Armed Forces of Burkina Faso (FABF): Army of Burkina Faso (L'Armee de Terre, LAT), Air Force of Burkina Faso (Force Aerienne de Burkina Faso, FABF), National Gendarmerie; Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (a civilian defense force established in 2019 to act as auxiliaries to the military in the fight against militants) (2021)
note: the National Gendarmerie officially reports to the Ministry of Defense, but usually operates in support of the Ministry of Security and the Ministry of Justice; Gendarmerie troops are typically integrated with Army forces in anti-terrorism operations; for example, Gendarmerie, Army, and police forces were combined to form a 1,500-member task force known as the Groupement des Forces Anti-Terroristes (GFAT) to address terrorist activities along the country's northern border in 2013
Military service age and obligation
18-26 years of age for voluntary military service, with basic education certificate; no conscription (2019)
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women may serve in supporting roles (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
0.4% of GDP (2019)
0.4% of GDP (2018)
0.3% of GDP (2017)
0.3% of GDP (2016)
0.4% of GDP (2015)
2.4% of GDP (2019)
2.1% of GDP (2018)
1.4% of GDP (2017)
1.2% of GDP (2016)
1.3% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengths
the Ghana Armed Forces consists of approximately 14,000 active personnel (10,000 Army; 2,000 Navy; 2,000 Air Force) (2020)
the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso (FABF) have approximately 12,000 personnel (7,000 Army; 500 Air Force; 4,500 National Gendarmerie) (2021)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the inventory of the Ghana Armed Forces is a mix of Russian, Chinese, and Western equipment; since 2010, it has received armaments from a variety of suppliers, led by China, Germany, Russia, and Spain (2020)
the FABF has a mix of foreign-supplied weapons; since 2010, it has received limited amounts of mostly donated second-hand equipment from more than 10 countries (2020)
Military deployments
150 Mali (MINUSMA); 875 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 850 South Sudan (UNMISS) (Jan 2021)
note: Ghana has pledged to maintain about 1,000 military personnel in readiness for UN peacekeeping missions
