Belarus Military - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Belarus Armed Forces: Army, Air and Air Defense Force, Special Operations Force, Special Troops (electronic warfare, signals, engineers, biological/chemical/nuclear protection troops, etc)

Ministry of Interior: State Border Troops, Militia, Internal Troops (2023)

note: in early 2023, President LUKASHENKO ordered the formation of a new volunteer paramilitary territorial defense force to supplement the Army

Military expenditures

1.1% of GDP (2022 est.)

1.2% of GDP (2021 est.)

1.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

1.5% of GDP (2019 est.) (approximately $2.11 billion)

1.5% of GDP (2018 est.) (approximately $2.05 billion)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 45,000 active duty troops; information on the individual services varies, but reportedly includes about 25,000 Army, 15,000 Air/Air Defense, and 5,000 Special Operations forces (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory is comprised mostly of Russian/Soviet-origin equipment, and in recent years Russia has continued to be the leading provider of arms; Belarus's defense industry manufactures some equipment (mostly modernized Soviet designs), including vehicles, guided weapons, and electronic warfare systems (2023)

Military service age and obligation

18-27 years of age for compulsory military or alternative service; conscript service obligation is 12-18 months, depending on academic qualifications, and 24-36 months for alternative service, also depending on academic qualifications; 17-year-olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes, where they are classified as military personnel (2023)

note: conscripts can be assigned to the military, to the Ministry of Interior as internal or border troops, or to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection (alternative service); as of 2020, conscripts comprised an estimated 40% of the military

Military - note

Belarus has close security ties with Russia, including an integrated air and missile defense system, joint training exercises, and the establishment of three joint training centers since 2020 (1 in Belarus, 2 in Russia); Russia has been the principal supplier of arms to Belarus, and Belarusian troops reportedly train on Russian equipment; Russia leases from Belarus a strategic ballistic missile defense site operated by Russian Aerospace Forces and a global communications facility for the Russian Navy; in 2020, the countries signed an agreement allowing for close security cooperation between the Belarusian Ministry of Interior and the Russian National Guard, including protecting public order and key government facilities, and combating extremism and terrorism; in 2022, Belarus allowed Russian military forces to stage on its territory for its invasion of Ukraine and continues to supply arms and other aid to the Russian military; in 2023, Belarus agreed to allow Russia to deploy nuclear munitions inside the country

Belarus has been a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and contributes an airborne brigade to CSTO's rapid reaction force (KSOR) (2023)

NOTE: The information regarding Belarus on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Belarus 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Belarus 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.