The CIA World Factbook Every edition, 2019 to 2025 Middle East

Military - note Cyprus, in 7 editions.

The entry for Cyprus published Military - note in 7 editions of 36, from 2019 to 2025. The text changed in 6 editions. Each is shown as published. Military - note in every entry.

editions changed the text
6
the first edition with it
2019
the latest edition with it
2025

Published as “Military - note” (2019 to 2025).

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe edition shownChoose an edition on the strip beside the text, or step through them with the arrows. Mark changes compares it with the edition before: the marks are ours, words added and words removed.

2025 edition

Changed since 2024

Open the 2025 entry

  • established in 1964, the National Guard (EF) is responsible for ensuring Cyprus’s territorial integrity and sovereignty;
  • its primary focus is Turkey, which invaded Cyprus in 1974 and maintains a large military presence in the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus;
  • the majority of the force is deployed along the “Green Line” that separates the Greek Cypriots from the Turkish Cypriots;
  • the EF also participates in some internal missions, such as providing assistance during natural disasters;
  • Greece is its primary security partner and maintains a military presence on Cyprus;
  • the EF has conducted training exercises with other militaries including France, Israel, and the US;
  • since Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, the EF has actively participated in the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and has sent small numbers of personnel to some EU and missions;
  • Cyprus is also part of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
  • the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has been deployed in Cyprus since 1964;
  • its mandate includes supervising the de facto ceasefire that came into effect in August 1974 and maintaining a buffer zone between the lines of the Cypriot National Guard and of the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces;
  • UNFICYP has about 1,100 personnel assigned (2025)

established in 1964, the National Guard (EF) is responsible for ensuring Cyprus’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; its primary focus is Turkey, which invaded Cyprus in 1974 and maintains a large military presence in the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; the majority of the force is deployed along the “Green Line” that separates the Greek Cypriots from the Turkish Cypriots; the EF also participates in some internal missions, such as providing assistance during natural disasters; Greece is its main primary security partner and maintains about 1,000 troops a military presence on Cyprus; the EF has conducted training exercises with other militaries including France, Israel, and the US; since Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, the EF has actively participated in the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and has sent small numbers of personnel to some EU and missions; Cyprus is also part of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (2024)
the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has been deployed in Cyprus since 1964; its mandate includes supervising the de facto ceasefire that came into effect in August 1974 and maintaining a buffer zone between the lines of the Cypriot National Guard and of the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces; UNFICYP has about 1,100 personnel assigned (2025)

Cite this page

Central Intelligence Agency. “Cyprus: Military - note.” The World Factbook, 2019–2025 editions. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/cyprus/military-note.

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