The CIA World Factbook Every edition, 1990 to 2025 Africa
Military and security forces Libya, in 35 editions.
The entry for Libya published Military and security forces in 35 editions of 36, from 1990 to 2025. The text changed in 24 editions. Each is shown as published. Military and security forces in every entry.
- editions changed the text
- 24
- the first edition with it
- 1990
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Branches” (1990 to 1996), “Military branches” (1997 to 2018) and “Military and security forces” (2019 to 2025).
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe edition shownChoose an edition on the strip beside the text, or step through them with the arrows. Mark changes compares it with the edition before: the marks are ours, words added and words removed.
2025 edition
Rewritten since 2024Published as “Branches”
- Armed Forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya includes People's Defense (Army),
- Arab Air Force and Air Defense Command,
- Arab Navy
Armed Forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya includes People's Defense (Army), Arab Air Force and Air Defense Command, Arab Navy
Published as “Branches”
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command), National Police
Armed Forces Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya includes People's Defense (Army), Arab (includes Army, Navy, Air Force and Force, Air Defense Command, Arab Navy Command), National Police
Published as “Branches”
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (including Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command), National Police
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya (includes Jamahiriya (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and
Air Defense Command), National Police
Published as “Branches”
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (including Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command)
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Jamahiriyah (including Army, Navy, Air and
Air Defense Command), National Police Command)
Published as “Branches”
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (including Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command)
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (including Army, Navy,
Air and
Published as “Branches”
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (includes Army, Navy, and Air and Air Defense Command), Police
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (including (includes Army, Navy,
Navy, and Air and Air Defense Command) Command), Police
Published as “Branches”
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (includes Army, Navy, and Air and Air Defense Command), Police
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (includes Army,
Army, Navy, and Air and Air Defense Command), Police
The same text in 5 editions, 1997 to 2001.
Published as “Military branches”
- Army,
- Navy,
- Air and Air Defense Command
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (includesArmy, Navy, and Air and Air Defense Command), Police Command
The same text in 2002 and 2003.
Published as “Military branches”
- Armed Peoples on Duty (Army),
- Navy,
- Air and Air Defense Command (includes Air Force)
Army, Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), Navy, Air and Air Defense Command (includes Air Force)
The same text in 2004 and 2005.
Published as “Military branches”
- Armed Peoples on Duty (Army),
- Navy,
- Air Force,
- Air Defense Command
Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), Navy, Air and Force, Air Defense Command (includes Air Force)
Published as “Military branches”
- Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army),
- Libyan Arab Navy,
- Libyan Arab Air Force (LAAF) (2006)
Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Air Force, Libyan Arab Air Defense Command Force (LAAF) (2006)
Published as “Military branches”
- Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army),
- Libyan Arab Navy,
- Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF) (2007)
Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (LAAF) (2006) (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF) (2007)
Published as “Military branches”
- Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army),
- Libyan Arab Navy,
- Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF) (2008)
Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF) (2007) (2008)
The same text in 2009 and 2010.
Published as “Military branches”
- Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army),
- Libyan Arab Navy,
- Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF),
- Libyan Coast Guard (2008)
Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF) LAAF), Libyan Coast Guard (2008)
The entry for Libya did not include Military and security forces.
The same text in 3 editions, 2012 to 2014.
Published as “Military branches”
note - in transition; government attempting to staff a new national army with anti-QADAFI militia fighters and former members of QADAFI's military (2008)
Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF), Libyan Coast Guard note - in transition; government attempting to staff a new national army with anti-QADAFI militia fighters and former members of QADAFI's military (2008)
The same text in 2015 and 2016.
