The CIA World Factbook Every edition, 2005 to 2025 Southeast Asia
Military - note Laos, in 19 editions.
The entry for Laos published Military - note in 19 editions of 36, from 2005 to 2025. The text changed in 7 editions. Each is shown as published. Military - note in every entry.
- editions changed the text
- 7
- the first edition with it
- 2005
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Military - note” (2005 to 2025).
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe edition shownChoose an edition on the strip beside the text, or step through them with the arrows. Mark changes compares it with the edition before: the marks are ours, words added and words removed.
2025 edition
Changed since 2024The same text in 3 editions, 2005 to 2007.
- 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)
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)
The same text in 7 editions, 2008 to 2014.
- serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced;
- its mission focus is border and internal security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups;
- together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies, but the LPA also has upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks;
- there is no perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2008)
Rewritten: too little of the 2007 text remains to mark the changes.
serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; its mission focus is border and internal security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups; together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies, but the LPA also has upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks; there is no perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2008)
The same text in 4 editions, 2015 to 2018.
- serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced;
- its mission focus is border and internal security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups;
- together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies;
- there is no perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2012)
serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; its mission focus is border and internal security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups; together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies, but the LPA also has upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks; emergencies; there is no perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2008) (2012)
The entry for Laos did not include Military - note.
the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency and counterterrorism
Rewritten: too little of the 2018 text remains to mark the changes.
the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency and counterterrorism
the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency and counterterrorism
- Vietnam is the Laotian military's primary security partner,
- although in recent years,
- Laos has expanded defense ties with China (2022)
the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency and counterterrorism
Vietnam is the Laotian military's primary security partner, although in recent years, Laos has expanded defense ties with China (2022)
- the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency and counterterrorism;
- the Army is organized into a few small divisions and independent regiments deployed around the country in four military regions;
- the Army is supported by a self-defense militia, which is estimated to be 100,000 strong;
- the small Air Force does not have any combat aircraft
- Vietnam is the military's primary security partner,
- although in recent years,
- Laos has expanded defense ties with China and Russia (2023)
the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency and counterterrorism counterterrorism; the Army is organized into a few small divisions and independent regiments deployed around the country in four military regions; the Army is supported by a self-defense militia, which is estimated to be 100,000 strong; the small Air Force does not have any combat aircraft
Vietnam is the Laotian military's primary security partner, although in recent years, Laos has expanded defense ties with China (2022) and Russia (2023)
- the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency and counterterrorism;
- China, Russia, and Vietnam are the country's closest security partners (2023)
Rewritten: too little of the 2023 text remains to mark the changes.
the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency and counterterrorism; China, Russia, and Vietnam are the country's closest security partners (2023)
- the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, and counter-narcotics operations, as well as protecting the regime;
- its defense partners include Cambodia, China, Russia, and Vietnam (2025)
the LPAF’s primary missions are border and internal security, including counterinsurgency counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, and counterterrorism; counter-narcotics operations, as well as protecting the regime; its defense partners include Cambodia, China, Russia, and Vietnam are the country's closest security partners (2023) (2025)
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Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. “Laos: Military - note.” The World Factbook, 2005–2025 editions. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/laos/military-note.