Indian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard; Defense Security Corps (provides security for Ministry of Defense sites); Ministry of Home Affairs paramilitary forces: Central Armed Police Forces (includes Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Security Guards, Sashastra Seema Bal) (2021)
note - the Assam Rifles are under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, while operational control falls under the Ministry of Defense (Indian Army)
Sri Lanka Army (includes National Guard and the Volunteer Force), Sri Lanka Navy (includes Marine Corps), Sri Lanka Air Force, Sri Lanka Coast Guard; Civil Security Department (Home Guard); Sri Lanka National Police: Special Task Force (counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency) (2021)
Military service age and obligation
16-18 years of age for voluntary military service (Army 17 1/2, Air Force 17, Navy 16 1/2); no conscription; women may join as officers, currently serve in combat roles as Air Force pilots, and under consideration for Army and Navy combat roles (currently can fly naval reconnaissance aircraft) (2020)
18-22 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
2.9% of GDP (2020 est.)
2.4% of GDP (2019)
2.4% of GDP (2018)
2.5% of GDP (2017)
2.5% of GDP (2016)
1.9% of GDP (2019)
1.9% of GDP (2018)
2.1% of GDP (2017)
2.2% of GDP (2016)
2.5% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengths
information on the size of the Indian Armed Forces varies; approximately 1.45 million active personnel (est. 1.25 million Army; 65,000 Navy; 140,000 Air Force; 12,000 Coast Guard) (2020)
the Sri Lankan military has approximately 250,000 total personnel (180,000 Army; 40,000 Navy; 30,000 Air Force) (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the inventory of the Indian Armed Forces consists mostly of Russian-origin equipment, along with a smaller mix of Western and domestically-produced arms; since 2010, Russia is the leading supplier of arms to India; other major suppliers include France, Israel, the UK, and the US; India's defense industry is capable of producing a range of air, land, missile, and naval weapons systems for both indigenous use and export (2020)
the Sri Lankan military inventory consists mostly of Chinese and Russian-origin equipment; since 2010, China, India, and the US have been the leading suppliers of arms to Sri Lanka (2020)
Military deployments
1,900 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 200 Golan Heights (UNDOF); 780 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 2,350 South Sudan (UNMISS) (Jan 2021)
110 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 125 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 240 Mali (MINUSMA); 170 South Sudan (UNMISS) (Jan 2021)
