The CIA World Factbook Edition 2025, the latest with this field Military and Security

Military and security forces In 36 editions of 36.

Military and security forces was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 2025 edition carries it in 221 entries, in its Military and Security section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.

entries in the 2025 edition
221
the first edition with it
1990
the latest edition with it
2025

Published as “Military branches” (1997 to 2018), “Military and security forces” (2019 to 2025) and “Branches” (1990 to 1996).

the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Military and security forces, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.

Entries with Military and security forces in each edition

19902000201020202025

Select a bar to open that edition.

Africa

54 entries

Algeria

Algerian People's National Army (ANP):
  • Land Forces,
  • Naval Forces (includes Coast Guard),
  • Air Forces,
  • Territorial Air Defense Forces,
  • Republican Guard,
  • National Gendarmerie
Ministry of Interior:
General Directorate of National Security (national police) (2025)

note: the Republican Guard is subordinate to the ANP, but responsible to the President; the National Gendarmerie performs police functions outside urban areas under the auspices of the Ministry of National Defense and shares responsibility with the General Directorate of National Security for maintaining law and order; it is comprised of territorial, intervention/mobile, border guard, railway, riot control, and air support units

Angola

Angolan Armed Forces (Forcas Armadas Angolanas, FAA): Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra Angola, MGA), Angolan National Air Force (Forca Aerea Nacional Angolana, FANA)

Ministry of Interior:
National Police, Border Guard Police (2025)

Benin

Beninese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Beninoises, FAB; aka Benin Defense Forces): Army, Air Force, National Navy, National Guard (aka Republican Guard)

Ministry of Interior and Public Security:
Republican Police (Police Republicaine, DGPR) (2025)

note: FAB is under the Ministry of Defense and is responsible for external security and supporting the DGPR in maintaining internal security, which has primary responsibility for enforcing law and maintaining order; the DGPR was formed in 2018 through a merger of police and gendarmes

Botswana

Botswana Defense Force (BDF):
  • Ground Forces Command,
  • Air Arm Command,
  • Defense Logistics Command (2025)

note 1: both the BDF and the Botswana Police Service (BPS) report to the Ministry of Defense, Justice and Security; the BPS has primary responsibility for internal security

note 2: the Ground Force Command includes a marine unit with boats and river craft for patrolling Botswana's internal waterways and supporting anti-poaching operations

Burkina Faso

  • Armed Forces of Burkina Faso (FABF; aka National Armed Forces (FAN), aka Defense and Security Forces (Forces de Défense et de Sécurité or FDS)): Army of Burkina Faso, Air Force of Burkina Faso, National Gendarmerie, National Fire Brigade (Brigade Nationale de Sapeurs-Pompiers or BNSP);
  • Homeland Defense Volunteers (Forcés de Volontaires de Défense pour la Patrie or VDP)

Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Security (Ministère de l'Administration Territoriale, de la Décentralisation et de la Sécurité): National Police of Burkina Faso (includes Border Police, Judicial Police, and Intervention Units, as well as State and Public Security forces) (2025)

note 1: the National Gendarmerie is under the Ministry of Defense, but usually operates in support of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralization, and Security; the Gendarmerie's primary mission is counterterrorism

note 2: the VDP is a lightly armed civilian defense/militia force established in 2019 to act as auxiliaries to the Army; the volunteers receive two weeks of training and typically assist with carrying out surveillance, information-gathering, and escort duties, as well as local defense; they are based in each of the country's municipalities

Burundi

Burundi National Defense Force (BNDF; Force de Defense Nationale du Burundi, FDNB): Land Force ( Army ), Naval Force, Air Force, Specialized Units

Ministry of Interior, Community Development, and Public Security: Burundi National Police (Police Nationale du Burundi, PNB) (2024)

note: the Naval Force is responsible for monitoring Burundi’s 175-km shoreline on Lake Tanganyika; the Specialized Units include a special security brigade for the protection of institutions (aka BSPI), commandos, special forces, and military police

Cabo Verde

Cabo Verdean Armed Forces (FACV):
National Guard (GN), Cabo Verde Coast Guard (Guardia Costeira de Cabo Verde, GCCV) (2025)

note: the National Police are under the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Cameroon

Cameroon Armed Forces (Forces Armees Camerounaises, FAC): Army, Cameroon Navy (includes naval infantry or fusiliers marin), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Firefighting Corps

General Delegation for National Security (Délégation Générale à la Sûreté Nationale or DGSN): Cameroon Police (2025)

note 1: the Army includes the Rapid Intervention Brigade (Brigade d’Intervention Rapide or BIR), which maintains its own command and control structure and reports directly to the Chief of Defense staff and the Presidency; the BIR includes airborne/airmobile, amphibious, armored reconnaissance, artillery, and counterterrorism forces, as well as support elements, such as intelligence

note 2: the Cameroon Police and the National Gendarmerie are responsible for internal security; the Gendarmerie conducts administrative, criminal, and military investigative functions; other missions include customs, air and maritime surveillance, and road traffic control; in times of conflict, it participates in internal defense

Central African Republic

Central African Armed Forces (Forces Armees Centrafricaines, FACA): Army (includes an air squadron, Escadrille Centrafricaine)

Ministry of Interior:
National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale), National Police (2025)

note: the Special Republican Protection Group (Groupement Spécial Chargé de la Protection Républicaine or GSPR) provides protection to the head of state; it is part of the Army but reports to the president

Chad

  • Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT): Ground Forces (l'Armee de Terre, AdT), Chadian Air Force (l'Armee de l'Air Tchadienne, AAT), Chadian National Gendarmerie;
  • General Direction of the Security Services of State Institutions (Direction Generale des Services de Securite des Institutions de l'Etat, GDSSIE)
Ministry of Public Security and Immigration:
National Nomadic Guard of Chad (GNNT) (2025)

note 1: the GDSSIE is the presidential guard force and is considered to be Chad's elite military unit; it is reportedly a division-sized force with infantry, armor, and special forces/anti-terrorism regiments (known as the Special Anti-Terrorist Group or SATG, aka Division of Special Anti-Terrorist Groups or DGSAT); it reports directly to the president

note 2: the Chadian National Police are under the Ministry of Public Security and Immigration; border security duties are shared by the ANT, Customs (Ministry of Public Security and Immigration), the National Gendarmerie, and the GNNT

Comoros

  • National Army for Development (l'Armee Nationale de Developpement, AND): Comoran Defense Force (Force Comorienne de Defense or FCD; includes Comoran National Gendarmerie);
  • Ministry of Interior: Coast Guard, Federal Police, National Directorate of Territorial Safety (customs and immigration) (2024)

note 1: when the Gendarmerie serves as the judicial police, it reports to the Minister of Justice; the Gendarmerie also has an intervention platoon that may act under the authority of the Interior Minister

note 2: the FCD is also known as the Comoran Security Force

Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Forces d'Armees de la Republique Democratique du Congo, FARDC): Land Forces (Forces Terrestres), National Navy (La Marine Nationale), Congolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Congolaise, FAC);
  • Republican Guard (Garde Républicaine, GR)
Ministry of Interior:
Congolese National Police (Police Nationale Congolaise, PNC) (2025)

note: the Republican Guard is overseen by the office of the presidency rather than the FARDC; it focuses on protecting the president and government institutions and enforcing internal security

note 2: community-based self-defense groups, known as Wazalendo militias, are also active in areas contested by illegal armed groups, such as M23

Congo, Republic of the now Republic of the Congo

Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force, National Gendarmerie

Ministry of Interior:
National Police (2025)

note: the National Gendarmerie (GN) is a paramilitary force with domestic law enforcement and security responsibilities; it is under the Ministry of Defense, but also reports to the Ministry of Interior; the GN nominally includes the Republican Guard (GR), which is responsible for presidential security and has a separate command structure

Cote d'Ivoire

Armed Forces of Cote d'Ivoire (Forces Armees de Cote d'Ivoire, FACI; aka Republican Forces of Ivory Coast, FRCI): Army, National Navy, Air Force, Special Forces; National Gendarmerie

Ministry of Security and Civil Protection:
National Police (2025)

note: the National Gendarmerie is a paramilitary force under the Ministry of Defense that is responsible for ensuring public safety, maintaining order, enforcing laws, and protecting institutions, people, and property; it is organized into mobile and territorial components; the Mobile Gendarmerie is responsible for maintaining and restoring order and is considered the backbone of the country’s domestic security; the Territorial Gendarmerie is responsible for the administrative, judicial, and military police; the Gendarmerie also has separate specialized units for security, intervention (counterterrorism, hostage rescue, etc), VIP protection, and surveillance

Djibouti

Djibouti Armed Forces (Forces Armées Djiboutiennes or FAD): Djiboutian (or National) Army, Djiboutian Navy (includes Djiboutian Coast Guard), Djiboutian Air Force; Djiboutian National Gendarmerie

Ministry of Interior:
National Police (Police Nationale) (2025)

note 1: the National Gendarmerie is a security force with military status under the FAD and the Ministry of Defense, but also has responsibilities to the Ministry of Interior; the Gendarmerie's duties include providing security outside of Djibouti City and protecting critical infrastructure within the city, such as the international airport

note 2: the National Police are responsible for security within Djibouti City and have primary control over immigration and customs procedures for all land border-crossing points

Egypt

Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF):
  • Army (includes Republican Guard),
  • Navy (includes Coast Guard),
  • Air Force,
  • Air Defense Forces,
  • Border Guard Forces
Interior Ministry:
  • Public Security Sector Police,
  • the Central Security Force,
  • National Security Agency (2025)

note: the Public Security Sector Police are responsible for law enforcement nationwide; the Central Security Force protects infrastructure and is responsible for crowd control; the National Security Agency is responsible for internal security threats and counterterrorism along with other security services

Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de Guinea Ecuatorial, FAGE): Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie (Guardia Civil) (2025)

note: the National Police report to the Ministry of National Security, while the Gendarmerie reports to the Ministry of National Defense; police generally are responsible for maintaining law and order in the cities, while gendarmes are responsible for security outside cities and for special events

Eritrea

Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF):
  • Eritrean Ground Forces,
  • Eritrean Navy,
  • Eritrean Air Force;
  • People's Militia (aka People's Army or Hizbawi Serawit) (2024)

note: police are responsible for maintaining internal security, but the government sometimes uses the armed forces, reserves, demobilized soldiers, or civilian militia to meet domestic as well as external security requirements; the armed forces have authority to arrest and detain civilians

Eswatini

Umbutfo Eswatini Defense Force (UEDF):
Army (includes a small air wing); the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) (2025)

Ethiopia

Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF; aka Federal Defense Force of Ethiopia, FDRE): Army, Air Force, Naval Force, Defense Cyber Main Directorate (2025)

note 1: national and regional police forces are responsible for law enforcement and maintenance of order, with the ENDF sometimes providing internal security support; the Ethiopian Federal Police (EFP) report to the Prime Minister’s Office

note 2: the regional governments control regional security forces, including "special" paramilitary forces, which generally operate independently from the federal government and in some cases operate as regional defense forces maintaining national borders; in April 2023, the federal government ordered the integration of these regional special forces into the EFP or ENDF; in some cases, the regional governments have maintained former members of the special forces for “crowd control/Adma Bitena” as a separate unit within their security structures; local militias also operate across the country in loose and varying coordination with regional security and police forces, the ENDF, and the EFP

note 3: in 2018, Ethiopia established a Republican Guard military unit as a separate command operationally under the Office of the Prime Minister and administratively accountable to the Ministry of Defense; it is responsible for protecting senior officials and government institutions and conducting some military operations

