Military profile
Djibouti Military Strength
Djibouti is not covered by the Global Firepower ranking.
Armed forces of Djibouti
Branches and forces
Djibouti Armed Forces (Forces Armées Djiboutiennes or FAD): Djiboutian (or National) Army, Djiboutian Navy (includes Djiboutian Coast Guard), Djiboutian Air Force; Djiboutian National Gendarmerie Ministry of Interior: National Police (Police Nationale) (2025)
Personnel
estimated 10-12,000 active Armed Forces, including Gendarmerie (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-26 years of age for voluntary military service (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the FAD's inventory is a mix of mostly older or secondhand equipment from a variety of suppliers, including China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia/former Soviet Union, South Africa, Türkiye, and the US (2025)
Deployments abroad
approximately 1,500 Somalia (AUSSOM) (2025)
Good to know
Djibouti's military forces are largely focused on border, coastal, and internal security duties, such as counterterrorism; as recently as February 2025, Djiboutian forces have conducted operations near its border with Ethiopia against members of the Armed Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD A), which Djibouti considers a terrorist group China, France, Italy, Japan, and the US maintain bases in Djibouti for regional military missions, including counterterrorism, counter-piracy, crisis response, and security assistance; other countries, such as Germany and Spain, have smaller military contingents; the EU and NATO also maintain a presence in Djibouti to support multinational naval counter-piracy operations and maritime training efforts (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2019: 3.5% · 2018: 3.5% · 2017: 3.3% · 2016: 2.7% · 2015: 2.5%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Ethiopia
Eritrea
Somalia