Egypt army raises minimum height threshold for conscripts

The Egyptian Minister of Defence and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Mohamed Zaki, yesterday amended the medical fitness conditions for military service and grounds for disqualification from compulsory army service.

The most prominent amendment raised the minimum height restriction for conscripts to 160cm; it was previously 155cm. While volunteers with a chest circumference of less than 80 centimetres during exhalation are now exempt, the limit was previously 75cm.

Military service is mandatory in Egypt for males while the obligation lasts between one to three years, depending on the degree of education.

Exemption can occur for family reasons, including when an individual is an only son, is the only breadwinner, has brothers who have migrated and is supporting the family, has a brother already serving in the military, or has a father or brother who died while serving in the military.

Other family reasons may also be considered.

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