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Angola

Republica de Angola

Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)

Military - note

the Angolan Armed Forces were created in 1991 under the Bicesse Accords signed between the Angolan Government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA); the current force is responsible for country’s external defense but also has some domestic security responsibilities, such as border protection; it participates in multinational exercises, as well as regional peacekeeping operations, including the deployment of several hundred troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2023; in recent years, the military has placed additional emphasis on maritime security and protecting offshore resources (2025)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2020

1.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

1.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

1.2% of GDP (2023 est.)

Military Expenditures 2024

1% of GDP (2024 est.)

Military and security forces

Angolan Armed Forces (Forcas Armadas Angolanas, FAA): Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra Angola, MGA), Angolan National Air Force (Forca Aerea Nacional Angolana, FANA) Ministry of Interior: National Police, Border Guard Police (2025)

Military service age and obligation

20-45 years of age for compulsory and 18-45 years for voluntary military service for men; 20-45 years of age for voluntary service for women; 24-month conscript service obligation; the Navy is entirely staffed with volunteers (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

most Angolan military weapons and equipment are of Russian or Soviet-era origin; there are smaller quantities of items originating from such suppliers as China, Brazil, Israel, Italy, South Africa, and the UAE (2025)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 100,000 active duty Armed Forces (2025)