Uzbekistan Digitizes Military Draft System, Cuts Red Tape

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan is overhauling its military draft system, automating registration for teenagers and stripping out bureaucratic layers that have long defined the conscription process.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has received proposals from the Defense Ministry to digitalize military registration and overhaul the functioning of medical and conscription commissions, state media reported Wednesday.

At the center of the reform is an automatic registration mechanism for males turning 16 who receive a national ID card. Under the proposal, their data would flow directly from the Interior Ministry's information system into defense records — eliminating the need for separate registration procedures that currently require in-person visits to defense offices.

The reforms also restructure the medical screening process. Physical examinations for conscripts would no longer be conducted at local defense department offices. Instead, they would be relocated to central multidisciplinary polyclinics in districts and cities — a shift that proponents say improves both accessibility and institutional independence.

Defense Minister Shuhrat Holmuhamedov framed the initiative as a transparency drive. "The implementation of these measures will increase the transparency of services provided, expand the use of digital solutions, and reduce excessive bureaucratic procedures in citizens' interactions with defense authorities," he said.

The proposals align with Mirziyoyev's broader "zero bureaucracy" governance doctrine, which has driven digitalization efforts across Uzbekistan's public sector in recent years — from tax administration to civil registry services.