Norway vs. Sweden
Military
| Norway | Sweden | |
|---|---|---|
| Military branches | Norwegian Armed Forces: Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret), Norwegian Special Forces, Norwegian Cyber Defense, Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2021) | Swedish Armed Forces (Forsvarsmakten): Army, Navy, Air Force; Home Guard (2021) |
| Military service age and obligation | 19-35 years of age for male and female selective compulsory military service; 17 years of age for male volunteers (16 in wartime); 18 years of age for women; 19-month service obligation; conscripts first serve 12 months from 19-28, and then up to 4-5 refresher training periods until age 35, 44, 55, or 60 depending on rank and function (2019) note - Norway was the first NATO country to allow females to serve in all combat arms branches of the military (1988); it also has an all-female commando unit known as Jegertroppen (The Hunter Troop), which was established in 2014 | 18-47 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; service obligation: 7.5 months (Army), 7-15 months (Navy), 8-12 months (Air Force); after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age 47; compulsory military service, abolished in 2010, was reinstated in January 2018; conscription is selective, includes both female and male (age 18), and requires 9-12 months of service (2019) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.86% of GDP (2019) 1.73% of GDP (2018) 1.72% of GDP (2017) 1.74% of GDP (2016) | 1.1% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.1% of GDP (2019) 1% of GDP (2018) 1% of GDP (2017) 1.1% of GDP (2016) |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | the Norwegian Armed Forces have approximately 23,000 active personnel (8,500 Army; 3,500 Navy; 3,500 Air Force; 7,500 other, including special operations, cyber, joint staff, intelligence, logistics support, active Home Guard, etc.); 40,000 Home Guard (2021) | information varies; approximately 16,000 active duty troops (7,000 Army; 3,000 Navy; 3,000 Air Force; 3,000 other, including staff, logistics, support, medical, cyber, intelligence, etc); 22,000 Home Guard (2021) |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the Norwegian Armed Forces inventory includes mostly imported European and US weapons systems, as well as a limited mix of domestically-produced equipment, particularly small naval craft; since 2010, the US is the leading supplier of weapons systems to Norway, followed by a variety of other countries, including France, Italy, South Korea, and Spain (2020) | the inventory of the Swedish Armed Forces is comprised of domestically-produced and imported Western weapons systems; since 2010, the US is the leading supplier of military hardware to Sweden, followed by France and Germany; Sweden's defense industry is capable of producing a range of air, land, and naval systems (2020) |
| Military deployments | 120 Lithuania (NATO) (2021) | approximately 450 Mali (EUTM, MINUSMA, Task Force Takuba) (Jan 2021) |
Source: CIA Factbook
