Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2021)
South African National Defence Force (SANDF): South African Army (includes Reserve Force), South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), South African Military Health Services (2021)
Military service age and obligation
18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women can serve as commissioned officers (2019)
18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; women are eligible to serve in noncombat roles; 2-year service obligation (2021)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.5% of GDP (2019)
1.8% of GDP (2018)
2% of GDP (2017)
1.8% of GDP (2016)
1.9% of GDP (2015)
0.9% of GDP (2021 est.)
1% of GDP (2020 est.)
1% of GDP (2019)
1% of GDP (2018)
1% of GDP (2017)
Military and security service personnel strengths
the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) has approximately 2,000 personnel (2020)
the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is comprised of approximately 75,000 personnel (40,000 Army; 7,000 Navy; 10,000 Air Force; 8,000 Military Health Service; 10,000 other, including administrative, logistics, military police) (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the LDF has a small inventory of older equipment from a variety of countries; the only reported delivery to the LDF since 2007 was two second-hand helicopters from France in 2017 and 2019 (2019 est.)
the SANDF's inventory consists of a mix of domestically-produced and foreign-supplied equipment; South Africa's domestic defense industry produced most of the Army's major weapons systems (some were jointly-produced with foreign companies), while the Air Force and Navy inventories include a mix of European, Israeli, and US-origin weapons systems; since 2010, Sweden is the largest supplier of weapons to the SANDF (2020)