Gabon

  • Gabonese Armed Forces (Force Armées Gabonaise or FAG; aka National Defense and Security Forces of Gabon or des Forces Nationales de Défense et de Sécurité (FNDS) du Gabon ): Army, Navy, Air Force, Light Aviation, Fire Brigade;
  • Gabon National Gendarmerie (GENA);
  • Republican Guard (GR);
  • Military Health Service;
  • Military Engineering (2025)

note: the National Police Forces, under the Ministry of Interior, and the National Gendarmerie (GENA), under the Ministry of Defense, are responsible for law enforcement and public security; elements of the armed forces and the Republican Guard, an elite unit that protects the president under his direct authority, sometimes perform internal security functions; the GENA is organized into regionally-based “legions,” mobile forces, a national parks security unit, and a special intervention group

Gambia, The now The Gambia

Gambian Armed Forces (GAF; aka Armed Forces of the Gambia): the Gambian National Army (GNA), Gambia Navy, Gambia Air Force, Republican National Guard (RNG)

Ministry of Interior:
Gambia Police Force (GPF) (2025)

note: the RNG is responsible for VIP protection, riot control, and presidential security, while the GPF maintains internal security

Ghana

Ghana Armed Forces (GAF):
  • Army,
  • Air Force,
  • Ghana Navy
Ministry of Interior:
Ghana Police Service (2025)

note: the GAF also has a Medical Service/Corps

Guinea

Guinean (or National) Armed Forces (Forces Armées Guinéennes): Army, Air Force, Navy, National Gendarmerie

Ministry of Security:
National Police (2025)

note: the Gendarmerie and National Police share responsibility for internal security; Guinea's military and security forces are sometimes collectively referred to as the Defense and Security Forces

Guinea-Bissau

People's Revolutionary Armed Force (Forcas Armadas Revolucionarias do Povo or FARP): Army, Navy, Air Force

Ministry of Internal Administration:
  • National Guard (a gendarmerie force),
  • Public Order Police,
  • Border Police,
  • Rapid Intervention Police,
  • Maritime Police (2025)

note: the Public Order Police is responsible for maintaining law and order, while the Judicial Police, under the Ministry of Justice, has primary responsibility for investigating drug trafficking, terrorism, and other transnational crimes

Kenya

Kenya Defense Forces (KDF):
  • Kenya Army,
  • Kenya Navy,
  • Kenya Air Force
Ministry of Interior:
National Police Service, Kenya Coast Guard (2025)

note: the National Police Service maintains internal security and includes a paramilitary General Service Unit and Rapid Deployment Unit, as well as a Border Police Unit

Lesotho

  • Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) (2025)

note: the Lesotho Mounted Police Service is responsible for internal security and reports to the Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police

Liberia

Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL):
Army, Liberian Coast Guard
Ministry of Justice:
Liberia National Police, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (2025)

Libya

  • the Libyan Armed Forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) have various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces, which include a mix of nominally integrated and semi-regular units, tribal armed groups and militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign military contractors;
  • the GNU's armed forces are nominally under the control of the Ministry of Defense;
  • the GNU also has various internal security forces under both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior (2025)

note: the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA; aka Libyan Arab Armed Forces, LAAF) under Khalifa HAFTER also includes various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, other armed groups, and foreign military contractors; some of the armed units nominally under the LNA operate under their own command structures and engage in their own operations

Madagascar

  • Madagascar Armed Forces (aka Armed forces of the Republic of Madagascar);
  • Malagasy Army, Naval Forces (or National Navy), Air Force;
  • Malagasy National Gendarmerie (2025)

note: the National Gendarmerie is under the Ministry of Defense but separate from the PAF and is responsible for maintaining law and order in rural areas at the village level, protecting government facilities, and operating a maritime police contingent; the National Police under the Ministry of Security is responsible for maintaining law and order in urban areas

Malawi

Malawi Defense Force (MDF):
  • Malawi Army (Land Forces),
  • Malawi Maritime Force (MMF),
  • Malawi Air Force (MAF),
  • Malawi National Service (MNS)
Ministry of Homeland Security:
Malawi Police Service (2025)

note: the MDF reports directly to the president as commander in chief

Mali

  • Malian Armed Forces (Forces Armées Maliennes or FAMa): Army (l’Armée de Terre), Air Force (l’Armée de l’Air);
  • National Guard (la Garde Nationale du Mali);
  • National Gendarmerie of Mali (Gendarmerie Nationale du Mali) (2025)

note 1: the Gendarmerie and the National Guard are under the authority of the Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs (Ministere De La Defense Et Des Anciens Combattants, MDAC), but operational control is shared with the Ministry of Internal Security and Civil Protection which also controls the National Police; the National Police has responsibility for law enforcement and maintenance of order in urban areas and supports the FAMa in internal military operations

note 2: the Gendarmerie's primary mission is internal security and public order; its duties also include territorial defense, humanitarian operations, intelligence gathering, and protecting private property, mainly in rural areas; it also has a specialized border security unit

note 3: the National Guard is a military force responsible for providing security to government facilities and institutions, prison service, public order, humanitarian operations, some border security, and intelligence gathering; its forces include a camel corps for patrolling the deserts and borders of northern Mali

note 4: there are also pro-government militias operating in Mali, such as the Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA); the leader of GATIA is also a general in the national army

Mauritania

Mauritanian Armed Forces (aka Armée Nationale Mauritanienne): National Army, National Navy, Air Force; Gendarmerie

Ministry of Interior and Decentralization:
National Police, National Guard (2025)

note 1: the National Police are responsible for enforcing the law and maintaining order in urban areas, while the paramilitary Gendarmerie is responsible for maintaining civil order around metropolitan areas and providing law enforcement services in rural areas; like the Mauritanian Armed Forces, the Gendarmerie is under the Ministry of Defense, but also supports the ministries of Interior and Justice

note 2: the National Guard performs a limited police function in keeping with its peacetime role of providing security at government facilities, to include prisons; regional authorities may call upon the National Guard to restore civil order during riots and other large-scale disturbances; the National Guard includes the nomadic Camel Corps or Nomad Group, also known as the Méhariste

Mauritius

  • no regular military forces;
  • the Mauritius Police Force (MPF) under the Ministry of Defense is responsible for the country's security;
  • it includes a paramilitary unit known as the Special Mobile Force, which includes some motorized infantry and light armored units;
  • the MPF also has a Police Helicopter Squadron, a Special Support Unit (riot police), and the National Coast Guard (2025)

Morocco

Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR):
  • Royal Moroccan Army (includes the Moroccan Royal Guard),
  • Royal Moroccan Navy (includes Coast Guard, marines),
  • Royal Moroccan Air Force,
  • Moroccan Royal Guard,
  • Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie
Ministry of Interior:
General Directorate for National Security (DGSN; aka National Police), Auxiliary Forces (2025)

note 1: the Royal Guard is officially part of the Army but is under the direct operational control of the Royal Military Household of His Majesty the King; it provides for the security and safety of the King and royal family; it was established in the 11th century and is considered one of the world's oldest active units still in military service

note 2: the DGSN manages internal law enforcement in cities; the Gendarmerie is responsible for law enforcement in rural regions and on national highways and has a counterterrorism role; the Auxiliary Forces provide support to the Gendarmerie and DGSN

Mozambique

Armed Forces for the Defense of Mozambique (Forcas Armadas de Defesa de Mocambique, FADM): Army, Mozambique Navy, Mozambique Air Force

Ministry of Interior:
  • Mozambique National Police (PRM; includes the Rapid Intervention Unit, UIR), the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), Border Security Force;
  • other security forces include the Presidential Guard and the Force for the Protection of High-Level Individuals (2025)

note 1: the FADM and other security forces are referred to collectively as the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces (FDS)

note 2: the PRM, SERNIC, and the UIR are responsible for law enforcement and internal security; the Border Security Force is responsible for protecting the country’s international borders and for carrying out police duties within 24 miles of borders

note 3: in 2023, the Mozambique Government legalized local militias that have been assisting security forces operating in Cabo Delgado against Islamic militants since 2020; this Local Force is comprised of ex-combatants and other civilians and receives training, uniforms, weapons, and logistical support from the FADM

Namibia

Namibian Defense Force (NDF):
  • Namibian Army,
  • Namibian Navy,
  • Namibian Air Force (2025)

note: the Namibian Police Force is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security; it has a paramilitary Special Field Force responsible for protecting borders and government installations

Niger

Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Nigerien Air Force, Niger Gendarmerie

Ministry of Interior, Public Safety and Decentralization: Niger National Guard, National Police (2025)

note 1: the Niger Gendarmerie (GN) and the Niger National Guard (GNN) are paramilitary forces; the GN has primary responsibility for rural security while the GNN is responsible for domestic security and the protection of high-level officials and government buildings

note 2: the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance under the National Police is charged with border management

Nigeria

Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN):
  • Nigerian Army,
  • Nigerian Navy (includes Coast Guard),
  • Nigerian Air Force
Ministry of Interior:
Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC); Ministry of Police Affairs: Nigeria Police Force (NPF) (2025)

note 1: the NSCDC is a paramilitary agency commissioned to assist the military in the management of threats to internal security, including attacks and natural disasters

note 2: some states have created local security forces in response to increased violence, insecurity, and criminality that have exceeded the response capacity of federal government security forces, but official security forces remained the constitutional prerogative of the federal government; in 2023, the federal government began deploying thousands of "agro rangers" across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory to help safeguard farmland and mediate conflicts, especially in areas hit by farmer-herder clashes

Rwanda

Rwanda Defense Force (RDF; Ingabo z’u Rwanda): Rwanda Army (Rwanda Land Force), Rwanda Air Force (Force Aerienne Rwandaise, FAR), Rwanda Reserve Force, Special Units

Ministry of Internal Security:
Rwanda National Police (2025)

Sao Tome and Principe

Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (Forcas Armadas de Sao Tome e Principe, FASTP): Army, Coast Guard of Sao Tome e Principe (Guarda Costeira de Sao Tome e Principe, GCSTP), Presidential Guard, National Guard (2025)

note: the Army and Coast Guard are responsible for external security while the public security police and judicial police maintain internal security; both the public security police and the military report to the Ministry of Defense and Internal Affairs; the judicial police report to the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration, and Human Rights

Senegal

Senegalese Armed Forces (les Forces Armées Sénégalaises, FAS): Army (l’Armée de Terre, AT), Senegalese National Navy (Marine Séenéegalaise, MNS), Senegalese Air Force (l'Arméee de l'Air du Séenéegal, AAS), National Gendarmerie

Ministry of Interior:
National Police (2025)

note: the National Police operates in major cities, while the Gendarmerie under the FAS primarily operates outside urban areas; both services have specialized anti-terrorism units, and the Gendarmerie has both Territorial and Mobile components

Seychelles

Seychelles People's Defense Forces (SPDF; aka Seychelles Defense Forces, SDF): Army (includes infantry, special forces, and a presidential security unit), Coast Guard, and Air Force

Ministry of Internal Affairs:
Seychelles Police Force (2025)

Sierra Leone

Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF):
organized as a Joint Force Command with land, air, and maritime components
Ministry of Internal Affairs:
Sierra Leone Police (2025)

Somalia

Somali Armed Forces (SAF; aka Somali Defense Force): Somali National Army (SNA; aka Land Forces), Somali Navy, Somali Air Force

Ministry of Internal Security:
Somali National Police (SNP, includes Coast Guard, commando unit) (2025)

note 1: Somalia has numerous militias and regional/state forces operating throughout the country; the militias include clan- and warlord-based forces, as well as some that are externally sponsored; regional forces include semi-official paramilitary and special police forces ("darwish")

note 2: Somaliland and Puntland have separate military, security, and paramilitary forces