Published as “Military branches”
note - in transition; government has affiliated Army, Air Force, and Navy forces (2015)
note - in transition; government attempting to staff a new national army with anti-QADAFI militia fighters has affiliated Army, Air Force, and former members of QADAFI's military (2008) Navy forces (2015)
Published as “Military branches”
note - in transition; government has affiliated Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard forces (2016)
note - in transition; government has affiliated Army, Air Force, Navy, and Navy Coast Guard forces (2015) (2016)
Published as “Military branches”
note - in transition; Libyan Government of National Accord has affiliated ground, air, naval, and coast guard forces (2018)
note - in transition; government Libyan Government of National Accord has affiliated Army, Air Force, Navy, ground, air, naval, and Coast Guard coast guard forces (2016) (2018)
- note - in transition;
- Government of National Accord (GNA) has various ground, air, naval, and coast guard forces under its command;
- the ground forces are comprised of a mix of semi-regular military units, tribal militias, and civilian volunteers (2019)
note - in transition; Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) has affiliated various ground, air, naval, and coast guard forces (2018) under its command; the ground forces are comprised of a mix of semi-regular military units, tribal militias, and civilian volunteers (2019)
- note - in transition;
- the Government of National Accord (GNA) has various ground, air, naval, and coast guard forces under its command;
- the forces are comprised of a mix of semi-regular military units, tribal militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign troops and mercenaries
forces under Khalifa HAFTER, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), also include various ground, air, and naval units comprised of semi-regular military personnel, tribal militias, and foreign troops and mercenaries (2019)
note - in transition; the Government of National Accord (GNA) has various ground, air, naval, and coast guard forces under its command; the ground forces are comprised of a mix of semi-regular military units, tribal militias, and civilian volunteers volunteers, and foreign troops and mercenaries
forces under Khalifa HAFTER, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), also include various ground, air, and naval units comprised of semi-regular military personnel, tribal militias, and foreign troops and mercenaries (2019)
- Libya lacks a nationwide military and the interim government, the Government of National Unity (GNU), relies on its cooperation with disparate militias that it cannot entirely control for security;
- the GNU has access to various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of a mix of semi-regular military units, militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign troops and mercenaries
- the Libyan National Army (LNA), under de facto LNA commander Khalifa HAFTER, also includes various ground, air, and naval units comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, and foreign troops and mercenaries;
- as of late 2021, the LNA continued to operate independently from the GNU and exerted influence throughout eastern, central, and southern Libya (2021)
note - in transition; Libya lacks a nationwide military and the interim government, the Government of National Accord (GNA) Unity (GNU), relies on its cooperation with disparate militias that it cannot entirely control for security; the GNU has access to various ground, air, naval, and coast naval/coast guard forces under its command; the forces are comprised of a mix of semi-regular military units, tribal militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign troops and mercenariesforces under Khalifa HAFTER, known as the Libyan National Army (LNA), under de facto LNA commander Khalifa HAFTER, also include includes various ground, air, and naval units comprised of semi-regular military personnel, tribal militias, and foreign troops and mercenaries (2019) mercenaries; as of late 2021, the LNA continued to operate independently from the GNU and exerted influence throughout eastern, central, and southern Libya (2021)
- Libya lacks a nationwide military and the interim government, the Government of National Unity (GNU), relies on its cooperation with disparate militias that it cannot entirely control for security;
- the GNU has a ministry of defense and access to various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of a mix of semi-regular military units, militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign troops and mercenaries
- the Libyan National Army (LNA), under de facto LNA commander Khalifa HAFTER, also includes various ground, air, and naval units comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, and foreign troops and mercenaries;
- as of 2022, the LNA operated independently from the GNU and exerted influence throughout eastern, central, and southern Libya (2022)
note 1: the Stabilization Support Authority (SSA) is a state-funded militia established in January 2021 by the GNU; it is tasked with securing government buildings and officials, participating in combat operations, apprehending those suspected of national security crimes, and cooperating with other security bodies
note 2: the national police force under the Ministry of Interior oversees internal security (with support from military forces under the Ministry of Defense), but much of Libya's security-related police work generally falls to informal armed groups, which received government salaries but lacked formal training, supervision, or consistent accountability
Libya lacks a nationwide military and the interim government, the Government of National Unity (GNU), relies on its cooperation with disparate militias that it cannot entirely control for security; the GNU has a ministry of defense and access to various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of a mix of semi-regular military units, militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign troops and mercenaries
the Libyan National Army (LNA), under de facto LNA commander Khalifa HAFTER, also includes various ground, air, and naval units comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, and foreign troops and mercenaries; as of late 2021, 2022, the LNA continued to operate operated independently from the GNU and exerted influence throughout eastern, central, and southern Libya (2021) (2022)
note 1: the Stabilization Support Authority (SSA) is a state-funded militia established in January 2021 by the GNU; it is tasked with securing government buildings and officials, participating in combat operations, apprehending those suspected of national security crimes, and cooperating with other security bodies
note 2: the national police force under the Ministry of Interior oversees internal security (with support from military forces under the Ministry of Defense), but much of Libya's security-related police work generally falls to informal armed groups, which received government salaries but lacked formal training, supervision, or consistent accountability
