Military profile
Bhutan Military Strength
Bhutan ranks #145 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 8,000 active personnel.
Bhutan armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 8,000#129 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 0#113 of 145
- Army personnel
- 5,000#132 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 0#138 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 0#113 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 2#137 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 0#95 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 2#133 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 0#115 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 0#107 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 0#98 of 145
Finance
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $8.4 billion#142 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Armed forces of Bhutan
Branches and forces
Royal Bhutan Army (RBA; includes Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan, or RBG, and an air wing); National Militia Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs: Royal Bhutan Police (2025)
Personnel
estimated 7-8,000 active Royal Bhutan Army (2025)
Service age and conscription
18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; militia training is compulsory for men aged 20-25 over a 3-year period (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the Royal Bhutan Army is lightly armed; it has a small amount of heavy equipment, such as armored cars and helicopters, originating from the former Soviet Union, India, and Thailand (2025)
Deployments abroad
180 Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (2025)
Good to know
the Army is responsible for external threats but also has some internal security functions such as conducting counterinsurgency operations, guarding forests, and providing security for prominent persons; Bhutan's closest security partner is India; under the 2007 India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty, both countries agreed to cooperate closely on issues relating to their national interests (2025)
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
India
China