South Africa

South African National Defense Force (SANDF):
  • South African Army (includes Reserve Force),
  • South African Navy (SAN),
  • South African Air Force (SAAF),
  • South African Military Health Services
Ministry of Police:
South African Police Service (SAPS) (2025)

South Sudan

  • South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF): Land Forces (includes Presidential Guard), Air Forces, Marine (Riverine) Forces, Reserve Forces;
  • National (or Necessary) Unified Forces (NUF)
Ministry of Interior:
South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) (2025)

note 1: the NUF are being formed by retraining rebel and pro-government militia fighters into military, police, and other government security forces; the first operational NUF deployed in November 2023

note 2: numerous irregular forces operate in the country with official knowledge, including militias operated by the National Security Service (an internal security force under the Ministry of National Security) and proxy forces

Sudan

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF):
  • Ground Force (Sudanese Army), Sudanese Navy, Sudanese Air Force;
  • Rapid Support Forces (RSF);
  • Border Guards
Ministry of Interior:
Sudan Police Forces (SPF), Central Reserve Police (CRP) (2025)

note 1: the RSF is a semi-autonomous paramilitary force formed in 2013 to fight armed rebel groups in Sudan, with Mohammed Hamdan DAGALO (aka Hemeti) as its commander; it was initially placed under the National Intelligence and Security Service, then came under the direct command of former president Omar al-BASHIR, who boosted the RSF as his own personal security force; as a result, the RSF was better funded and equipped than the regular armed forces; the RSF has since recruited from all parts of Sudan beyond its original Darfuri Arab groups but remains under the personal patronage and control of DAGALO

note 2: the Central Reserve Police (aka Abu Tira) is a combat-trained paramilitary force

note 3: the October 2020 peace agreement provided for the establishment of a Joint Security Keeping Forces (JSKF) tasked with securing the Darfur region in the place of the UN African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), a joint African Union-UN peacekeeping force that operated in the war-torn region from 2007-December 2020; the force was intended to include the SAF, RSF, police, intelligence, and representatives from armed groups involved in peace negotiations; while the first 2,000 members of the JSKF completed training in September 2022, the status of the force since the start of the civil war is not available

note 4: there are also numerous armed militias operating in Sudan

Tanzania

Tanzania People's Defense Forces (TPDF or Jeshi la Wananchi la Tanzania, JWTZ): Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force, Nation Building Army (Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa, JKT), Reserve Forces

Ministry of Home Affairs:
Tanzania Police Force (Jeshi la Polisi Tanzania) (2025)

note 1: the Nation Building Army (aka National Services) is a paramilitary organization under the Defense Forces that provides six months of military and vocational training to individuals as part of their two years of public service; after completion of training, some graduates join the regular Defense Forces while the remainder become part of the Reserves

note 2: the Tanzania Police Force includes the Police Field Force (aka Field Force Unit), a special police division with the responsibility for controlling unlawful demonstrations and riots

Togo

Togolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Togolaise, FAT): Togolese Army, Togolese Navy, Togolese Air Force, National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale Togolaise or GNT)

Ministry of Security and Civil Protection:
Togolese Police (2025)

note: the Police and GNT are responsible for law enforcement and maintenance of order within the country; the GNT is also responsible for migration and border enforcement; the GNT falls under the Ministry of the Armed Forces but also reports to the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection on many matters involving law enforcement and internal security; in 2022, the Ministry of the Armed Forces was made part of the Office of the Presidency

Tunisia

Tunisian Armed Forces (Forces Armées Tunisiennes, FAT): Tunisian Army (includes Air Defense Force), Tunisian Navy, Tunisia Air Force

Ministry of Interior (MoI):
Internal Security Forces (National Police, National Guard) (2025)

note: the National Police has primary responsibility for law enforcement in the major cities, while the National Guard (gendarmerie) oversees border security and patrols smaller towns and rural areas

Uganda

Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF):
  • Land Force (includes marines),
  • Air Force,
  • Special Forces Command,
  • Reserve Force
Ministry of Internal Affairs:
Uganda Police Force (2025)

note 1: the Special Forces Command is a separate branch within the UPDF; it evolved from the former Presidential Guard Brigade and has continued to retain presidential protection duties in addition to its traditional missions, such as counterinsurgency

note 2: the Uganda Police Force includes air, field, territorial, and marine units, as well as a presidential guard force

note 3: in 2018, President MUSEVENI created a volunteer force of Local Defense Units under the military to beef up local security in designated parts of the country

Zambia

Zambia Defense Force (ZDF):
  • Zambia Army,
  • Zambia Air Force,
  • Zambia National Service
Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security:
Zambia Police (2025)

note 1: the Zambia National Service is a support organization that also does public work projects; its main objectives revolve around land development, agriculture, industries, youth skills training as well as arts, sports and culture; the ZDF also includes a Defense Force Medical Service

note 2: the Zambia Army comprises the Regular Force, the Home Guard, and the Territorial Reserve

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF):
Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ)
Ministry of Home Affairs:
Zimbabwe Republic Police (2025)

Arctic Region

3 entries

Greenland

no regular military forces

Iceland

no regular military forces; the Icelandic National Police, the regional police forces, and the Icelandic Coast Guard fall under the purview of the Ministry of Justice (2025)

note: the Icelandic Coast Guard is responsible for operational defense tasks in Iceland including but not limited to operation of Keflavik Air Base, special security zones, and the Icelandic air defense system; it also coordinates with NATO in such areas as air surveillance and military defense exercises

Svalbard

no regular military forces

Asia

23 entries

Afghanistan

  • the Taliban claims authority over a Ministry of Defense and a National Army (aka Army of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate Army, or Afghan Army);
  • it has also formed police forces under a Ministry of Interior (2025)

Armenia

Armenian Republic Armed Forces:
Armenian Army (includes land, air, air defense forces) (2025)

note: the Police of the Republic of Armenia is responsible for internal security, while the National Security Service is responsible for national security, intelligence activities, and border control

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Armed Forces:
  • Land Forces,
  • Air Forces,
  • Navy Forces,
  • Special Forces,
  • State Border Service,
  • Coast Guard
Ministry of Internal Affairs:
Internal Troops, local police forces; Special State Protection Service (SSPS): National Guard (2025)

note: the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Service (intelligence, counterterrorism) are responsible for internal security; the SSPS is under the president and provides protective services to senior officials, foreign missions, significant state assets, government buildings, etc; the National Guard also serves as a reserve for the Army

Bangladesh

Armed Forces of Bangladesh (aka Bangladesh Defense Force): Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force

Ministry of Home Affairs:
  • Bangladesh Police,
  • Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB),
  • Bangladesh Coast Guard,
  • Rapid Action Battalion (RAB),
  • Ansars,
  • Village Defense Party (VDP) (2025)

note 1: the Armed Forces of Bangladesh are jointly administered by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the Armed Forces Division (AFD), both under the Prime Minister's Office; the AFD has ministerial status and parallel functions with MOD

note 2: the RAB, Ansars, and VDP are paramilitary organizations for internal security; the RAB is a joint task force comprised of Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Border Guards personnel seconded to the RAB; its mandate includes internal security, intelligence gathering related to criminal activities, and government-directed investigations

Bhutan

Royal Bhutan Army (RBA; includes Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan, or RBG, and an air wing); National Militia

Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs:
Royal Bhutan Police (2025)

British Indian Ocean Territory

no regular military forces

China

People's Liberation Army (PLA):
  • Ground Forces or People's Liberation Army Army (PLAA), Navy (PLAN, includes Marine Corps (PLANMC)), Air Force (PLAAF), Rocket Force (PLARF), Aerospace Force (ASF), Cyberspace Force (CSF), Information Support Force (ISF), Joint Logistics Support Force (JLSF);
  • People's Armed Police (PAP, includes Coast Guard, Border Defense Force, Internal Security Forces);
  • PLA Reserve Force (2025)

note 1: the PAP is a paramilitary police component of China’s armed forces that is under the dual authority of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Central Military Commission; the China Coast Guard (CCG) is subordinate to the PAP

note 2: the PLA (established 1927) is the military arm of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which oversees the PLA through its Central Military Commission (CMC); the CMC is China’s top military decision making body

Georgia

Georgian Defense Forces (GDF; aka Defense Forces of Georgia, DFG): Ground Forces, Air Force, Special Operations Forces, National Guard

Ministry of Internal Affairs:
  • Police,
  • Border Police of Georgia,
  • Coast Guard of Georgia (includes naval forces, which were merged with the Coast Guard in 2009) (2025)

India

Indian Armed Forces (IAF):
  • Army,
  • Navy,
  • Air Force,
  • Coast Guard
Ministry of Home Affairs:
Central Police Organization, Central Armed Police Forces (includes Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Security Guards, Sashastra Seema Bal) (2025)

note 1: the Border Security Force (BSF) is responsible for the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders; the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB or Armed Border Force) guards the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders

note 2: the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) includes a Rapid Reaction Force (RAF) for riot control and the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) for counter-insurgency operations

note 3: the Assam Rifles are under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, while operational control falls under the Ministry of Defense (specifically the Indian Army)

Japan

Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF):
  • Ground Self-Defense Force (Rikujou Jieitai, GSDF; includes aviation),
  • Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jieitai, MSDF; includes naval aviation),
  • Air Self-Defense Force (Koukuu Jieitai, ASDF) (2025)

note: the Coast Guard is under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; it is barred by law from operating as a military force, but in times of conflict Article 80 of the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Act permits the transfer of control of the coast guard to the Ministry of Defense with Cabinet approval

Kazakhstan

Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
  • Land Forces (Army of Kazakhstan),
  • Naval Forces,
  • Air and Air Defense Forces
Ministry of Internal Affairs:
National Police, National Guard
Committee for National Security (KNB):
Border Guard Service (2025)

note: the National Guard is a gendarmerie type force administered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but also serves the Ministry of Defense; it is responsible for fighting crime, maintaining public order, and ensuring public safety; other duties include anti-terrorism operations, guarding prisons, riot control, and territorial defense in time of war

Korea, North now North Korea

Korean People's Army (KPA):
  • KPA Ground Forces, KPA Navy, KPA Air Force and Air Defense Forces, KPA Strategic Forces (missile forces), KPA Special Forces (special operations forces);
  • Security Guard Command (aka Bodyguard Command);
  • Military Security Command
  • Ministry of Social Security (formerly Ministry of Public Security): Border Guard General Bureau, civil security forces;
  • Ministry of State Security: internal security, investigations (2025)

note 1 : Kim Jong Un is the KPA supreme commander, while operational control of the armed forces resides in the General Staff Department (GSD), which reports directly to Kim; the GSD maintains overall control of all military forces and is charged with turning Kim’s directives into operational military orders; the Ministry of National Defense (MND) is responsible for administrative control of the military and external relations with foreign militaries

note 2: the Security Guard Command protects the Kim family, other senior leadership figures, and government facilities

note 4: the North also has a large paramilitary/militia force organized into the Worker Peasant Red Guard and Red Youth Guard; these organizations are present at all levels of government (province, county, ward) and are under the control of the Korean Workers' Party in peacetime, but revert to KPA control in crisis or war; they are often mobilized for domestic projects, such as road building and agricultural support

Korea, South now South Korea

Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea:
  • Republic of Korea Army (ROKA),
  • Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN, includes Marine Corps, ROKMC),
  • Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF)
Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries:
Korea Coast Guard; Ministry of Interior and Safety: Korean National Police Agency (2025)

Kyrgyzstan

Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic:
  • Land Forces (Kygyz Army),
  • Air Defense Forces (Kyrgyz Air Force),
  • National Guard of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic
Ministry of Internal Affairs:
Internal Security Service
State Committee for National Security:
Border Guard Service (2025)

note: the National Guard’s missions include counterterrorism, responding to emergencies, and the protection of government facilities

