Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) (2021)
Armed Defense Forces of Mozambique (Forcas Armadas de Defesa de Mocambique, FADM): Mozambique Army, Mozambique Navy (Marinha de Guerra de Mocambique, MGM), Mozambique Air Force (Forca Aerea de Mocambique, FAM)
Ministry of Interior: National Police (PRM), the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR; police special forces), Border Security Force (2020)
note: the FADM and Ministry of Interior forces are referred to collectively as the Defense and Security Forces (DFS)
Military service age and obligation
18-22 years of age for voluntary military service (18-24 for officer cadets; 18-30 for technical/specialist personnel); no conscription; women are eligible to serve (2021)
registration for military service is mandatory for all males and females at 18 years of age; 18-35 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary service; 2-year service obligation; women may serve as officers or enlisted (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
0.7% of GDP (2019)
1.2% of GDP (2018)
1.5% of GDP (2017)
1.8% of GDP (2016)
1.9% of GDP (2015)
0.9% of GDP (2019)
1% of GDP (2018)
1% of GDP (2017)
1% of GDP (2016)
0.8% of GDP (2015)
Military - note
the ZDF was formed after independence from the former Rhodesian Army and the two guerrilla forces that opposed it during the Rhodesian Civil War (aka "Bush War") of the 1970s, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA); internal security is a key current responsibility, and the military continues to play an active role in the country's politics since the coup of 2017
the Government of Mozambique is facing a growing insurgency driven by militants with ties to the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS-Mozambique, which was declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US State Department in March 2021) in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, an area known for rich liquid natural gas deposits; insurgent attacks in the province began in 2017 and as of mid-2021, the fighting had left an estimated 2,500 dead and approximately 700,000 displaced; the FADM is widely assessed as lacking the training, equipment, and overall capabilities to address the insurgency
Military and security service personnel strengths
information varies; approximately 30,000 active duty troops, including about 4,000 serving in the Air Force (2021)
information varies; approximately 11,000 personnel (10,000 Army; 200 Navy; 1,000 Air Force) (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the ZDF inventory is comprised mostly of older Chinese- and Russian-origin equipment; since 2000, China is the leading arms supplier to the ZDF, although there are no recorded deliveries of weapons since 2006; since the early 2000s, Zimbabwe has been under an arms embargo from the European Union, as well as targeted sanctions from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the US (2020)
the FADM's inventory consists primarily of Soviet-era equipment, although since 2010 it has received limited quantities of more modern equipment from a variety of countries, mostly as aid/donations (2020)
