Venezuela vs. Brazil
Military
| Venezuela | Brazil | |
|---|---|---|
| Military branches | Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana, FANB): Bolivarian Army (Ejercito Bolivariano, EB), Bolivarian Navy (Armada Bolivariana, AB; includes marines, Coast Guard), Bolivarian Military Aviation (Aviacion Militar Bolivariana, AMB; includes a joint-service Aerospace Defense Command (Comando de Defensa Aeroespacial Integral, CODAI); Bolivarian National Guard (Guardia Nacional Bolivaria, GNB); Bolivarian Militia (Milicia Bolivariana, NMB) Bolivarian National Police: Special Action Forces (Fuerzas de Acciones Especiales, FAES) (2020) note(s): the CODAI is a joint service command with personnel drawn from other services; the FAES police paramilitary unit was created by President MADURO after the 2017 anti-government protests to fight crime; it has been accused of multiple human rights abuses | Brazilian Armed Forces: Brazilian Army (Exercito Brasileiro, EB), Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil, MB, includes Naval Aviation and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB); Public Security Forces (2021) |
| Military service age and obligation | 18-30 (25 for women) for voluntary service; the minimum service obligation is 24-30 months; all citizens of military service age (18-50 years old) are obligated to register for military service and subject to military training, although "forcible recruitment" is forbidden (2019) | 18-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 10-12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are "long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s, when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps (2019) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.4% of GDP (2017) 0.5% of GDP (2016) 0.9% of GDP (2015) 1.1% of GDP (2014) 1.6% of GDP (2013) | 1.5% of GDP (2019) 1.5% of GDP (2018) 1.4% of GDP (2017) 1.3% of GDP (2016) 1.4% of GDP (2015) |
| Military - note | between 2013 and 2017, Venezuela established at least a dozen military-led firms in a variety of economic sectors, such as agriculture, banking, construction, insurance, the media, mining, oil, and tourism; as of mid-2019, military officers reportedly led at least 60 state-owned companies | the military's primary role is enforcing border security, particularly in the Amazon states; it also assists with internal security operations with a focus on organized crime Brazilian police forces are divided into Federal Police (around 15,000 personnel), Military Police (approximately 400,000 personnel), and Civil Police (approximately 125,000 personnel); the Federal Police serve under the Ministry of Justice, while the Military and Civil police are subordinate to the state governments; the National Public Security Force (Forca Nacional de Seguranca Publica or SENASP) is a national police force made up of Military Police from various states; all state Military Police are classified as reserve troops and ancillary forces of the Brazilian Army |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | information varies; approximately 125-150,000 active personnel, including about 25-30,000 National Guard (2021) note - at the end of 2018, the Venezuelan Government claimed the Bolivarian Militia had 1.6 million members, but most reportedly have little to no military training | the Brazilian Armed Forces have approximately 360,000 active personnel (215,000 Army; 75,000 Navy; 70,000 Air Force) (2021) |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the FANB inventory is mainly of Chinese and Russian origin with a smaller mix of equipment from Western countries such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and the US; since 2010, Russia is by far the top supplier of military hardware to Venezuela, followed by China, Spain, and Ukraine (2020) | the Brazilian military's inventory consists of a mix of domestically-produced and imported weapons, largely from Europe and the US; since 2010, France, Germany, the UK, and the US are the leading suppliers of military equipment to Brazil; Brazil's defense industry is capable of designing and manufacturing equipment for all three military services and for export; it also jointly produces equipment with other countries (2020) |
Source: CIA Factbook