Maldives

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF):
  • Coast Guard,
  • Marine Corps,
  • Air Corps,
  • Fire and Rescue Service

Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology (MOHST): Maldives Police Service (2025)

note: in addition to the MNDF, the Maldives Ministry of Defense controls the Aviation Security Command, which provides security for the civil aviation industry, and the National Counter Terrorism Center

Mongolia

Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF):
  • Land Force,
  • Air Force,
  • Cyber Security Forces,
  • Special Forces,
  • Construction-Engineering Forces (2025)

note: the National Police Agency and the General Authority for Border Protection, which operate under the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs, are primarily responsible for internal security; they are assisted by the General Intelligence Agency under the prime minister

Nepal

Nepalese Armed Forces (Ministry of Defense):
Nepali Army (includes Air Wing)
Ministry of Home Affairs:
Nepal Police, Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) (2025)

note: the Nepal Police are responsible for enforcing law and order across the country; the Armed Police Force is responsible for combating terrorism, providing security during riots and public disturbances, assisting in natural disasters, and protecting vital infrastructure, public officials, and the borders; it also conducts counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations and would assist the Army in the event of an external invasion

Pakistan

Pakistan Armed Forces:
  • Pakistan Army (includes National Guard),
  • Pakistan Navy (includes Pakistan Marines, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency),
  • Pakistan Air Force
Ministry of Interior:
  • Frontier Constabulary,
  • Frontier Corps,
  • National Police,
  • Pakistan Coast Guard,
  • Punjab (Pakistan) Rangers,
  • Sindh (Pakistan) Rangers (2025)

note: the National Guard is a paramilitary force and one of the Army's reserve forces; other Army reserves include the Pakistan Army Reserve, the Frontier Corps, and the Pakistan Rangers

Russia

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation:
  • Ground Forces (SV), Aerospace Forces (VKS), Navy (VMF);
  • separate or independent troop branches include the Airborne Forces (VDV), Missile Troops of Strategic Purpose (RVSN; commonly to as Strategic Rocket Forces), Special Operations Forces, and Unmanned Systems Forces

Federal National Guard Troops Service of the Russian Federation (FSVNG, National Guard, Russian Guard, or Rosgvardiya)

Federal Security Services (FSB):
Federal Border Guard Service (includes land and maritime forces) (2025)

note 1: the National Guard was created in 2016 as an independent agency for internal/regime security, combating terrorism and narcotics trafficking, protecting important state facilities and government personnel, and supporting border security; it also works closely with the Armed Forces; forces under the National Guard include the Special Purpose Mobile Units (OMON), Special Rapid Response Detachment (SOBR), and Interior Troops (VV)

note 2: the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Federal Security Service, Investigative Committee, Office of the Prosecutor General, and National Guard are responsible for law enforcement; the Federal Security Service is responsible for state security, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism, as well as for fighting organized crime and corruption; the Ministry of Internal Affairs includes the national police force

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Armed Forces:
  • Sri Lanka Army (includes National Guard and the Volunteer Force),
  • Sri Lanka Navy (includes Marine Corps),
  • Sri Lanka Air Force,
  • Sri Lanka Coast Guard;
  • Civil Security Department (Home Guard)
Ministry of Public Security:
Sri Lanka Police (2025)

note: the Civil Security Department, also known as the Civil Defense Force, is an auxiliary force administered by the Ministry of Defense

Tajikistan

Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan:
  • Ground Forces,
  • Mobile Forces,
  • Air and Air Defense Forces
  • Tajik National Guard (TNG);
  • Ministry of Internal Affairs: Internal Troops of Tajikistan;
  • State Committee on National Security: Border Troops (aka Tajik Border Service) (2025)

note 1: the Mobile Forces are the airborne, air assault, mountain, and rapid reaction troops of the Armed Forces

note 2: the Tajik National Guard, formerly the Presidential Guard, is a paramilitary force under direct authority of the President; it is tasked with ensuring public safety and security, similar to the tasks of the Internal Troops; it also has ceremonial duties

Turkmenistan

Armed Forces of Turkmenistan (aka Turkmen National Army): Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy

Ministry of Internal Affairs:
  • Internal Troops,
  • Turkmen (National) Police,
  • Federal/State Border Guard Service (2025)

Uzbekistan

Armed Forces of Uzbekistan:
Army, Air and Air Defense Forces; National Guard
Ministry of Internal Affairs:
  • Internal Security Troops,
  • Border Guards,
  • police (2024)

note 1: the National Guard is under the Defense Ministry, but is independent of the other military services; it is responsible for ensuring public order and the security of diplomatic missions, radio and television broadcasting, and other state entities

note 2: the State Security Service, whose chairperson reports directly to the president, is responsible for national security and intelligence matters, including terrorism, corruption, organized crime, border control, and narcotics

Central America and the Caribbean

28 entries

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (ABDF):
  • Antigua and Barbuda Regiment,
  • Air Wing,
  • Coast Guard
  • Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB) (2025)

Aruba

  • no regular military forces;
  • Aruban Militia (ARUMIL);
  • Police Department for local law enforcement, supported by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Gendarmerie), the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (Korps Politie Caribisch Nederland, KPCN), and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG or Kustwacht Caribisch Gebied (KWCARIB)) (2025)

Bahamas, The now The Bahamas

Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF):
  • includes land,
  • air,
  • maritime elements;
  • Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) (2025)

note: the RBPF maintains internal security; both the RBDF and the RBPF, as well as the Department of Corrections, report to the Minister of National Security

Barbados

Barbados Defense Force (BDF):
The Barbados Regiment, The Barbados Coast Guard (2025)

note 1: the Barbados Police Service (TBPS) is the national police force; it is modeled after London's Metropolitan Police Service and divided into three territorial divisions

note 2: the Barbados Cadet Corps is a national youth organization affiliated with the BDF; membership is open to all school children in Barbados between the ages of 11 and 18

Belize

Belize Defense Force (BDF):
Army, Air Wing; Belize Coast Guard (BCG) (2025)

note: the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security is responsible for oversight of the BDF and the Coast Guard, while the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries has responsibility for the Belize Police Department (BPD) and prisons

Cayman Islands

no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Service

Costa Rica

Ministry of Public Security (Ministerio de Seguridad Pública de Costa Rica): National Police (Fuerza Pública), Air Surveillance Service (Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea), National Coast Guard Service (Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas), Drug Control Police (Policía Control de Drogas), Border Police (Policia de Fronteras), Professional Migration Police (Policía Profesional de Migración)

Ministry of Presidency:
Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), Special Intervention Unit (UEI) (2025)

note: Costa Rica's armed forces were constitutionally abolished in 1949

Cuba

Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR): Ground Troops (Tropas Terrestres), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Forces (Defensas Anti-Aereas y Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria, DAAFAR)

Paramilitary forces under the FAR:
  • Youth Labor Army (Ejercito Juvenil del Trabajo, EJT),
  • Territorial Militia Troops (Milicia de Tropas de Territoriales, MTT),
  • Defense and Production Brigades (Brigadas de Producción y Defensa, BPD),
  • Civil Defense Organization (Defensa Civil de Cuba)
Ministry of Interior:
  • National Revolutionary Police (Policía Nacional Revolucionaria, PNR),
  • Directorate of Border Guard Troops (Dirección de Tropas de Guardia Fronteriza, TGF),
  • Department of State Security (Departamento de Seguridad del Estado, DSE) (2025)

Curacao

  • Curaçao Militia (CURMIL);
  • Curaçao Volunteer Corps;
  • Curacao Police Force (Korps Politie Curacao) (2025)

Dominica

no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) under the Ministry of National Security and Legal Affairs

Dominican Republic

Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic:
  • Army of the Dominican Republic (Ejercito de la República Dominicana, ERD),
  • Navy (Armada de República Dominicana or ARD; includes naval infantry),
  • Dominican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de la República Dominicana, FARD) (2025)

note 1: in addition to the three main branches of the military, the Ministry of Defense directs the Specialized Border Security Corps (CESFRONT), the Specialized Corps in Port Security (CESEP), and the Specialized Corps in Airport and Civil Aviation Safety (CESAC); these specialized corps are joint forces, made up of civilians and personnel from all the military branches; they may also assist in overall citizen security working together with the National Police, which is under the Ministry of Interior

El Salvador

The Armed Forces of El Salvador (La Fuerza Armada de El Salvador, FAES): Army of El Salvador (Ejercito de El Salvador, ES), Naval Force of El Salvador (Fuerza Naval de El Salvador, FNES), Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña, FAS)

Ministry of Justice and Public Safety:
National Civil Police (Policia Nacional Civil, PNC) (2025)

Grenada

no regular military forces; the Royal Grenada Police Force (under the Ministry of National Security) includes a Coast Guard and a paramilitary Special Services Unit (2025)

Guatemala

Army of Guatemala (Ejercito de Guatemala; aka Armed Forces of Guatemala or Fuerzas Armadas de Guatemala): Land Forces (Fuerzas de Tierra), Naval Forces (Fuerzas de Mar), and Air Force (Fuerza de Aire) (2025)

note: the National Civil Police (Policia Nacional Civil or PNC) are under the Ministry of Government (Interior)

Haiti

the Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH):
Army
Ministry of Justice and Public Security:
Haitian National Police (Police Nationale d'Haïti or PNH) (2025)

note: the PNH is responsible for maintaining public security; it includes police, corrections, fire, emergency response, airport security, port security, and coast guard functions; its units include a presidential guard and a paramilitary rapid-response Motorized Intervention Unit (BIM)

Honduras

Honduran Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de Honduras, FFAA): Army (Ejercito), Honduran Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Hondurena, FNH; includes marines), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH), Honduran Military Police of Public Order (Policía Militar del Orden Público or PMOP) (2025)

note 1: the National Police of Honduras (Policía Nacional de Honduras, PNH) are under the Secretariat of Security and responsible for internal security; some larger cities have police forces that operate independently of the national police and report to municipal authorities

note 2: the PMOP supports the PNH against narcotics trafficking and organized crime; it is subordinate to the Secretariat of Defense/FFAA, but conducts operations sanctioned by civilian security officials as well as by military leaders

note 3: the National Interinstitutional Security Force is an interagency command that coordinates the overlapping responsibilities of the HNP, PMOP, and other security organizations such as the National Intelligence Directorate and the Public Ministry (public prosecutor), but exercises coordination, command, and control responsibilities only during interagency operations involving those forces

Jamaica

Jamaica Defense Force (JDF):
Jamaica Regiment (Land Force), Maritime, Air, and Cyber Command (MACC), Support Brigade, Caribbean Military Academy, Jamaica National Reserve (2025)

note: the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is the country’s police force; it has primary responsibility for internal security and has units for community policing, special response, intelligence gathering, and internal affairs; both it and the JDF are under the Ministry of National Security

Montserrat

  • no regular military forces;
  • Royal Montserrat Defense Force (ceremonial, civil defense duties),
  • Montserrat Police Force (2025)

Nicaragua

  • Armed Forces of Nicaragua (formal name is Army of Nicaragua or Ejercito de Nicaragua, EN): Land Force;
  • Naval Force;
  • Air Force (2025)

note: both the military and the Nicaraguan National Police (Policía Nacional de Nicaragua or PNN) report directly to the president; Parapolice, which are non-uniformed, armed, and masked units with marginal tactical training and loose hierarchical organization, act in coordination with government security forces and report to the National Police; they have been used to suppress anti-government protesters

