Military profile
Republic of the Congo Military Strength
Republic of the Congo ranks #122 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 12,000 active personnel. It spent $205 million on its military in 2025 (1.3% of GDP).
Republic of the Congo armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 12,000#118 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 2,000#100 of 145
- Army personnel
- 10,000#111 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 550#118 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 0#113 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 13#124 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 2#93 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 8#119 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 1#75 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 53#89 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 3#95 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 23#92 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 30#60 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
- 0#106 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $205 million#127 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 1.3%#99 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $20.0 billion#132 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Republic of the Congo military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Republic of the Congo fell by 6% between 2010 and 2025, from $218 million to $205 million (current US dollars), and stood at 1.3% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Republic of the Congo
Branches and forces
Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force, National Gendarmerie Ministry of Interior: National Police (2025)
Personnel
approximately 12-14,000 active FAC, including Gendarmerie (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the FAC has a mixed inventory of Chinese, French, Italian, Russian/Soviet, and South African armaments (2025)
Deployments abroad
has about 175 mostly police personnel deployed to the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (2025)
Good to know
the FAC's primary focuses are internal and maritime security; since its creation in 1961, the FAC has had a turbulent history; it has been sidelined by some national leaders in favor of personal militias, endured an internal rebellion (1996), and clashed with various rebel groups and political or ethnic militias (1993-1996, 2002-2005, 2017); during the 1997-1999 civil war, the military generally split along ethnic lines, with most northern officers supporting eventual winner SASSOU-Nguesso, and most southerners backing the rebels; others joined ethnic-based factions loyal to regional warlords; forces backing SASSOU-Nguesso were supported by Angolan troops and received some French assistance; the FAC also has undergone at least three reorganizations that included the incorporation of former rebel combatants and various ethnic and political militias; in recent years, France has provided some advice and training, and a military cooperation agreement was signed with Russia in 2019 (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 1.2% · 2023: 2% · 2022: 1.8% · 2021: 2.4% · 2020: 2.8%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Republic of the Congo compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Republic of the Congo | #122 | $205 million |
 Gabon | #131 | $356 million |
 DR Congo | #72 | $1.2 billion |
 Cameroon | #100 | $627 million |
 Central African Republic | #136 | $74 million |
 Angola | #55 | $1.5 billion |