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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Chile
Index
Historically, the profession of military science has
been
regarded as an honorable one in Chile. The army and to an
even
greater extent the air force have traditionally drawn
their officer
corps from among the middle classes, with a large portion
coming
from military families. Social elitism has been a
traditional
characteristic only of the officer corps of the navy. In
1900
military service became compulsory for all fit male
citizens
between the ages of eighteen and forty-five.
Traditionally, only a
small proportion of those eligible would actually be
drafted for
one year of training in the army or air force or two years
in the
navy. The overwhelming majority of the approximately
30,000
conscripts selected annually would serve in the army. (Of
the
121,000 who registered in 1993, only 29,400 were drafted.)
Those
not specifically exempted from service would have their
names
inscribed in a military register. Traditional government
policy
also dictated that 10 percent of the annual conscript
intake should
consist of illiterate citizens, who would be taught to
read and
write during their period of military service. On
completion of
their period of training, conscripts are required to serve
in the
Active Reserve for a period of twelve years and then in
the Second
Reserve until the age of forty-five. However, apart from
the
skeleton cadres of the regular armed forces, no effective
reserve
organization appeared to exist.
The three armed forces all have female members, who
serve
voluntarily. They carry out subsidiary support functions,
such as
nursing and administrative work.
Military personnel are well fed and well housed. The
three
armed forces have an education program aimed at providing
enlisted
personnel with useful skills for their return to civilian
life. The
navy and air force have relatively high educational
requirements,
even for compulsory enlistment, and impart technical
skills to
their conscripts.
Data as of March 1994
Recruitment and Conditions of Service
Historically, the profession of military science has
been
regarded as an honorable one in Chile. The army and to an
even
greater extent the air force have traditionally drawn
their officer
corps from among the middle classes, with a large portion
coming
from military families. Social elitism has been a
traditional
characteristic only of the officer corps of the navy. In
1900
military service became compulsory for all fit male
citizens
between the ages of eighteen and forty-five.
Traditionally, only a
small proportion of those eligible would actually be
drafted for
one year of training in the army or air force or two years
in the
navy. The overwhelming majority of the approximately
30,000
conscripts selected annually would serve in the army. (Of
the
121,000 who registered in 1993, only 29,400 were drafted.)
Those
not specifically exempted from service would have their
names
inscribed in a military register. Traditional government
policy
also dictated that 10 percent of the annual conscript
intake should
consist of illiterate citizens, who would be taught to
read and
write during their period of military service. On
completion of
their period of training, conscripts are required to serve
in the
Active Reserve for a period of twelve years and then in
the Second
Reserve until the age of forty-five. However, apart from
the
skeleton cadres of the regular armed forces, no effective
reserve
organization appeared to exist.
The three armed forces all have female members, who
serve
voluntarily. They carry out subsidiary support functions,
such as
nursing and administrative work.
Military personnel are well fed and well housed. The
three
armed forces have an education program aimed at providing
enlisted
personnel with useful skills for their return to civilian
life. The
navy and air force have relatively high educational
requirements,
even for compulsory enlistment, and impart technical
skills to
their conscripts.
Data as of March 1994
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