Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman (RAO), Royal Navy of Oman (RNO), Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), Royal Guard of Oman (RGO); Royal Oman Police Coast Guard (2021)
United Arab Emirates Armed Forces: Land Forces, Navy Forces, Air Force, Presidential Guard; Ministry of Interior: Critical Infrastructure Coastal Patrol Agency (CICPA) (2021)
Military service age and obligation
18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2019)
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 17 years of age for male volunteers with parental approval; 24-month general service obligation, 16 months for secondary school graduates; women can volunteer to serve for 9 months regardless of education (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
10.5% of GDP (2020 est.)
8.8% of GDP (2019)
8.2% of GDP (2018)
12.8% of GDP (2017)
16% of GDP (2016)
5.2% of GDP (2017)
6% of GDP (2016)
7% of GDP (2015)
5.8% of GDP (2014)
6.1% of GDP (2013)
Military and security service personnel strengths
the Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF) have approximately 40,000 total active troops (26,000 Army, 4,000 Navy; 4,000 Air Force; 6,000 Royal Guard) (2021)
the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces have approximately 65,000 total active personnel (45,000 Land Forces; 3,000 Navy; 5,000 Air Force; 12,000 Presidential Guard) (2021)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the SAF's inventory includes a mix of older and some more modern weapons systems from a variety of suppliers, particularly Europe and the US; since 2010, the UK is the leading provider of armaments to Oman, followed by the US (2020)
the UAE Armed Forces inventory is comprised of wide variety of mostly modern imported equipment; since 2010, the UAE has acquired military equipment from more than 20 countries with the US as the leading supplier by far, followed by France and Russia (2020)
