What should a Buddhist do, if he is **required** by the **law** to join the army and fight in war? Related question As I read the answers to the above related question, this very real question was raised. What should someone do? - flee the country? - join the army? - hide and avoid being captured?

Can the Buddhist lay person join the army of their own country? What is the Buddhist view on this? Is defending defenceless and protecting weak by joining to the military not allowed in Buddhism? And, what's the karmic (karma) difference of - non-military person hurting (in fighting) someone else vs - military person hurting (in fighting) someone else? So, if joining the army is not an option, **how should they defend their country?**