Military - note In 30 editions of 36.

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of France

the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs

defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of the UK

• Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resouces at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally;
• infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates;
• poor pay and conditions have been a problem in the past, as has alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups;
• these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance as intial steps towards the improvement of the army and its focus on realistic security concerns;
• command is excersized from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005)

• with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF);
• as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete

defense is the responsibility of France

• the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon;
• it permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes

defense is the responsibility of Norway

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of Denmark

defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik

defense is the responsibility of Norway

demilitarized by treaty on 9 February 1920

defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016

• a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group;
• a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

• the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard;
• the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression;
• the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island;
• it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005)

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of the US

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

• on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by creating the Panamanian Public Forces;
• in October 1994, Panama's Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of a standing military force, but allowing the temporary establishment of special police units to counter acts of "external aggression"

defense is the responsibility of the US

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of the US

defense is the responsibility of France and Spain

In November 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a "Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe" that offers possibilities - with some limits - for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take some two years, this treaty will in effect make operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a European military planning unit is likely to continue.

So is creation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004.

Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational Command Support Brigade, and EUFOR, which took over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command - committments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations.

In November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formally committed to creating thirteen 1,500-man "battle groups" by the end of 2007, to respond to international crises on a rotating basis. Twenty-two of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops. France, Italy, and the UK are to form the first three battle groups in 2005, with Spain to follow. In May 2005, Norway, Sweden, and Finland agreed to establish one of the battle groups, possibly to include Estonian forces. The remaining groups are to be formed by 2007. (2005)

defense is the responsibility of Denmark

defense is the responsibility of the UK; the last British regular infantry forces left Gibraltar in 1992, replaced by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of Switzerland

defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003)

defense is the responsibility of Italy

Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit

includes Dheklia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway

• in the early 1990s, the Turkish Land Force was a large but badly equipped infantry force;
• there were 14 infantry divisions, but only one was mechanized, and out of 16 infantry brigades, only six were mechanized;
• the overhaul that has taken place since has produced highly moblie forces with greatly enhanced firepower in accordance with NATO's new strategic concept (2005)

a Coast Guard was established in 2002

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of the US

defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request

• defense is the responsibility of Australia;
• visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy;
• Australia has control over the activities of visitors

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of the US

defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard

defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard

defense is the responsibility of the US

defense is the responsibility of the US

Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ

defense is the responsibility of the US

Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a sovereign, self-governing state in free association with the US; FSM is totally dependent on the US for its defense

defense is the responsibility of the US

Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

defense is the responsibility of Australia

defense is the responsibility of the US

defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years

defense is the responsibility of the US

defense is the responsibility of the UK

• Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces;
• informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

defense is the responsibility of the US; launch support facility is part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS) administered by US Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC)

defense is the responsibility of France

• the Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained by the country's prolonged economic hardship;
• the country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and the military is now implementing "Plan 2000," aimed at making the ground forces lighter and more responsive (2005)

defense is the responsibility of the UK

defense is the responsibility of France

defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force

defense is the responsibility of Australia

defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory does have a five-person police force

defense is the responsibility of China

• Laos is one of the world's least developed countries;
• the Lao People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced;
• there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely to continue;
• the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005)

occupied by China

Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam