Gabon Military - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Gabonese Defense Forces (Forces de Defense Gabonaise): Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Forces, National Gendarmerie; Republican Guard (land forces under direct presidential control) (2021)

Military expenditures

1.6% of GDP (2019)

1.5% of GDP (2018)

1.8% of GDP (2017)

1.5% of GDP (2016)

1.3% of GDP (2015)

Military and security service personnel strengths

the Gabonese Defense Forces (FDG) are comprised of approximately 6,500 active duty troops including the Republican Guard and Gendarmerie (2021)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the FDG is lightly armed with an inventory comprised mostly of Brazilian, French, and South African equipment; since 2010, it has received limited amounts of equipment with France and South Africa as the leading suppliers (2020)

Military deployments

450 Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (Jan 2021)

Military service age and obligation

20 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2021)

Maritime threats

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea remain a very high risk for piracy and armed robbery of ships; in 2020, there were 98 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea region; although a 24% decrease from the total number of incidents in 2019, it included all three hijackings and 9 of 11 ships fired upon worldwide; while boarding and attempted boarding to steal valuables from ships and crews are the most common types of incidents, almost a third of all incidents involve a hijacking and/or kidnapping; in 2020, a record 130 crew members were kidnapped in 22 separate incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, representing 95% of kidnappings worldwide; approximately 51% of all incidents of piracy and armed robbery are taking place off Nigeria, which is a decrease from the 71% in 2019 and an indication pirates are traveling further to target vessels; Nigerian pirates are well armed and very aggressive, operating as far as 200 nm offshore; the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2021-002 - Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom) effective 9 January 2021, which states in part, "Piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping for ransom continue to serve as significant threats to US-flagged vessels transiting or operating in the Gulf of Guinea.”

Military - note

members of the Gabonese Defense Forces attempted a failed coup in January 2019

NOTE: The information regarding Gabon 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 Gabon 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Gabon 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.