sentences:  Since the military region commanders report directly to the President the office of Defense Minister is largely ceremonial.Given the frequent border conflicts between Eritrea and its neighbors, the army's numbers have always been maintained through conscription with the proclamation on the Eritrean National Service, for both men and women between the ages of 18 and 40, a policy officially introduced by President Afwerki in 1995.Thus Eritrea has remained in a state of mobilization since the wars with Ethiopia.