On 20 November 2008, the President of Uzbekistan approved the decree “On Measures for Improvement of the Conditions for Passing Military Conscription in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan”. From 2009, the term will last twelve months as opposed to the previous 24 months, and the conscripts will be drafted only once a year. Among the major reasons for this decision is a willingness to depart from old Soviet standards that have proven inefficient and unneeded in the perspective of the state’s ongoing reformation. In light of ongoing reforms especially in the Military Service sector, the decree will supposedly bring more incentives to serve the term and create a dignified image of the Uzbek military service.

The issue was first raised in 2002, when President Islam Karimov addressed it during a Parliamentary session. He was then mainly concerned over how to make conscription service a prestigious activity and what should be done to avoid conscription evasions. It seems that a solution was found and approved this year – to cut the conscription service term.

Several explanations were given for this decision. The authorities referred to the positive experience of a shorter conscription term in such developed states as Germany, Denmark, Spain, Norway, Poland and Austria, where it does not exceed twelve months. As the text of the decree suggests “the current practice of drafting conscripts twice a year (in the spring and the autumn) is mainly dictated by the old Soviet system of drafting, when the conscription term constituted twenty four months”. Thus, besides the argument that the old system creates many problems, there is a clear message that Uzbekistan wants to depart from old Soviet practices.

It is further stated that a twelve month period is sufficient for conscripts to learn the basics of military service. Moreover, the authorities assume that this should be the right period of time for a young man to decide his life path. Another major advantage of shortening the term is blurring the line between “new conscripts” and “old conscripts”. Violence against younger conscripts is one of the biggest problems in the armies of most post-Soviet states and a term of one year will remove this division.

In line with the abovementioned stimulators to serve in the army, the conscripts’ official salaries will be doubled. Furthermore, the decree suggests conscripts will now be drafted based on the system of competitive selection that “will ensure transparency and effectiveness of public control” of the drafting commissions. The commissions shall include representatives of local state authorities, of the public, of the social youth movement “Kamolot”, of the Women’s Committee, and of the “Nuroniy” and “Makhalla” funds.

No doubt, the decree constitutes a major step in the large-scale reformation of Uzbekistan’s conscription drafting system that has been ongoing for several years now. By addressing issues of major concern for the conscripts, the plan will probably be successful in reducing the number of conscription evasion cases. In the short term, selectivity and good conscript wages might even make it prestigious to be a conscript in Uzbekistan. Interestingly enough, the decree does not give a concrete explanation for how conscript drafting will be performed within the new system. If a competitive selection scheme is adopted, this raises questions concerning both the criteria for selection and ensuring that enough young men will apply. In fact, the whole process of conscription drafting becomes unclear.

However, there is another factor of high importance for young men in Uzbekistan. As in many other countries of the world, conscription is mandatory for everyone who aims to have a serious career in government. Thus, representatives of certain groups in society are more interested in being drafted than others. It would be wrong to assume that from now on only those who aim for careers in government will become conscripts, but still this may well be the case. Thus, instead of bringing transparency and public control, the system actually leaves many aspects of conscription unclear.

Hopefully the decree will become more effective in the future and provide the necessary conditions for young men in Uzbekistan to consider serving a term in the Uzbek army as an honor. A shorter term of service and any payment for it would ultimately make it attractive to a bigger number of potential conscripts.