Suriname Army (National Leger, NL): Army, Navy, Air Force, Military Police (2021)
Brazilian Armed Forces: Brazilian Army (Exercito Brasileiro, EB), Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil, MB, includes Naval Aviation and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB); Public Security Forces (2021)
Military service age and obligation
18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2019)
18-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 10-12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are "long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s, when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
1.5% of GDP (2019)
1.5% of GDP (2018)
1.4% of GDP (2017)
1.3% of GDP (2016)
1.4% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengths
the Suriname Army is comprised of approximately 1,800 active personnel (ground, air, naval, and military police) (2021)
the Brazilian Armed Forces have approximately 360,000 active personnel (215,000 Army; 75,000 Navy; 70,000 Air Force) (2021)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the Suriname Army has a limited inventory comprised of a mix of older, foreign-supplied equipment; since 2010, Suriname has received small quantities of military hardware from Colombia, France, India, and the US (2020)
the Brazilian military's inventory consists of a mix of domestically-produced and imported weapons, largely from Europe and the US; since 2010, France, Germany, the UK, and the US are the leading suppliers of military equipment to Brazil; Brazil's defense industry is capable of designing and manufacturing equipment for all three military services and for export; it also jointly produces equipment with other countries (2020)
