Algeria Military - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Algerian People's National Army (ANP): Land Forces, Naval Forces (includes Coast Guard), Air Forces, Territorial Air Defense Forces, Republican Guard (under ANP but responsible to the President), National Gendarmerie; Ministry of Interior: General Directorate of National Security (national police) (2022)

Military expenditures

5.6% of GDP (2021 est.)

6.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

6% of GDP (2019) (approximately $19.2 billion)

5.5% of GDP (2018) (approximately $17.9 billion)

5.9% of GDP (2017) (approximately $18.8 billion)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 140,000 ANP personnel (120,000 Army; 6,000 Navy; 14,000 Air Force); approximately 130,000 National Gendarmerie; approximately 200,000 General Directorate of National Security (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the ANP's inventory includes mostly Russian-sourced equipment; since 2010, Algeria has received arms from a variety of countries, with Russia as the leading supplier (2022)

Military service age and obligation

18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service for men and women; 19-30 years of age for compulsory service for men (all Algerian men must register at age 17); conscript service obligation reduced from 18 to 12 months in 2014 (2022)

note: as of 2020, conscripts comprised an estimated 70% of the military

Military - note

the ANP has played a large role in the country’s politics since independence in 1962, including coups in 1965 and 1991; it was a key backer of BOUTEFLIKA’s election in 1999 and remained a center of power during his 20-year rule; the military was instrumental in BOUTEFLIKA’s resignation in 2019 when it withdrew support and called for him to be removed from office

the ANP traditionally has focused on internal stability and on Morocco where relations as of 2022 remained tense over Western Sahara and Algerian accusations that Morocco supports the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK), a separatist group in Algeria’s Kabylie region; however, following the Arab Spring events of 2011 and a series of cross-border terrorist attacks emanating from Mali in 2012-2013, particularly the 2013 attack on a commercial gas plant by al-Qa’ida-linked terrorists that resulted in the deaths of 35 hostages and 29 jihadists, it has made a concerted effort to beef up security along its other borders and promote regional security cooperation; since 2013, additional Army and paramilitary forces were deployed to the borders with Tunisia, Libya, Niger, and Mali to interdict and deter cross-border attacks by Islamic militant groups; in addition, Algeria has provided security assistance to some neighboring countries, particularly Tunisia, and conducted joint military/counter-terrorism operations (2022)

NOTE: The information regarding Algeria on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Algeria 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Algeria 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.