Djibouti Military - 2024

Military and security forces

Djibouti Armed Forces (Forces Armées Djiboutiennes or FAD): Army, Navy, Air Force; Djibouti Coast Guard

Ministry of Interior: National Police (2024)

note: the National Police is responsible for security within Djibouti City and has primary control over immigration and customs procedures for all land border-crossing points, while the National Gendarmerie, which reports to the Ministry of Defense, is responsible for all security outside of Djibouti City, as well as for protecting critical infrastructure within the city, such as the international airport

Military expenditures

3.5% of GDP (2019 est.)
3.5% of GDP (2018 est.)
3.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
2.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
2.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 10,000 active-duty military personnel; approximately 2,000 Gendarmerie (2023)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the FAD's inventory includes mostly older French and Soviet-era weapons systems, although in recent years it has received limited amounts of more modern, but largely secondhand equipment from a variety of other countries, including China, the Netherlands, and the US (2023)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2023)

Military deployments

approximately 960 Somalia (ATMIS; note - ATMIS troop contingents are drawing down towards a final exit in December 2024); Djibouti has about 200 police deployed to the Central African Republic under MINUSCA (2023)

Military - note

Djibouti's military forces are largely focused on border, coastal, and internal security duties, such as counterterrorism; China, France, Italy, Japan, and the US maintain bases in Djibouti for regional military missions, including counter-terrorism, counter-piracy, crisis response, and security assistance (note – France has multiple bases and hosts troop contingents from Germany and Spain); the EU and NATO also maintain a presence to support multinational naval counter-piracy operations and maritime training efforts (2023)