Panama

no regular military forces

Ministry of Public Security:
  • National Police (Policía Nacional, PN),
  • National Aeronaval Service (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval, SENAN),
  • National Border Service (Servicio Nacional de Fronteras, SENAFRONT) (2025)

note 1: collectively, the security forces are known as the Panamanian Public Forces

note 2: the PNP includes a special forces directorate with counterterrorism and counternarcotics units; SENAFRONT has four regionally based border security brigades, plus a specialized brigade comprised of special forces, counternarcotics, maritime, and rapid reaction units

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Police; Puerto Rico (US) National Guard (Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico or GNPR) (2025)

note: the GNPR was created by order of the US Congress in June 1919; the organization traces its lineage and history to Spanish militias created in 1511 and is one of the oldest organizations in the US National Guard system

Saint Kitts and Nevis

  • St. Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (SKNDF);
  • Regular Force,
  • Coast Guard Force (SKNDF Coast Guard),
  • Reserve Force,
  • Cadet Force
Ministry of National Security:
the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (2025)

Saint Lucia

no regular military forces; Ministry of Home Affairs, Justice, and National Security: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) (2025)

Saint Martin

no regular military forces; Ministry of Justice: Police Force of Sint Maaten (Korps Politie Sint Marteen, KPSM) (2025)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

no regular military forces; Ministry of National Security: Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVPF) (2025)

Sint Maarten

no regular military forces; Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM)

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF):
  • Trinidad and Tobago Regiment (Army/Land Forces),
  • Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard,
  • Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard,
  • Defense Force Reserves (2026)

note: the Ministry of Homeland Security oversees both the TTDF and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS)

Virgin Islands

US Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD); US Virgin Islands National Guard (VING)

Europe

46 entries

Albania

Republic of Albania Armed Forces (Forcat e Armatosura të Republikës së Shqipërisë (FARSH); aka Albanian Armed Forces (AAF)): Land Forces, Naval Force (includes Coast Guard), Air Forces

Ministry of Interior:
Guard of the Republic, State Police (includes the Border and Migration Police) (2025)

note: the State Police are primarily responsible for internal security, including counterterrorism, while the Guard of the Republic protects senior state officials, foreign dignitaries, and certain state properties

Andorra

no regular military forces; Police Corps of Andorra (under the Ministry of Justice and Interior)

Austria

Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer):
  • Land Forces,
  • Air Force,
  • Cyber Forces,
  • Special Operations Forces,
  • Militia (reserves) (2025)

note 1: the federal police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of the Interior

note 2: the militia is comprised of men and women who have done their basic military or training service and continue to perform a task in the armed forces; they are integrated into the military but have civilian jobs and only participate in exercises or operations; missions for the militia may include providing disaster relief, assisting security police, and protecting critical infrastructure (energy, water, etc.), as well as deployments on missions abroad

Belarus

Belarus Armed Forces:
  • Army,
  • Air and Air Defense Force,
  • Special Operations Force,
  • Special Troops,
  • Territorial Defense Forces
Ministry of Interior:
  • State Border Troops,
  • Militia,
  • Internal Troops (2025)

note: in early 2023, President LUKASHENKA ordered the formation of a new volunteer paramilitary territorial defense force to supplement the Army

Belgium

Belgian Armed Forces (Defensie or La Défense): Land Component, Marine (Naval) Component, Air Component, Medical Component, Cyber Command (2025)

note: the Belgian Federal Police is the national police force and responsible for internal security and nationwide law and order, including migration and border enforcement

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH or Oruzanih Snaga Bosne i Hercegovine, OSBiH): Army, Air, Air Defense forces organized into an Operations Command and a Support Command

Ministry of Security:
Border Police (2025)

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Armed Forces (aka Bulgarian Army):
  • Land Forces,
  • Air Force,
  • Navy
Ministry of Interior:
  • General Directorate National Police (GDNP),
  • General Directorate Border Police (GDBP),
  • Special Unit for Combating Terrorism (SOBT) (2025)

note: the GDNP includes the Gendarmerie, a special police force with military status deployed to secure important facilities, buildings and infrastructure, respond to riots, and counter militant threats

Croatia

Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Oruzane Snage Republike Hrvatske, OSRH): Croatian Army (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Croatian Navy (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM; includes Coast Guard), Croatian Air Force (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo, HRZ) (2025)

note: the Ministry of the Interior is responsible for internal security, including law enforcement (Croatia Police) and border security

Czechia

Czech Armed Forces:
  • Land Forces,
  • Air Force,
  • Special Forces (2025)

Denmark

Danish Armed Forces (Forsvaret):
  • Royal Danish Army,
  • Royal Danish Navy,
  • Royal Danish Air Force (2025)

Estonia

Estonian Defense Forces:
  • Land Forces,
  • Navy,
  • Air Force;
  • Estonian Defense League
Ministry of Interior:
Police and Border Guard Board, Internal Security Service (2025)

note: the Estonian Defense League is a voluntary national defense organization that operates under the Estonian Ministry of Defense

European Union

the EU's Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) provides the civilian, military, and political structures for EU crisis management and security issues; the highest bodies are:

  • the Political and Security Committee (PSC), which meets at the ambassadorial level as a preparatory body for the Council of the EU;
  • it assists with defining policies and preparing a crisis response
  • the European Union Military Committee (EUMC) is the EU's highest military body;
  • it is composed of the chiefs of defense (CHODs) of the Member States, who are regularly represented by their permanent Military Representatives;
  • the EUMC provides the PSC with advice and recommendations on all military matters within the EU

the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CIVCOM) provides advice and recommendations to the PSC in parallel with the EUMC on civilian aspects of crisis management

the Politico-Military Group (PMG) provides advice and recommendations to the PSC on political aspects of EU military and civil-military issues, including concepts, capabilities and operations and missions, and monitors implementation

other bodies set up under the CSDP include the Security and Defense Policy Directorate (SECDEFPOL), the Integrated approach for Security and Peace Directorate (ISP), the EU Military Staff (EUMS), the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC), the Civilian Operations Headquarters (CivOpsHQ), the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), the European Defense Agency (EDA), the European Security and Defense College (ESDC), the EU Institute for Security Studies, the EU Satellite Center, the Peace, Partnerships and Crisis Management Directorate (PCM) (2025)

note 1: Frontex is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency that supports EU Member States and Schengen-associated countries in the management of the EU’s external borders and the fight against cross-border crime; it has a standing corps of uniformed border guard officers directly employed by Frontex as staff members and regularly deployed to border guarding missions, plus thousands of other officers seconded by EU member states

note 2: in 2017, the EU set up the Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defense (PESCO), a mechanism for deepening defense cooperation amongst member states through binding commitments and collaborative programs on a variety of military-related capabilities such as cyber, maritime surveillance, medical support, operational readiness, procurement, and training

Faroe Islands

no regular military forces or conscription

Finland

Finnish Defense Forces (FDF; Puolustusvoimat): Army (Maavoimat), Navy (Merivoimat), Air Force (Ilmavoimat) (2025)

note: the Border Guard (Rajavartiolaitos) and National Police are under the Ministry of the Interior; the Border Guard becomes part of the FDF in wartime

France

  • French Armed Forces (Forces Armées Françaises): Army (l'Armee de Terre; includes Foreign Legion), Navy (Marine Nationale), Air and Space Force (l'Armee de l’Air et de l’Espace);
  • includes Air Defense), National Guard (Garde Nationale), National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale) (2025)

note 1: under the direction of the Ministry of the Interior, the civilian National Police and the National Gendarmerie maintain internal security; the National Gendarmerie is a paramilitary police force that is a branch of the Armed Forces and therefore part of the Ministry of Defense but under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior; it also has additional duties to the Ministry of Justice

note 2: the National Guard is composed of operational reservists belonging to the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior

note 3: the French Foreign Legion, established in 1831, is a military force that is open to foreign recruits willing to serve in the French military for service in France and abroad; the Foreign Legion is an integrated part of the French Army; its combat units are a mix of armored cavalry and airborne, light, mechanized, and motorized infantry regiments

Germany

Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr):
  • German Army (Deutsche Heer),
  • German Navy (Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm),
  • German Air Force (Deutsche Luftwaffe, includes air defense),
  • Cyber and Information Space (Cyber und Informationsraum) (2025)

note: responsibility for internal and border security is shared by the police forces of the 16 states, the Federal Criminal Police Office, and the Federal Police; the states’ police forces report to their respective interior ministries while the Federal Police forces report to the Federal Ministry of the Interior

Gibraltar

  • Royal Gibraltar Regiment (UK) (2025)

Greece

Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF; Ellinikes Enoples Dynamis, EED): Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES; includes National Guard), Hellenic Navy (Elliniko Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polemiki Aeroporia, EPA; includes air defense) (2025)

note 1: the police (under the Ministry of Citizen Protection) and the armed forces (Ministry of National Defense) share law enforcement duties in certain border areas; the Greek Coast Guard is under the Ministry of Shipping Affairs and Island Policy

note 2: the National Guard was established in 1982 as an official part of the Army to help protect Greece and provide reinforcements and support to the Army in peacetime and in times of mobilization and war

Holy See (Vatican City)

  • the Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia) serves as the de facto military force of Vatican City;
  • the Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City (Corpo della Gendarmeriais) is a police force that helps augment the Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps during the Pope’s appearances, as well as providing general security, traffic direction, and investigative duties for the Vatican City State (2025)

note: the Swiss Guard Corps has protected the Pope and his residence since 1506

Hungary

Hungarian Defense Forces (HDF or Magyar Honvédség): the HDF is organized as a joint force under a general staff with commands for land, air, cyber, special operations, territorial defense, and support forces (2025)

note: the National Police are under the Ministry of Interior and responsible for maintaining order nationwide; the Ministry of Interior also has the Counterterrorism Center, a special police force responsible for protecting the president and the prime minister and for preventing, uncovering, and detecting terrorist acts

Ireland

Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireannn):
  • Army,
  • Air Corps,
  • Naval Service,
  • Reserve Defense Forces (2025)

note: An Garda Siochana (or Garda) is the national police force and maintains internal security under the auspices of the Department of Justice

Italy

Italian Armed Forces (Forze Armate Italiane):
  • Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Navy (Marina Militare Italiana, MMI; includes aviation, marines), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana, AMI);
  • Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2025)

note 1: the National (or State) Police and Carabinieri (gendarmerie or military police) maintain internal security; the National Police reports to the Ministry of Interior while the Carabinieri reports to the Ministry of Defense but is also under the coordination of the Ministry of Interior; the Carabinieri is primarily a domestic police force organized along military lines, with some overseas responsibilities

note 2: the Financial Guard (Guardia di Finanza) under the Ministry of Economy and Finance is a force with military status and nationwide remit for financial crime investigations, including narcotics trafficking, smuggling, and illegal immigration

Kosovo

Kosovo Security Force (KSF; Forca e Sigurisë së Kosovës or FSK): Land Force, National Guard (2025)

note: the Kosovo Police are under the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Latvia

National Armed Forces (Nacionalie Brunotie Speki or NBS): Land Forces (Latvijas Sauszemes Speki), Naval Force (Latvijas Juras Speki, includes Coast Guard (Latvijas Kara Flote)), Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Speki), National Guard (aka Land Guard or Zemessardze)

Ministry of Interior:
  • State Police,
  • State Border Guards,
  • State Security Service (2025)

note: the State Border Guard may become part of the armed forces during an emergency

Liechtenstein

no regular military forces; National Police of the Principality of Liechtenstein (Landespolizei des Fürstentums Liechtenstein)

