Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF): Lao People's Army (LPA, includes Riverine Force), Air Force, Self-Defense Militia Forces (2021)
Royal Thai Armed Forces (Kongthap Thai, RTARF): Royal Thai Army (Kongthap Bok Thai, RTA; includes Thai Rangers (Thahan Phrahan)), Royal Thai Navy (Kongthap Ruea Thai, RTN; includes Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force (Kongthap Akaat Thai, RTAF); Office of the Prime Minister: Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC; oversees counter-insurgency operations, as well as countering terrorism, narcotics and weapons trafficking, and other internal security duties); Ministry of Interior: Volunteer Defense Corps (2021)
note: the Thai Rangers (aka Thahan Phrahan or 'Hunter Soldiers') is a paramilitary force formed in 1978 to clear Communist Party of Thailand guerrillas from mountain strongholds in the country's northeast; it is a light infantry force led by regular officers and non-commissioned officers and comprised of both full- and part-time personnel; it conducts counterinsurgency operations in the southern region; on the eastern border with Laos and Cambodia, the Rangers have primary responsibility for border surveillance and protection
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - minimum 18 months (2019)
21 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; males register at 18 years of age; 2-year conscript service obligation based on lottery (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
0.2% of GDP (2017 est.)
0.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
0.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
0.2% of GDP (2014 est.)
0.2% of GDP (2013 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2019)
1.4% of GDP (2018)
1.6% of GDP (2017)
1.6% of GDP (2016)
Military and security service personnel strengths
information is limited and estimates for the size of the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) vary; approximately 30,000 active duty troops (26,000 Army; 4000 Air Force) (2020)
estimates for the size of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) vary widely; approximately 350,000 active duty personnel (240,000 Army; 65,000 Navy; 45,000 Air Force); est. 20,000 Thai Rangers; est. 5-6,000 Internal Security Operations Command (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the LPAF is armed largely with weapons from the former Soviet Union; since 2010, China and Russia are the leading suppliers of military equipment to Laos (2020)
the RTARF has a diverse array of foreign-supplied weapons systems, including a large amount of obsolescent or second-hand US equipment; since 2010, Thailand has received military equipment from nearly 20 countries with China, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, and the US as the leading suppliers (2020)