- the Government of National Unity (GNU) has access to various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of a mix of formations and equipment from the QADHAFI regime, semi-regular and nominally integrated units, tribal armed groups/militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign private military contractors and mercenaries;
- the GNU has a Ministry of Defense, but has limited control over its security forces
- the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), under de facto LNA commander Khalifa HAFTER, also includes various ground, air, and naval forces comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, and foreign private military contractors and mercenaries;
- the LNA operates independently from the GNU and exerts influence throughout eastern, central, and southern Libya (2023)
note 1: the Stabilization Support Authority (SSA) is a state-funded militia established in January 2021 by the GNU; it is tasked with securing government buildings and officials, participating in combat operations, apprehending those suspected of national security crimes, and cooperating with other security bodies
note 2: the national police force under the Ministry of Interior oversees internal security (with support from military forces under the Ministry of Defense), but much of Libya's security-related police work generally falls to informal armed groups, which receive government salaries but lack formal training, supervision, or consistent accountability
Libya lacks a nationwide military and the interim government, the Government of National Unity (GNU), relies on its cooperation with disparate militias that it cannot entirely control for security; the GNU (GNU) has a ministry of defense and access to various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of a mix of formations and equipment from the QADHAFI regime, semi-regular military and nominally integrated units, militias, tribal armed groups/militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign troops private military contractors and mercenaries mercenaries; the GNU has a Ministry of Defense, but has limited control over its security forces
the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), under de facto LNA commander Khalifa HAFTER, also includes various ground, air, and naval units forces comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, and foreign troops private military contractors and mercenaries; as of 2022, the LNA operated operates independently from the GNU and exerted exerts influence throughout eastern, central, and southern Libya (2022) (2023)
note 1: the Stabilization Support Authority (SSA) is a state-funded militia established in January 2021 by the GNU; it is tasked with securing government buildings and officials, participating in combat operations, apprehending those suspected of national security crimes, and cooperating with other security bodies
note 2: the national police force under the Ministry of Interior oversees internal security (with support from military forces under the Ministry of Defense), but much of Libya's security-related police work generally falls to informal armed groups, which received receive government salaries but lacked lack formal training, supervision, or consistent accountability
- the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) has access to various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of a mix of formations and equipment from the QADHAFI regime, semi-regular and nominally integrated units, tribal armed groups/militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign private military contractors and mercenaries;
- the GNU has a Ministry of Defense, but has limited control over its security forces
- the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), under de facto LNA commander Khalifa HAFTER, also includes various ground, air, and naval forces comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, and foreign private military contractors and mercenaries;
- the LNA operates independently from the GNU and exerts influence throughout eastern, central, and southern Libya;
- some of the armed groups nominally under the LNA operate under their own command structures and engage in their own operations (2024)
note 1: the Stabilization Support Apparatus (SSA) is a state-funded militia established in January 2021 by the GNA; it is tasked with securing government buildings and officials, participating in combat operations, apprehending those suspected of national security crimes, and cooperating with other security bodies; other forces operating in western Libya include the Misrata Counter Terrorism Force, Special Deterrence Forces (aka Radaa), 444 Brigade, 111 Brigade, Nawasi Brigade, and the Joint Operations Force
note 2: the national police force under the Ministry of Interior oversees internal security (with support from military forces under the Ministry of Defense), but much of Libya's security-related police work generally falls to informal armed groups, which receive government salaries but lack formal training, supervision, or consistent accountability
the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) has access to various ground, air, and naval/coast guard forces comprised of a mix of formations and equipment from the QADHAFI regime, semi-regular and nominally integrated units, tribal armed groups/militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign private military contractors and mercenaries; the GNU has a Ministry of Defense, but has limited control over its security forces
the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), under de facto LNA commander Khalifa HAFTER, also includes various ground, air, and naval forces comprised of semi-regular military personnel, militias, and foreign private military contractors and mercenaries; the LNA operates independently from the GNU and exerts influence throughout eastern, central, and southern Libya (2023) Libya; some of the armed groups nominally under the LNA operate under their own command structures and engage in their own operations (2024)
note 1: the Stabilization Support Authority Apparatus (SSA) is a state-funded militia established in January 2021 by the GNU; GNA; it is tasked with securing government buildings and officials, participating in combat operations, apprehending those suspected of national security crimes, and cooperating with other security bodies bodies; other forces operating in western Libya include the Misrata Counter Terrorism Force, Special Deterrence Forces (aka Radaa), 444 Brigade, 111 Brigade, Nawasi Brigade, and the Joint Operations Force
note 2: the national police force under the Ministry of Interior oversees internal security (with support from military forces under the Ministry of Defense), but much of Libya's security-related police work generally falls to informal armed groups, which receive government salaries but lack formal training, supervision, or consistent accountability
- 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
Rewritten: too little of the 2024 text remains to mark the changes.
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
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Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. “Libya: Military and security forces.” The World Factbook, 1990–2025 editions. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/libya/military-and-security-forces.