Mauritius Military - 2024

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; the Mauritius Police Force (MPF) under the Ministry of Defense includes a paramilitary unit known as the Special Mobile Force, which includes some motorized infantry and light armored units; the MPF also has a Police Helicopter Squadron, a Special Support Unit (riot police), and the National Coast Guard (also includes an air squadron) (2024)

note: the MPF is responsible for law enforcement and maintenance of order within the country; a police commissioner heads the force and has authority over all police and other security forces, including the Coast Guard and Special Mobile Forces; the Special Mobile Forces share responsibility with police for internal security

Military expenditures

(2022)
(2021)
(2020)
(2019)
(2018)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the MPF's inventory is comprised of mostly secondhand equipment from Western European countries and India; since 2010, India has been the primary supplier (2023)

Military - note

the country’s primary security partner is India, and Indian naval vessels often patrol Mauritian waters; the MPF has also received assistance and training from France, the UK, and the US; the MPF’s chief security concerns are piracy and narcotics trafficking

the Special Mobile Force was created in 1960 following the withdrawal of the British garrison (2023)