Lithuania

  • Lithuanian Armed Forces (Lietuvos Ginkluotosios Pajegos): Lithuanian Land Forces (LLF), Lithuanian Navy, Lithuanian Air Force (LTAF), Lithuanian Special Operations Forces (LITHSOF);
  • National Defense Volunteer Forces (2025)

note 1: the National Rifleman's Union is a civilian paramilitary organization supported by the Lithuanian Government, which cooperates with the military but is not part of it; however, in a state of war, its armed formations would fall under the Armed Forces

note 2: the Lithuanian Police and State Border Guard Service are under the Ministry of Interior; in wartime, the State Border Guard Service becomes part of the armed forces

Luxembourg

  • Luxembourg Army (l'Armée Luxembourgeoise) (2025)

note: the Grand Ducal Police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of Internal Security

Malta

the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM):
  • Land Component (combat, combat support, and combat service support divided into three regiments),
  • Maritime Squadron,
  • Air Wing;
  • Volunteer Reserve Force (2025)

note: the Malta Police Force maintains internal security; both the Police and the AFM report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Security, and Law Enforcement

Moldova

Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova (Forțele Armate ale Republicii Moldova): National Army (comprised of Land Forces, Air Force)

Ministry of Internal Affairs:
  • General Inspectorate of Police (GPI),
  • Border Police Department,
  • Carabinieri Troops Department (2025)

note: the Carabinieri is a quasi-militarized gendarmerie responsible for protecting public buildings, maintaining public order, and other national security functions; the GPI is the primary law enforcement body, responsible for internal security, public order, traffic, and criminal investigations

Monaco

no regular military forces; Prince’s Company of Carabiniers (Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince, Police Department (Direction de la Sûreté Publique), Fire and Emergency Service (Corps des Sapeurs-pompiers de Monaco) (2025)

note: the primary responsibility for the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince is guarding the palace; the Police maintain public order

Montenegro

Army of Montenegro (Vojska Crne Gore or VCG):
  • Ground Forces,
  • Air Force,
  • Navy
Ministry of Interior:
Police Directorate of Montenegro (2025)

Netherlands

Netherlands (Dutch) Armed Forces (Nederlandse Krijgsmacht): Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Military Constabulary) (2025)

note 1: the Netherlands Coast Guard and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard are civilian in nature but managed by the Royal Netherlands Navy

note 2: the core missions of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee are border security, security and surveillance, and international and military police tasks

note 3: the Netherlands (or National) Police maintain internal security and report to the Ministry of Justice and Security, which oversees law enforcement organizations, as do the justice ministries in Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten

North Macedonia

Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARSM or ARNM): joint force with air, ground, reserve, special operations, and support forces (2025)

note: the Police of Macedonia maintain internal security, including migration and border enforcement, and report to the Ministry of the Interior

Norway

Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvaret or "the Defense"): Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2025)

note: the Norwegian Police Service is under the Ministry of Justice and Public Security

Poland

Polish Armed Forces (Polskie Siły Zbrojne): Land Forces (Wojska Ladowe), Navy (Marynarka Wojenna), Air Force (Sily Powietrzne), Special Forces (Wojska Specjalne), Territorial Defense Forces (Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej), Cyberspace Defense Forces (Wojska Obrony Cyberprzestrzeni)

Ministry of Interior and Administration:
Polish National Police (Policja); Border Guard (Straż Graniczna or SG) (2025)

Portugal

Portuguese Armed Forces (Forças Armadas Portuguesa): Portuguese Army (Exercito Portuguesa), Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps, aka Corpo de Fuzileiros or Corps of Fusiliers), Portuguese Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP)

Ministry of Internal Administration:
Public Security Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública, PSP) , National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana, GNR) (2025)

note: the PSP has jurisdiction in cities while the GNR has jurisdiction in rural areas; the GNR is a national gendarmerie force comprised of military personnel with law enforcement, internal security, civil defense, disaster response, and coast guard duties; it is responsible to both the Ministry of Internal Administration and to the Ministry of National Defense; it is not part of the Armed Forces, but may be placed under its operational command in the event of a national emergency

Romania

Romanian Armed Forces (Forțele Armate Române or Armata Română): Romanian Land Forces, Romanian Naval Forces, Romanian Air Force

Ministry of Internal Affairs:
  • Romanian Police,
  • Romanian Gendarmerie,
  • Romanian Border Police (2025)

San Marino

San Marino Military Corps (Corpi Militari Sammarinesi; aka Sammarinese Armed Forces or Forze Armate Sammarinesi): Fortress Guard Command (or Guard of the Rock), Uniformed Company of the Militias, Guard of the Great and General Council, Corps of the Gendarmerie

Ministry of Internal Affairs:
Civil Police Corps (2025)

Serbia

Serbian Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije, VS):
  • Army (aka Land Forces; includes Riverine Component, consisting of a naval flotilla on the Danube),
  • Air and Air Defense Forces,
  • Serbian Guard
Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs:
Police Directorate (2025)

note: the Serbian Guard is a brigade-sized unit that is directly subordinate to the Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff; its duties include safeguarding key defense facilities and rendering military honors to top foreign, state, and military officials

Slovakia

Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Ground Forces (S lovenské Pozemné Sily) , Air Forces (S lovenské Vzdušné Sily) , Special Operations Forces (Sily Pre Speciálne Operácie)

Ministry of Interior:
Slovak Police Force (SPF or Policajný Zbor) (2025)

note: the SPF has sole responsibility for internal and border security

Slovenia

Slovenian Armed Forces (Slovenska Vojska, SV):
structured as a combined force with air, land, maritime, and special operations components
Ministry of Interior:
National Police (2025)

Spain

Spanish Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de España): Army (Ejército de Tierra), Spanish Navy (Armada Espanola; includes Marine Corps), Air and Space Force (Ejército del Aire y del Espacio), Emergency Response Unit (Unidad Militar de Emergencias); Civil Guard (Guardia Civil)

Ministry of the Interior:
Spanish National Police (Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, CNP) (2025)

note 1: the Civil Guard is a military force with police duties (including coast guard) under both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior; it also responds to the needs of the Ministry of Finance; the CNP and the Civil Guard maintain internal security as well as migration and border enforcement under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior; the regional police under the authority of the Catalan and the Basque Country regional governments and municipal police throughout the country also support domestic security

note 2: the Emergency Response Unit was established in 2006 as a separate branch of service for responding to natural disasters and providing disaster relief both domestically and abroad; it has personnel from all the other military services

note 3: the Royal Guard is an independent joint-service regiment of the military dedicated to the protection of the King and members of the royal family

Sweden

Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten): Army, Navy, Air Force, Home Guard (202)

Switzerland

Swiss Armed Forces (aka Swiss Army or Schweizer Armee); Army (aka Land Forces), Swiss Air Force (2025)

note: the federal police maintain internal security and report to the Federal Department of Justice and Police

Ukraine

Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU; Zbroyni Syly Ukrayiny or ZSU): Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces, Air Assault Forces, Marine Corps, Special Operations Forces, Unmanned Systems Forces, Territorial Defense Forces (Reserves)

Ministry of Internal Affairs:
  • National Guard of Ukraine,
  • State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (includes Maritime Border Guard or Sea Guard),
  • National Police of Ukraine (2025)

note 1: combat units of the National Guard, National Police, and Border Guards come under the control of the Armed Forces in wartime.

note 2: the Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) were formally established in July 2021; the TDF evolved from former Territorial Defense Battalions and other volunteer militia and paramilitary units that were organized in 2014-2015 to fight Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas; in January 2022, the TDF was activated as a separate military branch

note 3: collectively, the AFU and the forces under the Ministry of Interior are known as the Defense Forces of Ukraine (DFU)

United Kingdom

United Kingdom Armed Forces (aka British Armed Forces, aka His Majesty's Armed Forces): British Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2025)

Middle East

17 entries

Bahrain

Bahrain Defense Force (BDF):
  • Royal Bahraini Army (includes the Royal Guard),
  • Royal Bahraini Navy,
  • Royal Bahraini Air Force
Ministry of Interior:
  • National Guard,
  • Special Security Forces Command (SSFC),
  • Coast Guard (2025)

note 1: the Royal Guard is officially under the command of the Army, but exercises considerable autonomy

note 2: the Ministry of Interior is responsible for internal security and oversees police and specialized security units responsible for maintaining internal order; the National Guard's primary mission is to guard critical infrastructure such as the airport and oil fields and is a back-up to the police; the Guard is under the Ministry of Interior but reports directly to the king

Cyprus

Cypriot National Guard (Ethniki Froura, EF):
  • Army,
  • Navy,
  • Air Force (2025)

Gaza Strip

  • HAMAS maintains security forces inside Gaza in addition to its military wing, the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades;
  • the military wing ostensibly reports to the HAMAS Political Bureau but operates with considerable autonomy;
  • there are several other militant groups operating in the Gaza Strip, most notably the Al-Quds Brigades of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which are usually but not always beholden to HAMAS's authority (2025)

note: HAMAS is a US designated Foreign Terrorist Organization; see Terrorist Organizations under References

Iran

the military forces of Iran are divided between the Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC or Sepah):

Artesh:
  • Ground Forces,
  • Navy (includes marines),
  • Air Force,
  • Air Defense Forces
IRGC:
  • Ground Forces,
  • Navy (includes marines),
  • Aerospace Force (controls strategic missile force),
  • Qods Force (aka Quds Force; special operations),
  • Cyber Electronic Command,
  • Basij Paramilitary Forces
Ministry of Interior:
Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA)
  • Ministry of Intelligence and Security (2025)

note 1: the Artesh primarily focuses on defending Iran’s borders and territorial waters from external threats, while the IRGC has a broader mission to defend the Iranian revolution from any foreign or domestic threat

note 2: the Artesh Navy operates Iran’s larger warships and operates in the Gulf of Oman, the Caspian Sea, and deep waters in the region and beyond; the IRGC Navy has responsibility for the closer-in waters of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz

note 3: the Basij is a volunteer paramilitary group, which sometimes acts as an auxiliary law enforcement unit for the IRGC; it is formally known as the Organization for the Mobilization of the Oppressed and also known as the Popular Mobilization Army

note 4: the Ministry of Intelligence and Security and law enforcement forces under the Interior Ministry, which report to the president, and the IRGC, which reports to the supreme leader, share responsibility for law enforcement and maintaining order

note 5: the FARAJA is the uniformed police of Iran; it includes branches for public security, traffic control, anti-narcotics, special forces (riot control, counterterrorism, hostage rescue, etc), intelligence, and criminal investigations; the FARAJA also has responsibility for border security (Border Guard Command)

Iraq

Ministry of Defense:
  • Iraqi Army,
  • Iraqi Navy,
  • Iraqi Air Force
Office of the Prime Minister:
Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS); Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC)
Ministry of Interior:
  • Federal Police Forces Command, Border Guard Forces Command, Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, Emergency Response Division, Facilities Protection Directorate, and Provincial Police;
  • Ministry of Oil: Energy Police Directorate (2025)

note 1: the Iraqi military and associated security forces are collectively known as the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF); the Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS) includes the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF)

note 2: the Iraqi Government funds the PMF, and it is mandated by law to act under government control but many of the militia units take orders from individual government officials and/or associated political parties; some militias have ties to Iran and some have been designated as terrorist organizations by the US (see Terrorism Reference)

note 3: the federal constitution provides the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) the right to maintain its own military and security forces, known as the Kurdish Security Forces (KSF); some forces, such as the Regional Guard Brigades, are unified under the KRG's Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, but the two main Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), also maintain their own military forces, police, emergency response, and internal security/intelligence services

Israel

Israel Defense Forces (IDF):
  • Ground Forces,
  • Israel Naval Force (IN, includes commandos),
  • Israel Air Force (IAF, includes air defense)
Ministry of National Security:
Israeli Police (2025)

