Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Oruzane Snage Republike Hrvatske, OSRH) consists of five major commands directly subordinate to a General Staff: Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM, includes Coast Guard), Air Force and Air Defense Command (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo I Protuzracna Obrana), Joint Education and Training Command, Logistics Command; Military Police Force supports each of the three Croatian military forces (2021)
Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Oruzanih Snaga Bosne i Hercegovine, OSBiH): Operations Command (includes Army, Air, and Air Defense units), Support Command (2021)
Military service age and obligation
18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2008 (2019)
18 years of age for voluntary military service; mandatory retirement at age 35 or after 15 years of service for E-1 through E-4, mandatory retirement at age 50 and 30 years of service for E-5 through E-9, mandatory retirement at age 55 and 30 years of service for all officers; conscription abolished in 2005 (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.83% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.65% of GDP (2019)
1.57% of GDP (2018)
1.67% of GDP (2017)
1.62% of GDP (2016)
0.9% of GDP (2019)
0.9% of GDP (2018)
0.9% of GDP (2017)
0.9% of GDP (2016)
1% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengths
the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia have approximately 15,000 active duty personnel (10,000 Army; 1,500 Navy; 1,500 Air force; 2,000 joint/other) (2020)
the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina have approximately 9,000 active duty personnel (2021)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the inventory of the Croatian Armed Forces consists mostly of Soviet-era equipment, although in recent years, it has acquired a limited number of more modern weapon systems from some Western suppliers, including Finland, Germany, and the US (2020)
the inventory for the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina includes mainly Soviet-era weapons systems with a small and varied mix of older European and US equipment (2021)
