Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) (2021)
Zambia Defense Force (ZDF): Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force, Zambia National Service (support organization that also does public work projects); Defense Force Medical Service; the Zambia Police includes a paramilitary battalion (2021)
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)
18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (16 with parental consent); no conscription; 12-year enlistment period (7 years active, 5 in the Reserves) (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)
1.2% of GDP (2019)
1.3% of GDP (2018)
1.3% of GDP (2017)
1.5% of GDP (2016)
1.7% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengths
information varies; approximately 30,000 active duty troops, including about 4,000 serving in the Air Force (2021)
the Zambia Defense Force (ZDF) has approximately 16,500 active troops (15,000 Army; 1,500 Air) (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 ZDF's inventory is largely comprised of Chinese, Russian, and Soviet-era armaments, with a small mix of Israeli, South African, and US equipment; since 2010, China is the leading supplier of arms to Zambia (2020)
