Hundreds of young Emiratis started registering for military service in special recruitment centers all over the country for the first time in history Monday.
“We are making history as we join the national service as the first exemplary batch, which is a big achievement and a matter of honor for us all,” one of the recruits, Ganem Al Junaibi told the Gulf News.
Registration for Emirati men is to last until July 17. Emirati women can also sign up for optional service from July 20 to July 24. Overall, some 7,000 Emiratis are to be called up for national military service by the beginning of September 2014.
National military service in the United Arab Emirates is to consist of military exercises and compulsory lectures on patriotism.
Chairman of the National Service, General Pilot Shaikh Ahmad Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, is sure the military service will help young Emiratis become responsible citizens.
“You will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built. Through military discipline, our youth will gain physical strength, endurance, knowledge, and spirit,” Gulf News quoted Al Nahyan as saying to the recruits.
UAE President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan approved the law introducing mandatory military service for all Emirati men aged 18-30 last month.
Emirati men who have finished secondary school are to undergo military training for nine months, while others are to serve for two years. National service for women is optional, and first they have to receive written permission from their parents or guardians.
Emirati men that fail to sign up for the service before they are 29 are to face a jail term of up to one year and a fine.
