Nicaragua Military - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Army of Nicaragua (Ejercito de Nicaragua, EN): Land Forces (Fuerza Terrestre); Naval Forces (Fuerza Naval); Air Forces (Fuerza Aérea); Special Operations Command (Comando de Operaciones Especiales); Nicaraguan National Police (2022)

note: both the military and the police report directly to the president

Military expenditures

0.6% of GDP (2021 est.)

0.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

0.6% of GDP (2019) (approximately $170 million)

0.6% of GDP (2018) (approximately $180 million)

0.6% of GDP (2017) (approximately $190 million)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 12,000 active personnel (10,000 Army; 800 Navy; 1,200 Air Force) (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Nicaraguan military's inventory includes mostly second-hand Russian/Soviet-era equipment; since 2010, Russia has been the leading arms supplier to Nicaragua (2022)

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; tour of duty 18-36 months; requires Nicaraguan nationality and 6th-grade education (2022)

Military - note

the modern Army of Nicaragua was created in 1979 as the Sandinista Popular Army (1979-1984); prior to 1979, the military was known as the National Guard, which was organized and trained by the US in the 1920s and 1930s; the first commander of the National Guard, Anastasio SOMOZA GARCIA, seized power in 1937 and ran the country as a military dictator until his assassination in 1956; his sons ran the country either directly or through figureheads until the Sandinistas came to power in 1979; the defeated National Guard was disbanded by the Sandinistas (2022)

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