Brazilian Armed Forces: Brazilian Army (Exercito Brasileiro, EB), Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil, MB, includes Naval Aviation and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB); Public Security Forces (2021)
the Guyana Defense Force is a unified service with an Army, Air Corps, Coast Guard, Guyana People's Militia (reserves) (2020)
Military service age and obligation
18-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 10-12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are "long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s, when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps (2019)
limited information; 18 years of age or older for voluntary military service; no conscription (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.5% of GDP (2019)
1.5% of GDP (2018)
1.4% of GDP (2017)
1.3% of GDP (2016)
1.4% of GDP (2015)
1.7% of GDP (2019)
1.6% of GDP (2018)
1.6% of GDP (2017)
1.5% of GDP (2016)
1.4% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengths
the Brazilian Armed Forces have approximately 360,000 active personnel (215,000 Army; 75,000 Navy; 70,000 Air Force) (2021)
the Guyana Defense Force has approximately 3,000 active personnel (2021)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the Brazilian military's inventory consists of a mix of domestically-produced and imported weapons, largely from Europe and the US; since 2010, France, Germany, the UK, and the US are the leading suppliers of military equipment to Brazil; Brazil's defense industry is capable of designing and manufacturing equipment for all three military services and for export; it also jointly produces equipment with other countries (2020)
the Guyana Defense Force's limited inventory is mostly comprised of second-hand platforms from a variety of foreign suppliers, including Brazil, China, the former Soviet Union, the UK, and the US; since 2000, Guyana has received small amounts of military equipment from Brazil, China, and the UK (2020)
