When will Turkey do away with forced conscription?

Military service is compulsory for all healthy men in Turkey and the length of service depends on one's level of education as well as the military's needs. Currently, university graduates with a four-year degree serve either for six months as a private or a year as a second lieutenant, depending on what is needed, while those who do not have a four-year bachelor's degree are obliged to fulfill 15 months of military service.

It is also worth noting that Turkey does not recognize the right to conscientious objection to military service and it still criminalizes it.

Debates over the duration of compulsory military service in Turkey are back on the agenda after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced last week that the length of service might be reduced to 12 months from 15 months. Days after his announcement, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) also made a statement, voicing support for the plans. Yet there was one statement that was able to grab my attention most. Commenting on the latest discussions, European Union Affairs Minister and chief negotiator Egemen Bağış said on Friday that Turkey may even consider totally abolishing compulsory military service “in the long run,” thus switching to a professional army. According to Bağış, shortening the duration of service in accordance with the needs of the military may be a precursor for such a move. “As long as such a peaceful environment persists, a switch to a professional army and abolishment of compulsory conscription may be considered in the long run,” Bağış said.

He was apparently referring to the state of no clashes between the Turkish military and the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging a war against the Turkish state for decades. It is promising to hear even the possibility of doing away with compulsory conscription from a minister. Yet I am not sure it would be correct to link a persistent no-terror situation to taking such a step. On the contrary, abolishing compulsory military service and creating a professional army would contribute a lot to Turkey's recent efforts to settle the long-standing Kurdish conflict. Undoubtedly government would draw a nationalist backlash if it announced such plans today on the grounds that abolishing forced conscription would weaken Turkey's capability to fight against the PKK. However, it would be more meaningful to create an army of professional soldiers instead of forcing your men to join the army whether you are fighting or at peace with any terrorist group.

The fact that thoughts over getting rid of compulsory military service were voiced by a minister in charge of European Union affairs should have some implications as such a move would be in line with a trend among EU countries to abolish the draft. As an EU-aspirant country taking gradual steps towards democratization, Turkey also deserves comprehensive debates on the issue of compulsory conscription, instead of focusing on whether its duration will be shortened or on whether men should be allowed to pay a certain fee in lieu of performing compulsory military service. And Turkey should take its place among the growing majority of European Union countries that have already done away with forced conscription.