Belize Military - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Air Wing; Belize Coast Guard (2022)

note: the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security is responsible for oversight of the BDF and the Coast Guard, while the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries has responsibility for police and prisons

Military expenditures

1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

1.3% of GDP (2021 est.)

1.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

1.4% of GDP (2019 est.) (approximately $35 million)

1.4% of GDP (2018 est.) (approximately $35 million)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 1,300 BDF personnel; approximately 300 Belize Coast Guard (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the BDF's inventory is limited and consists mostly of UK- and US-origin equipment (2022)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient, but conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1; initial service obligation 12 years (2022)

Military - note

the BDF traces its history back to the Prince Regent Royal Honduras Militia, a volunteer force established in 1817; the BDF was established in 1978 from the disbanded Police Special Force and the Belize Volunteer Guard to assist the resident British forces with the defense of Belize against Guatemala

the British Army has maintained a presence in Belize since its independence; as of 2022, the presence consisted of a small training support unit that provides jungle training to troops from the UK and international partners

NOTE: The information regarding Belize 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 Belize 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Belize 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.