Military profile
Montenegro Military Strength
Montenegro ranks #128 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 2,500 active personnel. It spent $177 million on its military in 2025 (1.9% of GDP).
Montenegro armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 2,500#138 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 10,000#66 of 145
- Army personnel
- 2,000#139 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 500#120 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 500#101 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 11#125 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 0#95 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 11#113 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 0#115 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 12#96 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 18#79 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
- 5#89 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $177 million#131 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 1.9%#70 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $11.5 billion#139 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Montenegro military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Montenegro grew by 135% between 2010 and 2025, from $75 million to $177 million (current US dollars), and stood at 1.9% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Montenegro
Branches and forces
Army of Montenegro (Vojska Crne Gore or VCG): Ground Forces, Air Force, Navy Ministry of Interior: Police Directorate of Montenegro (2025)
Personnel
approximately 2,000 active-duty military personnel (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-30 for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006 (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the military's inventory is small and consists largely of Soviet-era equipment inherited from the former Yugoslavia military, along with a limited but growing mix of imported Western systems (2025)
Good to know
the Army of Montenegro is responsible for the defense of Montenegro's sovereignty and territorial integrity, cooperating in international and multinational security, and assisting civil authorities during emergencies such as natural disasters; since Montenegro joined NATO in 2017, another focus has been integrating into the Alliance, including adapting NATO standards for planning and professionalization, structural reforms, and modernization by replacing its Soviet-era equipment; the Army trains and exercises with NATO partners and actively supports NATO missions and operations, committing small numbers of troops in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission in Eastern Europe; a few personnel have also been deployed on EU- and UN-led operations (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2025: 2% · 2024: 1.7% · 2023: 1.5% · 2022: 1.4% · 2021: 1.6%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Montenegro compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Montenegro | #128 | $177 million |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | #133 | $231 million |
 Albania | #91 | $624 million |
 Serbia | #58 | $2.8 billion |
 Kosovo | #134 | $235 million |
 Croatia | #69 | $2.1 billion |