| Military branches | Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2021) |
| Military service age and obligation | 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women can serve as commissioned officers (2019) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.5% of GDP (2019) 1.8% of GDP (2018) 2% of GDP (2017) 1.8% of GDP (2016) 1.9% of GDP (2015) |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) has approximately 2,000 personnel (2020) |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the LDF has a small inventory of older equipment from a variety of countries; the only reported delivery to the LDF since 2007 was two second-hand helicopters from France in 2017 and 2019 (2019 est.) |
| Military - note | Lesotho's declared policy for its military is the maintenance of the country's sovereignty and the preservation of internal security; in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
