Central African Republic vs. Republic of the Congo
Military
Central African Republic
Republic of the Congo
Military branches
Central African Armed Forces (Forces Armees Centrafricaines, FACA): Army (includes an air squadron, Escadrille Centrafricaine), General Directorate of Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG); National Police (2020)
Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army (Armee de Terre), Navy, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Gendarmerie (2021)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for military service; no conscription (2019)
18 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in the Armed Forces (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.5% of GDP (2019 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2018 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2017 est.)
1.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
1.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
2.7% of GDP (2019)
2.5% of GDP (2018)
4.3% of GDP (2017)
6.4% of GDP (2016)
Military and security service personnel strengths
information varies; approximately 10,000 active troops, including an air component of 100-200 and up to 2,000 Gendarmerie (2020)
the Congolese Armed Forces (FAC) have approximately 12,000 active duty troops (8,000 Army; 800 Navy; 1,000 Air Force; 2,000 Gendarmerie) (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the FACA is lightly and poorly armed with mostly outdated weapons; since 2010, it has received small amounts of second-hand equipment from China, Russia, and Ukraine (2020)
note: since 2013, CAR has been under a UNSC arms embargo; the embargo bans all supplies of arms and related materiel to the country except to the CAR security forces if approved in advance by the relevant UN Sanctions Committee
the FAC is armed with mostly ageing Russian/Soviet-era weapons, with some French and South African equipment; the leading supplier of arms to the FAC since 2010 is South Africa (2020)