Jordan

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; aka Arab Army): Jordanian Army (Jordanian Ground Forces; includes Special Operations Forces, Border Guards, Royal Guard), Jordanian Air Force, Jordanian Navy)

Ministry of Interior:
Public Security Directorate (includes national police, the Gendarmerie, and the Civil Defense Directorate) (2025)

Kuwait

Kuwait Armed Forces (KAF):
  • Kuwait Army (aka Kuwait Land Forces, KLF),
  • Kuwait Navy (aka Kuwait Naval Force),
  • Kuwait Air Force;
  • Kuwait National Guard (KNG)
Ministry of Interior:
  • Kuwait Police,
  • State Security,
  • Kuwait Coast Guard (2025)

note 1: the Emiri Guard Authority and the 25th Commando Brigade are special units within the KAF that exercise independent command authority, although activities such as training and equipment procurement are often coordinated with the other services; the 25th Commando Brigade is Kuwait's leading special forces unit; the Emiri Guard Authority (aka Emiri Guard Brigade) is responsible for protecting Kuwait's heads of state

note 2: the National Guard reports directly to the prime minister and the amir and possesses an independent command structure, equipment inventory, and logistics corps separate from the Ministry of Defense, the regular armed services, and the Ministry of Interior; it is responsible for protecting critical infrastructure and providing support for the Ministries of Interior and Defense as required

Lebanon

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF):
  • Army Command (includes Presidential Guard Brigade, Land Border Regiments),
  • Naval Forces,
  • Air Forces
Ministry of Interior:
General Directorate of Internal Security Forces (law enforcement; includes Mobile Gendarmerie), General Directorate for Public Security (border control, some domestic security duties) (2025)

note: the commander of the LAF is also the head of the Army; the LAF patrols external borders, while official border checkpoints are under the authority of Directorate for General Security

Oman

Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF):
  • Royal Army of Oman (RAO),
  • Royal Navy of Oman (RNO),
  • Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO),
  • Royal Guard of Oman (RGO),
  • Sultan's Special Forces
Royal Oman Police (ROP):
  • Civil Defense,
  • Immigration,
  • Infrastructure Security Police,
  • Coast Guard Police,
  • Special Security Police,
  • Special Task Force (2024)

note: in addition to its policing duties, the ROP conducts many administrative functions similar to the responsibilities of a Ministry of Interior in other countries

Qatar

Qatar Armed Forces (QAF):
  • Qatari Amiri Land Force (QALF, includes Emiri Guard),
  • Qatari Amiri Navy (QAN, includes Coast Guard),
  • Qatari Amiri Air Force (QAAF)
Ministry of Interior:
  • General Directorate of Public Security,
  • General Directorate of Coasts and Border Security,
  • Internal Security Force (ISF or Lekhwiya) (2025)

Saudi Arabia

the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces (SAAF) are divided into two ministries:

Ministry of Defense:
  • Royal Saudi Land Forces, Royal Saudi Naval Forces (includes marines, special forces, naval aviation), Royal Saudi Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces, Royal Saudi Strategic Missiles Force;
  • Ministry of the National Guard: Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG)
Other security forces include:
Ministry of Interior:
  • Facilities Security Forces,
  • Public Security Forces (police),
  • General Directorate of Border Guard
State Security Presidency (SSP):
  • General Directorate of Investigation (Mabahith),
  • Special Security Forces,
  • Special Emergency Forces (2025)

note 1: the regular armed forces under the Ministry of Defense are responsible for external defense, although they can be called for domestic security duties if needed

note 2 : the SANG (also known as the White Army) is a land force comprised of tribal elements loyal to the House of Saud; it is responsible for internal security, protecting the royal family, guarding against military coups, defending strategic facilities and resources, and providing security for the cities of Mecca and Medina; it may also assist the regular armed forces in combat operations

note 3: the SAAF includes the Saudi Royal Guard Command, a unit which provides security and protection to the ruling family and other dignitaries

Syria

  • the interim government authorities in Syria have established a Ministry of Defense and are attempting to unify the dozens of armed factions operating in Syria under a single, state-linked army;
  • it has also established a Ministry of Interior to manage police and other security forces (2025)

Turkey (Turkiye) now Turkiye

Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK): Turkish Land Forces (Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), Turkish Naval Forces (Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri; includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Forces (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri)

Ministry of Interior:
  • Gendarmerie General Command (aka Gendarmerie of the Turkish Republic),
  • Turkish Coast Guard Command,
  • General Directorate of Security (National Police) (2025)

note: the Gendarmerie (Jandarma) is responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police forces (generally in rural areas); in wartime, the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard would be placed under the operational control of the Land Forces and Naval Forces, respectively

United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates Armed Forces:
  • Land Forces (Army),
  • Navy,
  • Air Force,
  • Presidential Guard (includes special operations forces),
  • National Guard (includes Coast Guard) (2025)

note: each emirate maintains a local police force called a general directorate, which is officially a branch of the federal Ministry of Interior; all emirate-level general directorates of police enforce their respective emirate’s laws autonomously; they also enforce federal laws within their emirate in coordination with one another under the federal ministry; the State Security Directorate (SSD) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai State Security (DSS) have primary responsibility for counterterrorism law enforcement efforts; local, emirate-level police forces, especially the Abu Dhabi Police and Dubai Police, are the first responders in such cases and provide technical assistance to SSD and DSS

West Bank

  • per the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is not permitted a conventional military but maintains security and police forces;
  • PA security personnel have operated exclusively in the West Bank since HAMAS seized power in the Gaza Strip in 2007;
  • PA forces include the Palestinian National Security Forces, Presidential Guard, Civil Police, Civil Defense, Preventive Security Organization, the General Intelligence Organization, and the Military Intelligence Organization (2024)

note: the National Security Forces conduct gendarmerie-style security operations in circumstances that exceed the capabilities of the Civil Police; it is the largest branch of the PA security services and acts as the internal Palestinian security force; the Presidential Guard protects facilities and provides dignitary protection; the Preventive Security Organization is responsible for internal intelligence gathering and investigations related to internal security cases, including political dissent

Yemen

Yemeni Armed Forces:
  • Yemeni National Army,
  • Air Force and Air Defense,
  • Navy and Coastal Defense Forces,
  • Border Guard,
  • Strategic Reserve Forces (includes Special Forces and Presidential Protection Brigades, which are under the Ministry of Defense but responsible to the president),
  • Popular Committee Forces (aka Popular Resistance Forces; government-backed tribal militia)
Ministry of Interior:
  • Security Forces,
  • Emergency Forces,
  • Counterterrorism Units (2025)

note 1: both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have raised and continue to back tribal and regionally based irregular forces in Yemen

note 2: Houthi (alt Huthi; aka Ansarallah) forces include land, aerospace (air, missile), naval/coastal defense, presidential protection, special operations, internal security, and militia/tribal auxiliary components; a considerable portion--up to 70 percent by some estimates--of Yemen’s military and security forces defected in whole or in part to former president SALAH and the Houthi opposition in 2011-2015

North America

4 entries

Bermuda

  • Royal Bermuda Regiment; Bermuda Police Service (2025)

note: the Royal Bermuda Regiment (aka "The Regiment") includes the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coast Guard

Canada

Canadian Forces:
  • Canadian Army,
  • Royal Canadian Navy,
  • Royal Canadian Air Force (2025)

note 1: the CAF is comprised of both a Regular Force and a Reserve Force; the Reserve Force is comprised of the Primary Reserve, Canadian Rangers, Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service, and the Supplementary Reserve; the Canadian Rangers are part of the Army Reserve Force and provide a limited presence in Canada's northern, coastal, and isolated areas for sovereignty, public safety, and surveillance roles

note 2: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP or "Mounties") are under the Department of Public Safety; the Coast Guard is under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Mexico

the Mexican Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de México) are divided between the Secretariat of National Defense and the Secretariat of the Navy:

  • Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, SEDENA): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM), National Guard (Guardia Nacional);
  • Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, SEMAR): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico (ARM), includes Naval Air Force (FAN), Mexican Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infanteria de Marina, Mexmar or CIM))
  • Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection/SEDENA: National Guard (2025)

note: the National Guard was formed in 2019 of personnel from the former Federal Police (disbanded in December 2019) and military police units of the Army and Navy

United States

United States Armed Forces (aka US Military):
  • US Army (USA), US Navy (USN; includes US Marine Corps or USMC), US Air Force (USAF), US Space Force (USSF);
  • US Coast Guard (USCG);
  • National Guard (Army National Guard and Air National Guard) (2025)

note 1: the US Coast Guard is administered in peacetime by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Navy

note 2: the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard are reserve components of their services and operate in part under state authority; the US military also maintains reserve forces for each branch

note 3: US law enforcement personnel include those of federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice, the 50 states, special jurisdictions, local sheriff’s offices, and municipal, county, regional, and tribal police departments

note 4: some US states have "state defense forces" (SDFs), which are military units that operate under the sole authority of state governments; SDFs are authorized by state and federal law and are under the command of the governor of each state; most are organized as ground units, but air and naval units also exist

Oceania

19 entries

Australia

Australian Defense Force (ADF):
  • Australian Army,
  • Royal Australian Navy,
  • Royal Australian Air Force (2025)

note: the Australian Federal Police (AFP) is an independent agency of the Attorney-General’s Department; the AFP, state, and territorial police forces are responsible for internal security; the Australian Border Force (ABF) is under the Department of Home Affairs

Cook Islands

no regular military forces; Cook Islands Police Service

Fiji

Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF):
Land Force, Republic of Fiji Navy (2025)

French Polynesia

no regular military forces

Guam

Guam Police Department (GPD); Guam (US) National Guard

Kiribati

  • Kiribati Police Service (includes Maritime Police) (2025)

Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands Police Department (includes a Sea Patrol Division)

Micronesia, Federated States of now Federated States of Micronesia

no military forces; Federated States of Micronesia National Police (includes a maritime wing)

Nauru

no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force

New Caledonia

no regular military forces; Territorial Directorate of the National Police of New Caledonia (DTPN), Gendarmerie of New Caledonia (2025)

New Zealand

New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF):
  • New Zealand Army,
  • Royal New Zealand Navy,
  • Royal New Zealand Air Force (2025)

note: the New Zealand Police, under the Minister of Police, is the primary law enforcement body agency of New Zealand and responsible for internal security

Niue

no regular indigenous military forces; Niue Police Department

Palau

no regular military forces; the Bureau of Public Safety (Ministry of Justice) has divisions for police functions and maritime security (2025)

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF):
  • Land,
  • Air,
  • Maritime elements
Ministry of Internal Security:
Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) (2025)

Samoa

no regular military forces; Samoa Police Service (includes a maritime unit) (2025)

Solomon Islands

Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services (MPNSCS): the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) (2025)

Tonga

His Majesty's Armed Forces Tonga (HMAF; aka Tonga Defense Services): Tonga Royal Guard, Tonga Land Force (Royal Tongan Marines), Tonga Navy, Air Wing

Ministry of Police and Fire Services:
Tonga Police Force (2025)

Tuvalu

no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force

Vanuatu

no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF)

note: the VPF includes the paramilitary Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF) and Police Maritime Wing (VMW); the VMF has external security responsibilities

South America

13 entries

Argentina

Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic (Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina): Argentine Army (Ejercito Argentino, EA), Navy of the Argentine Republic (Armada Republica, ARA; includes naval aviation and naval infantry), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA)

Ministry of Security:
Gendarmería Nacional Argentina (National Gendarmerie), Coast Guard (Prefectura Naval) (2025)

note: all federal police forces are under the Ministry of Security

Bolivia

Bolivian Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de Bolivia or FAB): Bolivian Army (Ejercito de Boliviano), Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana), Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana)

