Djibouti Military - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Djibouti Armed Forces (FAD): Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie; Djibouti Coast Guard (2021)

Military expenditures

4.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

3.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

3.7% of GDP (2015 est.)

4% of GDP (2014 est.)

4.3% of GDP (2013 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

the Djibouti Armed Forces (FAD) have approximately 10,500 active troops (8,000 Army; 250 Naval; 250 Air; 2,000 Gendarmerie) (2020)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the FAD is armed largely with older French and Soviet-era weapons systems; since 2010, it has received limited amounts of mostly second-hand equipment from a variety of countries, including Canada, China, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and the US (2020)

Military deployments

960 Somalia (AMISOM) (2021)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2020)

Maritime threats

the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) Piracy Reporting Center (PRC) received zero incidents of piracy and armed robbery in 2020 for the Horn of Africa; while there were no recorded incidents, the IMB PRC warns that Somalia pirates continue to possess the capacity to carry out attacks in the Somali basin and wider Indian Ocean; in particular, the report warns that, "Masters and crew must remain vigilant and cautious when transiting these waters."; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators, including the use of on-board armed security teams, contributed to the drop in incidents; the EU naval mission, Operation ATALANTA, continues its operations in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean through 2022; naval units from China, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, the US, and other countries also operate in conjunction with EU forces; China has established a logistical base in Djibouti to support its deployed naval units in the Horn of Africa

NOTE: The information regarding Djibouti on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Djibouti 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Djibouti 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.