Niger

the military of Niger is responsible for territorial defense, but most of its focus is on internal and border security operations; the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS) and the al-Qaida affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) terrorist groups are active in western Niger and in adjacent strongholds in Burkina Faso and Mali, while the Nigeria-based Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa groups threaten southeast Niger; parts of Niger also face spillover from communal, criminal, and vigilante violence in neighboring Nigeria; since the 2023 coup, some former ethnic separatist rebels have taken up arms in support of deposed President BAZOUM the military has played a role in Niger's domestic politics since its establishment in 1960-61; prior to seizing control of the government in 2023, it attempted coups in 1974, 1996, 1999, 2010, and 2021, and ruled the country for much of the period before 1999 (2025)

Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Nigerien Air Force, Niger Gendarmerie Ministry of Interior, Public Safety and Decentralization: Niger National Guard, National Police (2025)

note 1: the Niger Gendarmerie (GN) and the Niger National Guard (GNN) are paramilitary forces; the GN has primary responsibility for rural security while the GNN is responsible for domestic security and the protection of high-level officials and government buildings

note 2: the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance under the National Police is charged with border management

18 is the legal minimum age for selective compulsory or voluntary military service for unmarried men and women; 24-month service term (2025)

the FAN's inventory is comprised of older, typically Soviet-era weapons and equipment, along with smaller quantities of more modern armaments such as unmanned aerial vehicles/drones, air defense systems, and armored vehicles; suppliers over the past decade include China, France, Russia, South Africa, Türkiye, and the US (2025)

estimated 50,000 active Armed Forces, including Gendarmerie; estimated 15-20,000 National Guard (2025)

note: in 2020, the Nigerien Government announced it intended to increase the size of the FAN to 50,000 by 2025 and 100,000 by 2030