Military profile
Gabon Military Strength
Gabon ranks #131 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 6,500 active personnel. It spent $356 million on its military in 2025 (1.7% of GDP).
Gabon armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 6,500#132 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 2,000#100 of 145
- Army personnel
- 5,000#132 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 1,500#104 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 500#101 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 23#111 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 6#88 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 15#104 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 0#115 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 4#105 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 28#64 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 0#56 of 113
- Corvettes
- 0#47 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 3#96 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $356 million#114 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 1.7%#80 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $32.0 billion#126 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Gabon military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Gabon grew by 33% between 2010 and 2025, from $269 million to $356 million (current US dollars), and stood at 1.7% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Gabon
Branches and forces
Gabonese Armed Forces (Force Armées Gabonaise or FAG; aka National Defense and Security Forces of Gabon or des Forces Nationales de Défense et de Sécurité (FNDS) du Gabon): Army, Navy, Air Force, Light Aviation, Fire Brigade; Gabon National Gendarmerie (GENA); Republican Guard (GR); Military Health Service; Military Engineering (2025)
Personnel
approximately 7,000 active-duty Armed Forces including the Republican Guard and Gendarmerie (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the Gabonese military has a mix of older and limited quantities of more modern armaments; suppliers include Brazil, China, France, Germany, Russia/former Soviet Union, South Africa, and Spain (2025)
Good to know
the Gabonese military is a small and lightly armed force that is responsible for both external and internal security; the military may also participate in the economic and social development work of the nation; key defense priorities include securing the country's borders and maritime domain; it has contributed to regional peacekeeping and joint security operations; in August 2023, officers from the Republican Guard seized control of the government and placed the president under arrest (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 1.5% · 2023: 1.3% · 2022: 1.3% · 2021: 1.7% · 2020: 1.8%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Gabon compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Gabon | #131 | $356 million |
 Republic of the Congo | #122 | $205 million |
 Cameroon | #100 | $627 million |
 Equatorial Guinea | — | $121 million |