North Macedonia

the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARSM) is responsible for the defense of the country’s territory and independence, fulfilling North Macedonia’s commitments to NATO and European security, and contributing to EU, NATO, and UN peace and security missions; the ARSM has participated in multinational missions and operations in Afghanistan (NATO), Bosnia and Herzegovina (EU), Eastern Europe (NATO), Iraq (NATO), Kosovo (NATO), and Lebanon (UN); a key area of focus over the past decade has been improving capabilities and bringing the largely Soviet-era-equipped ARSM up to NATO standards; it has increased its participation in NATO training exercises since becoming the 30th member of the Alliance in 2020 and currently has small numbers of combat troops deployed to Bulgaria and Romania as part of NATO’s Enhance Forward Presence mission implemented because of Russian military aggression against Ukraine (2025)

Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (ARSM or ARNM): joint force with air, ground, reserve, special operations, and support forces (2025)

note: the Police of Macedonia maintain internal security, including migration and border enforcement, and report to the Ministry of the Interior

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2007 (2025)

note: as of 2024, women made up about 10% of the military's full-time personnel

the military's inventory is a mix of Russian/Soviet-era armaments and growing quantities of more modern equipment from countries such as Türkiye, the UK, and the US (2025)

approximately 6,000 active military personnel (2025)