other opportunities with other government agencies (2022)
2023 no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent) for men and women; 18-28 for the reserves; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 12 months of service, soldiers can continue on with the JDF or seek other opportunities with other government agencies (2023) note: as of
2024 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent) for men and women; 18-28 for the reserves; no conscription; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC), which has a service requirement of 12 months (2024) note: as of 2022, women made up about 20% of the JDF's uniformed personnel
2025 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent) for men and women; 18-28 for the reserves; no conscription; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC), which has a service requirement of 12 months (2025) note 1: the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF), a youth organization under the Ministry of Security, also provides a recruitment pool for the JDF, as well as other government agencies note