Guatemala Military - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Army of Guatemala (Ejercito de Guatemala): Land Forces (Fuerzas de Tierra), Naval Forces (Fuerzas de Mar), and Air Force (Fuerza de Aire); Ministry of Government (Interior): National Civil Police (Policia Nacional Civil; includes paramilitary units) (2022)

Military expenditures

0.4% of GDP (2022 est.)

0.4% of GDP (2021)

0.4% of GDP (2020)

0.4% of GDP (2019) (approximately $530 million)

0.4% of GDP (2018) (approximately $470 million)

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies; approximately 20,000 active military personnel (18,000 Land Forces; 1,000 Naval Forces; 1,000 Air Forces); approximately 30,000 National Civil Police (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Guatemalan military inventory is small and mostly comprised of older US equipment; since 2010, Guatemala has received small amounts of equipment from several countries, including the US (2022)

Military service age and obligation

all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are eligible for military service; in practice, most of the force is volunteer, however, a selective draft system is employed, resulting in a small portion of 17-21 year-olds being conscripted; conscript service obligation varies from 1 to 2 years; women may volunteer (2022)

note: as of 2017, women comprised up to 10% of the active military

Military deployments

155 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (May 2022)

Military - note

since the 2000s, the Guatemalan Government has used the Army to support the National Civil Police in internal security operations (as permitted by the constitution) to combat organized crime, gang violence, and narco-trafficking 

the military held power during most of Guatemala’s 36-year civil war (1960-1996) and conducted a campaign of widespread violence and repression, particularly against the country’s majority indigenous population; more than 200,000 people were estimated to have been killed or disappeared during the conflict (2022)

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