Gambia The Military - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Gambian Armed Forces (GAF): the Gambian National Army (GNA), Gambia Navy, Gambia Air Force, Republican National Guard (2022)

note: the National Guard is responsible for VIP protection, riot control, and presidential security

Military expenditures

0.8% of GDP (2021 est.)

0.8% of GDP (2020 est.)

0.8% of GDP (2019 est.) (approximately $25 million)

0.7% of GDP (2018 est.) (approximately $20 million)

0.7% of GDP (2017 est.) (approximately $20 million)

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies; approximately 3,000 active troops (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the GAF has a limited equipment inventory; since 2000, it has received only a few second-hand items from Georgia and Taiwan (2021)

Military service age and obligation

18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (18-22 for officers); no conscription; service obligation 6 months (2021)

Military - note

in 2017, several members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sent security forces to The Gambia to conduct stability operations and provide assistance and training following the 2016 election; as of 2022, the ECOWAS Mission in the Gambia (ECOMIG) was comprised of about 1,000 military and gendarmerie personnel from Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal

as of 2022, the Gambian Armed Forces' (GAF) principal responsibilities included aiding civil authorities in emergencies and providing natural disaster relief the GAF traces its origins to the Gambia Regiment of the British Army; established in 1901, the Gambia Regiment was part of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF, later Royal West African Frontier Force or RWAFF) and served in both World Wars, including the British 1944-45 military campaign in Burma; the Gambia Regiment was disbanded in 1958 and replaced by the Field Force, a police paramilitary unit; the Field Force was responsible for The Gambia’s security until the establishment of the Gambian Armed Forces in 1985; in addition, a defense agreement signed in 1965 between The Gambia and Senegal provided mutual assistance in the face of an external threat; from 1981-1989, The Gambia and Senegal formed a Confederal Army that was made up of troops from both countries

the military in Gambia, including the Field Force, has a history of heavy involvement in the country’s politics, including multiple coups or coup attempts and mutinies; as of 2022, the Gambia Armed Forces’ principal responsibilities included aiding civil authorities in emergencies and providing natural disaster relief (2022)

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