Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Army (includes Special Operations Forces, Border Guards, Royal Guard), Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Jordanian Coast Guard; Ministry of Interior: General Directorate of Gendarmerie Forces, Public Security Directorate (2020)
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army (includes Republican Guard), Syrian Naval Forces, Syrian Air Forces, Syrian Air Defense Forces, National Defense Forces (pro-government militia and auxiliary forces) (2021)
note: the Syrian government is working to demobilize militias or integrate them into its regular forces
Military service age and obligation
17 years of age for voluntary male military service (women can volunteer to serve in noncombat military positions in the Royal Jordanian Arab Army Women's Corps and RJAF); initial service term 2 years, with option to reenlist for 18 years; conscription abolished in 1991; however, in 2020, Jordan announced the reinstatement of compulsory military service for jobless men aged between 25 and 29 with 12 months of service, made up of three months of military training and nine months of professional and technical training; in 2019, announced a voluntary 4-month National Military Service program for men and women aged between 18-25 years who have been unemployed for at least six months; service would include one month for military training with the remaining three months dedicated to vocational training in the sectors of construction and tourism (2020)
18-42 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation is 18 months; women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2019)
Military and security service personnel strengths
the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) have approximately 90,000 active personnel (77,000 Army; 500 Navy; 12,500 Air Force); est. 15,000 Gendarmerie Forces (2021)
N/A; since the start of the civil war in 2011, the Syrian Armed Forces (SAF) have taken significant losses in personnel; prior to the civil war, the SAF had approximately 300,000 active troops, including 200-225,000 Army; by 2018, its estimated size was reportedly less than 100,000 due to casualties and desertions; currently, the SAF is trying to rebuild and integrate government-allied militias and auxiliary forces while continuing to engage in active military operations (2021)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the JAF inventory is comprised of a wide mix of imported weapons, mostly second-hand equipment from Europe, the Gulf States, and the US; since 2010, the Netherlands and the US are the leading suppliers of military hardware to Jordan (2020)
the SAF's inventory is comprised mostly of Russian and Soviet-era equipment; since 2010, Russia has supplied nearly all of Syria's imported weapons systems, although China and Iran have also provided military equipment (2020)
