Latvia

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Military - Latvia:
Military branches	Latvian Republic Defense Force: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Spelki), Border Guard, Latvian Home Guard (Latvijas Zemessardze) (2007)

Military service age and obligation	19 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for volunteers; 12-month conscript service obligation; conscription to be abolished in 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life (2006)

Manpower available for military service	males age 19-49: 517,713 females age 19-49: 519,631 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service	males age 19-49: 361,098 females age 19-49: 422,913 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually	males age 18-49: 19,137 females age 19-49: 18,505 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures percent of gdp	1.2% (2005 est.)

Disputes international	Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to Latvian insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration referencing Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses; Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documentation in preparation; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EUs external border, Latvia must implement the strict Schengen border rules with Russia