Congo Republic of the Military - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force, Gendarmerie (2023)

note: the Gendarmerie is a paramilitary force with domestic law enforcement and security responsibilities; it is under the Ministry of Defense, but also reports to the Ministry of Interior; the Ministry of Interior also controls the National Police

Military expenditures

1.8% of GDP (2022 est.)

2.5% of GDP (2021 est.)

3.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

2.3% of GDP (2019 est.)

2.1% of GDP (2018 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 12,000 active duty troops (8,000 Army; 800 Navy; 1,000 Air Force; 2,000 Gendarmerie) (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the FAC has mostly Soviet-era armaments, with a small mix of French and South African equipment (2023)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription ended in 1969 (2022)

Military - note

the FAC is viewed as having limited capabilities due to obsolescent and poorly maintained equipment and low levels of training; its primary focus is internal security; since its creation in 1961, the FAC has had a turbulent history; it has been sidelined by some national leaders in favor of personal militias, endured an internal rebellion (1996), and clashed with various rebel groups and political or ethnic militias (1993-1996, 2002-2005, 2017); during the 1997-1999 civil war, the military generally split along ethnic lines, with most northern officers supporting eventual winner SASSOU-Nguesso, and most southerners backing the rebels; others joined ethnic-based factions loyal to regional warlords; forces backing SASSOU-Nguesso were supported by Angolan troops and received some French assistance; the FAC also has undergone at least three reorganizations that included the incorporation of former rebel combatants and various ethnic and political militias; in recent years, France has provided some advice and training, and a military cooperation agreement was signed with Russia in 2019 (2023)

NOTE: The information regarding Congo Republic of the 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 Congo Republic of the 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Congo Republic of the 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.