Ministry of Government:
National Police (Policía Nacional de Bolivia, PNB) (2025)

note: the PNB is part of the reserves for the Armed Forces; the police and military share responsibility for border enforcement

Brazil

Brazilian Armed Forces (Forças Armadas Brasileiras): Brazilian Army (Exercito Brasileiro, EB), Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil; includes Naval Aviation (Aviacao Naval Brasileira) and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira) (2025)

note: the three national police forces – the Federal Police, Federal Highway Police, and Federal Railway Police – have domestic security responsibilities and report to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Ministry of Justice)

Chile

Armed Forces of Chile ( Fuerzas Armadas de Chile ):
  • Chilean Army (Ejército de Chile),
  • Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile, includes Marine Corps and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine Directorate or Directemar),
  • Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACh) (2025)

note 1: the Directemar is the country's coast guard

note 2: the National Police Force (Carabineros de Chile) is responsible to both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security

Colombia

  • Military Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Militares de Colombia ) : National Army (Ejercito Nacional), Colombian Aerospace Force (Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana, FAC), Colombian Navy (Armada de Colombia; includes Coast Guard);
  • National Police of Colombia (Policia Nacional de Colombia, PNC) (2025)

note: the PNC is a civilian force under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense

Ecuador

Ecuadorian Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas del Ecuador): Ground Force (Fuerza Terrestre), Naval Force (Fuerza Naval; includes naval infantry, naval aviation, coast guard), Ecuadorian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana) (2025)

note: the National Police of Ecuador (Policía Nacional del Ecuador) is under the Ministry of Government/Interior

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

no regular military forces

Guyana

the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) is a unified force with ground, air, and coast guard components, as well as the Guyana National Reserve (2026)

note: the Guyana Police Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for internal security

Paraguay

Armed Forces of Paraguay (Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay; aka Armed Forces of the Nation or Fuerzas Armadas de la Nación): Paraguayan Army (Ejército Paraguayo), Paraguayan Navy (Armada Paraguaya; includes marines), Paraguayan Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya)

Ministry of Internal Affairs:
National Police of Paraguay (Policía Nacional del Paraguay, PNP) (2025)

Peru

Armed Forces of Peru (Fuerzas Armadas del Perú or FAP): Peruvian Army (Ejercito del Peru), Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru, MGP, includes naval infantry and General Directorate of Captaincies and Coast Guards, DICAPI), Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP)

Ministry of the Interior:
Peruvian National Police (Policía Nacional del Perú, PNP) (2025)

Suriname

  • Suriname National Army (Nationaal Leger or NL);
  • Army (Landmacht), Navy (Marine);
  • Air Force (Luchtmacht), Military Police (Korps Militaire Politie)
Ministry of Justice and Police:
Suriname Police Force (Korps Politie Suriname or KPS) (2026)

Uruguay

Armed Forces of Uruguay (Fuerzas Armadas del Uruguay or FF.AA. del Uruguay): National Army, National Navy (includes Coast Guard (Prefectura Nacional Naval or PRENA)), Uruguayan Air Force

Ministry of Interior:
National Police (2025)

note: the National Police includes the paramilitary National Republican Guard (Guardia Nacional Republicana)

Venezuela

Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana, FANB): Bolivarian Army (Ejercito Bolivariano, EB), Bolivarian Navy (Armada Bolivariana, AB; includes marines, Coast Guard), Bolivarian Military Aviation (Aviacion Militar Bolivariana, AMB), Bolivarian Militia (Milicia Bolivariana), Bolivarian National Guard (Guardia Nacional Bolivaria, GNB), Presidential Honor Guard

Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace:
Bolivarian National Police (Policía Nacional Bolivariana, PNB) (2025)

note 1: the Bolivarian Militia and the Presidential Honor Guard are considered special/secondary components of the FANB; the Militia is composed of the Military Reserve and the Territorial Militia and is comprised of armed civilians who receive periodic training in exchange for a small stipend

note 2: the National Guard was made part of the FANB in 2007 and is responsible for maintaining public order, guarding the exterior of key government installations and prisons, conducting counter-narcotics operations, monitoring borders, and providing law enforcement in remote areas; it reports to both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace

note 3: the PNB is a federal force created by Hugo CHAVEZ in 2008 as a “preventative police force,” separate from state and local ones; the PNB largely focuses on policing Caracas’ Libertador municipality, patrolling Caracas-area highways, railways, and metro system, and protecting diplomatic missions; the PNB includes the Special Action Forces (Fuerzas de Acciones Especiales, FAES), a paramilitary unit created by President MADURO to bolster internal security after the 2017 anti-government protests

note 4: there are also pro-government armed groups known as colectivos operating in Caracas and other cities

Southeast Asia

14 entries

Brunei

Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) or Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB): Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) (2025)

note 1: the Gurkha Security Unit under the Ministry of Defense is a special guard force for the Sultan, the royal family, and the country’s oil installations

note 2: the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) is under the Prime Minister's Office

Burma now Burma (Myanmar)

Burmese Defense Service (aka Armed Forces of Burma, Myanmar Army, Royal Armed Forces, the Tatmadaw, or the Sit-Tat): Army (Tatmadaw Kyi), Navy (Tatmadaw Yay), Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay); People’s Militia

Ministry of Home Affairs:
Burma (People's) Police Force, Border Guard Forces/Police (2025)

note 1: under the 2008 constitution, the Tatmadaw was given control over the appointments of senior officials to lead the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Border Affairs, and the Ministry of Home Affairs; in 2022, a new law gave the commander-in-chief of the Tatmadaw the authority to appoint or remove the head of the police force

note 2: the military is supported by pro-government militias; some are integrated within the Tatmadaw’s command structure as Border Guard Forces, which are organized as battalions with a mix of militia forces, ethnic armed groups, and government soldiers that are armed, supplied, and paid by the Tatmadaw; other pro-military government militias are not integrated within the Tatmadaw command structure but receive direction and some support from the military and are recognized as government militias; a third type of pro-government militias are small community-based units that are armed, coordinated, and trained by local Tatmadaw forces and activated as needed

Cambodia

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF):
  • Royal Cambodian Army,
  • Royal Khmer Navy,
  • Royal Cambodian Air Force,
  • Royal Gendarmerie (Military Police);
  • National Committee for Maritime Security (2025)

note 1: the National Committee for Maritime Security performs coast guard functions and has representation from military and civilian agencies

note 2: the Cambodian National Police are under the Ministry of Interior

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Police Force (specialized units include the Police Counterterrorism Response Unit, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau, the Special Duties Unit, the Airport Security Unit, and the VIP Protection Unit)

  • China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison is responsible for defense duties;
  • the garrison includes elements of the PLA Army, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force and are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Southern Theater Command (2025)

Indonesia

Indonesian National Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI): Army (TNI-Angkatan Darat, TNI-AD), Navy (TNI-Angkatan Laut, TNI-AL; includes Marine Corps (Korps Marinir or KorMar)), Air Force (TNI-Angkatan Udara, TNI-AU)

Indonesian National Police (aka The State Police of the Republic of Indonesia or POLRI)

Ministry of Transportation:
  • Indonesia Sea and Coast Guard (Kesatuan Penjagaan Laut dan Pantai Republik Indonesia, KPLP);
  • Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs: Maritime Security Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (Badan Keamanan Laut Republik Indonesia, Bakamla) (2025)

note 1: the National Police are an independent organization reporting directly to the president of Indonesia

note 2: the KPLP ensures the safety of shipping inside the Indonesian Maritime Zone; the Bakamla conducts security and safety patrols in the territorial waters of Indonesia

Laos

Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF; aka Lao People's Army): Lao People's Army (LPA, includes Riverine Force), Lao People's Air Force (LPAF); Self-Defense Militia Forces (2025)

note: the Ministry of Public Security maintains internal security and is responsible for law enforcement; it oversees local, traffic, immigration, and security police, village police auxiliaries, and other armed police units

Macau

Macau Public Security Police Force

Malaysia

Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM): Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force

Ministry of Home Affairs:
Royal Malaysia Police (RMP or Polis Diraja Malaysia, PDRM), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA; aka Malaysian Coast Guard) (2025)

note: the Royal Malaysia Police includes the General Operations Force, a paramilitary force with a variety of roles, including patrolling borders, counterterrorism, maritime security, and counterinsurgency

Philippines

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP):
  • Army,
  • Navy (includes Marine Corps),
  • Air Force
Department of Transportation:
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG); Department of the Interior: Philippine National Police Force (PNP) (2025)

note 1: the PCG is an armed and uniformed service that would be attached to the AFP during a conflict

note 2: the Philippine Government also arms and supports civilian militias; the AFP controls the Civilian Armed Force Geographical Units, while the Civilian Volunteer Organizations fall under PNP command

Singapore

Singapore Armed Forces (SAF; aka Singapore Defense Force): Singapore Army, Republic of Singapore Navy, Republic of Singapore Air Force (includes air defense), Digital and Intelligence Service

Ministry of Home Affairs:
Singapore Police Force (SPF; includes Police Coast Guard and the Gurkha Contingent) (2025)

note 1: the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force (GCSPF) is a paramilitary unit for riot control and acts as a rapid reaction force

note 2: the Navy includes the multi-agency standing Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF), which assists the Police Coast Guard in conducting maritime security operations

Taiwan

Taiwan Armed Forces:
  • Army,
  • Navy (includes Marine Corps),
  • Air Force,
  • Information Communication and Electronic Force (ICEF)
Ocean Affairs Council:
Coast Guard Administration (CGA)
Ministry of Interior:
National Police (2025)

note: the CGA is a law enforcement organization with homeland security functions during peacetime and national defense missions during wartime

Thailand

Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF):
  • Royal Thai Army (RTA),
  • Royal Thai Navy (RTN; includes Royal Thai Marine Corps),
  • Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF)
Office of the Prime Minister:
Royal Thai Police (2025)

note: official paramilitary forces in Thailand include the Thai Rangers (Thahan Phran or "Hunter Soldiers") under the Army; the Paramilitary Marines under the Navy; the Border Patrol Police (BPP) under the Royal Thai Police; the Volunteer Defense Corps (VDC or O So ) and National Defense Volunteers (NDV), both under the Ministry of Interior; there are also several government-backed volunteer militias created to provide village security against insurgents in the Deep South or to assist government security forces

Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste Defense Force (Falintil-Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, Falintil (F-FDTL)): Land Component, Air Force Component, Naval Component

Ministry of Interior:
National Police of Timor-Leste (Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste, PNTL) (2025)

Vietnam

People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; aka Vietnam People's Army, VPA): Ground Forces (Army), Navy (includes naval infantry), Air Defense - Air Force, Vietnam Border Guard, Vietnam Coast Guard

  • Vietnam People's Ministry of Public Security; Vietnam Civil Defense Force (2025)

note 1: the People's Public Security Ministry is responsible for internal security and controls the national police, a special national security investigative agency, and other internal security units, including specialized riot police regiments

note 2: the Vietnam Coast Guard was established in 1998 as the Vietnam Marine Police and renamed in 2013; Vietnam established a civilian maritime self-defense force in 2010; the Vietnam Department of Fisheries Resources Surveillance (DFIRES; under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), established in 2013, is responsible for fisheries enforcement, aquatic conservation roles, and is designated as Vietnam's standing agency for combating illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing; it is armed, allowed to use force if necessary, and works in tandem with the Vietnam Coast Guard

note 3: the PAVN is the military arm of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and responsible to the Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest party organ on military policy; the CMC is led by the CPV General Secretary

Cite this page

Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2025, “Military and security forces”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/military-and-security-forces.

How to cite