Cameroon Armed Forces (Forces Armees Camerounaises, FAC): Army (L'Armee de Terre), Navy (Marine Nationale Republique, MNR, includes naval infantry), Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC), Rapid Intervention Battalion (Bataillons d'Intervention Rapide, BIR), Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard (2021)
note - the Rapid Intervention Battalion, a brigade-sized force comprised of several high-readiness land units, maintains its own command and control structure and reports directly to the President, rather than the Defense Minister
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
18-23 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; high school graduation required; service obligation 4 years; periodic government calls for volunteers (2019)
18 years of age for voluntary military service; women may serve in the Armed Forces (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.1% of GDP (2019)
1.1% of GDP (2018)
1.3% of GDP (2017)
1.3% of GDP (2016)
1.3% of GDP (2015)
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 widely; approximately 40,000 active duty troops; (25,000 ground forces, including the BIR and Presidential Guard; 2,000 Navy; 1,000 Air Force; 12,000 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 FAC inventory includes a mix of mostly older or second-hand Chinese, Russian, and Western equipment, with a limited quantity of more modern weapons; since 2010, China is the leading supplier of armaments to the FAC (2020)
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)
