Military profile
Somalia Military Strength
Somalia ranks #142 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 17,500 active personnel. It spent $199 million on its military in 2025 (1.5% of GDP).
Somalia armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 17,500#103 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 0#84 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 0#113 of 145
- Army personnel
- 15,000#103 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 300#135 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 300#110 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 0#141 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 0#95 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 0#65 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 0#138 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 0#79 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 0#115 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 0#96 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 0#107 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 0#98 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
- 11#72 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 0#53 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $199 million#128 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 1.5%#87 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $13.2 billion#137 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Somalia military spending 2013–2025
Military spending of Somalia grew by 666% between 2013 and 2025, from $26 million to $199 million (current US dollars), and stood at 1.5% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Somalia
Branches and forces
Somali Armed Forces (SAF; aka Somali Defense Force): Somali National Army (SNA; aka Land Forces), Somali Navy, Somali Air Force Ministry of Internal Security: Somali National Police (SNP, includes Coast Guard, commando unit) (2025)
Personnel
estimated 20,000 active Somali Armed Forces (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-22 for voluntary military service for men and women in the Somali Armed Forces; compulsory service is reportedly authorized, but not currently utilized (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the SNA's inventory is a mix of older and donated (typically secondhand) equipment from a variety of suppliers, including Italy, Russia, South Africa, Türkiye, the UK, and the US (2025)
Good to know
the primary responsibility of the Somali National Army (SNA) is combating the al-Shabaab terrorist group, which controls large portions of central and southern Somalia and continues to conduct attacks targeting both military and civilian sites, including military bases, government institutions, and civilian gatherings; the SNA is supported by the National Police, regional/state security forces, and allied militias, as well as international forces; some African Union (AU) countries have provided military assistance to the SNA since 2007 under the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM, 2007-2022), the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS, 2022-2024), and the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM, January 2025-present); Turkey and the US have also provided military support to SNA operations Turkey and the US have formed and trained SNA units, including the US-backed Danab ("Lightning") Brigade and the Turkish-trained Gorgor ("Eagle") brigades; SNA soldiers have also received training from Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the EU, Uganda, UAE, and the UK (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2021: 6% · 2020: 6% · 2019: 5.6% · 2018: 6% · 2017: 5.9%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Ethiopia
Kenya