Military profile
Oman Military Strength
Oman ranks #76 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 40,000 active personnel. It spent $6.0 billion on its military in 2025 (5.7% of GDP).
Oman armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 40,000#74 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 60,000#42 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 6,000#83 of 145
- Army personnel
- 45,000#66 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 5,500#71 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 4,200#62 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 128#63 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 29#53 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 10#45 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 31#78 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 121#77 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 15#81 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 168#53 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 12#85 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 0#8 of 113
- Destroyers
- 0#15 of 113
- Frigates
- 0#56 of 113
- Corvettes
- 5#24 of 113
- Submarines
- 0#44 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 12#69 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $6.0 billion#44 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 5.7%#10 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $135.0 billion#77 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Oman military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Oman grew by 63% between 2010 and 2025, from $3.7 billion to $6.0 billion (current US dollars), and stood at 5.7% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Oman
Branches and forces
Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman (RAO), Royal Navy of Oman (RNO), Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), Royal Guard of Oman (RGO), Sultan's Special Forces Royal Oman Police (ROP): Civil Defense, Immigration, Infrastructure Security Police, Coast Guard Police, Special Security Police, Special Task Force (2024)
Personnel
approximately 40,000 active Sultan's Armed Forces (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-25 for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the SAF's inventory includes a mix of older and some more modern weapons systems from a variety of suppliers, particularly the UK and the US; other suppliers have included China, EU countries, South Africa, and Türkiye (2025)
Good to know
the Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF) are responsible for defending the country, ensuring internal security, and protecting the monarchy; it trains with foreign partners such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the UK, and the US; the SAF has a security relationship with the British military going back to the 18th century; today, the SAF and the British maintain a joint training base in Oman, and the British military uses the facilities at Al Duqm Port; in 2019, the US obtained access to the port, expanding on previous military cooperation agreements in 2014, 2010, and 1980; Oman also allows other nations to use some of its maritime facilities, including China; the SAF is part of the Peninsula Shield Forces, a joint military force established by the GCC countries with the aim of maintaining security and stability in the region Oman's naval forces conduct maritime security operations along the country’s long coastline, including patrolling, ensuring freedom of navigation in the key naval chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, and countering piracy and smuggling; Oman participates in the US-led, multinational Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), which operates multinational task forces conducting maritime security in regional waters (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 6% · 2023: 5.5% · 2022: 5.5% · 2021: 8% · 2020: 11%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Oman compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Oman | #76 | $6.0 billion |
 Saudi Arabia | #22 | $83.2 billion |
 United Arab Emirates | #56 | — |
 Yemen | #74 | — |