Peru Military - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Armed Forces of Peru (Fuerzas Armadas del Perú or FAP): Peruvian Army (Ejercito del Peru), Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru, MGP, includes naval infantry and Coast Guard), Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP); Ministry of the Interior (Ministerio del Interior): Peruvian National Police (Policía Nacional del Perú, PNP) (2023)

Military expenditures

1.1% of GDP (2022 est.)

1.1% of GDP (2021 est.)

1.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

1.2% of GDP (2019 est.)

1.2% of GDP (2018 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies; approximately 95,000 active duty personnel (60,000 Army; 25,000 Navy, including about 4,000 naval infantry and 1,000 Coast Guard; 10,000 Air Force) (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory is a mix of mostly older equipment from a wide variety of suppliers, including Brazil, Europe, Russia/the former Soviet Union, and the US; in recent years, it has received some more modern weapons systems from more than a dozen countries, including Italy, Russia, and South Korea (2022)

Military service age and obligation

18-50 years of age for male and 18-45 years of age for female voluntary military service (12 months); no conscription (abolished in 1999) (2022)

note: as of 2019, women made up about 10% of the active duty military

Military deployments

215 Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (May 2022)

Military - note

the Peruvian Armed Forces (FAP) are responsible for external security in addition to some domestic security responsibilities in designated emergency areas and in exceptional circumstances; key areas of focus include counterinsurgency, counternarcotics, disaster relief, and maritime security operations; the FAP trains regularly and participates in both bilateral and multinational exercises; it has contributed to UN missions since 1958 and has ties to regional militaries, particularly Colombia, as well as those of numerous other countries such as China, Russia, Spain, and the US; the FAP’s last external conflict was a brief border war with Ecuador in 1995; the FAP supported the police during anti-government protests in early 2023 and was accused of human rights violations 

the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Peru (Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas del Perú or CCFFAA) has responsibility for the planning, preparation, coordination, and direction of the military’s operations; the CCFFAA has oversight over commands for air, air defense, cyber, maritime, and special operations, as well as 5 regional commands (Amazonas, central, north, south, and Ucayali) and a Special Command of the Valley of the Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro rivers (CE-VRAEM); CE-VRAEM is responsible for combating the remnants of the Shining Path terrorist group (aka Sendero Luminoso; see Appendix T) and includes several thousand air, ground, naval, police, and special forces personnel; the FAP also provides aircraft, vehicles, and logistical support to the command  

the Army was officially established in 1821 with the formation of the Peruvian Guard Legion; it currently has 5 regionally based divisions comprised of about 20 combat brigades, which include a mix of armored, artillery, jungle infantry, light infantry, mechanized cavalry, and special forces; the Army also has an aviation brigade and a multi-purpose support brigade designed in large part to provide assistance during natural disasters; the Navy, also established in 1821, includes the Coast Guard; it has undertaken efforts to modernize since the 2000s; the Navy’s warships include 7 frigates, 15 corvettes and patrol ships, and 6 attack submarines; it also has a flotilla of river gunboats, plus naval aviation and a marine force comprised of amphibious infantry, light infantry, jungle infantry, and commandos; the Air Force, established in the 1920s, has several squadrons of French-, Russian-, and US-made fighters, multirole fighters, and fixed-wing ground attack aircraft, as well as attack helicopters (2023)

Maritime threats

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Peru are a risk for armed robbery against ships; in 2022, 12 attacks against commercial vessels were reported, a slight decrease over the 18 attacks in 2021; all of these occurred in the main port of Callao while ships were berthed or at anchor

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