Cambodia has begun its first military conscription training under a new law, with 5,000 young recruits starting a three-month course at a training school in Kampong Speu province. Prime Minister Hun Manet presided over the opening ceremony on Monday, 9 November, a date that coincides with Cambodia’s Independence Day and the anniversary of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

Who is being called up

Under the Law on Military Service, which came into force on 23 May 2026, Cambodian men aged between 18 and 25 must serve for 24 months, with a possible extension of up to six months in exceptional circumstances. Registration begins at 17, while service remains voluntary for women. The government has authorised 10,000 places for 2026, to be filled in two intakes of 5,000. The defence ministry said it received 14,646 volunteers, including 2,417 women, for the first year of the scheme.

The first intake will complete three months of instruction before being posted to units, the Royal Cambodian Army said. The ministry said conscripts receive a monthly allowance of 400,000 riel, along with meals, uniforms and equipment, and will train for six to eight hours a day under strict discipline. A second intake of 5,000 is expected to follow once the first course is under way.

Hun Manet described the law as a long-term strategy to strengthen human resources in national defence, according to the state news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse. The government has said it will continue recruiting volunteers each year, based on the needs of the armed forces. Further details are available from Voice of Nigeria.