From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmilitary serviceˌmilitary ˈservice noun [uncountable] PMthe system in which every adult, or every male adult, in a country has to spend a period of time in the army, navy, or air force → draft More and more men are refusing to do military service.
Examples from the Corpus
military service• Franken also avoided military service with student deferments while at Harvard and, ultimately, a high lottery number.• He had one dose of diphtheria vaccine during military service in 1970.• Simply comparing the incomes of those experiencing military service with those who did not will not do.• Why had Hencke been exempted from military service?• It is true that the archbishop's lands were already overstocked with knights in relation to the military service due from them.• They will consider introducing exemptions from or alternatives to military service. 29.• Armed forces: No standing army since 1868; citizens under 60 liable to military service in emergency.do military service• But she broke off the engagement when he went home to do military service.• Recently 771 conscripts publicly announced their refusal to do military service as part of a national defiance campaign by the anti-apartheid community. 