Serbia Military - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Serbian Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije, VS): Land Forces (includes Riverine Component, consisting of a naval flotilla on the Danube), Air and Air Defense Forces, Serbian Guard; Serbian Ministry of Interior: General Police Directorate (2023)

note: the Serbian Guard is a brigade-sized unit that is directly subordinate to the Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff; its duties include safeguarding key defense facilities and rendering military honors to top foreign, state, and military officials 

Military expenditures

2.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

2.2% of GDP (2021 est.)

2% of GDP (2020 est.)

2.2% of GDP (2019 est.)

1.6% of GDP (2018 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 25,000 active duty troops (15,000 Land Forces; 5,000 Air/Air Defense; 5,000 other); approximately 3,000 Gendarmerie (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the military's inventory consists of Russian and Soviet-era weapons systems; in recent years, Russia has been the largest suppliers of arms to Serbia; China has also provided a growing amount of arms (2023)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished January 2011 (2022)

note: as of 2021, women made up about 16% of the military's full-time personnel

Military deployments

175 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2023)

Military - note

the Serbian Armed Forces were established in June 2006; the Serbian military traces its origins to the First (1804-1813) and Second (1815-1817) Uprisings against the Ottoman Empire

Serbia does not aspire to join NATO, but has cooperated with the Alliance since 2006 when it joined the Partnership for Peace program; Serbia also maintains security ties with Russia and China (2023)

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