Introduction
How is the Military in Angola and how does it work to maintain Sucity and fight terrorism? In terms of Military and security forces, we have the Angolan Armed Forces (Forcas Armadas Angolanas, FAA): Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra Angola, MGA), Angolan National Air Force (Forca Aerea Nacional Angolana, FANA)
Ministry of Interior: National Police, Border Guard Police (2025).
Ministry of Interior: National Police, Border Guard Police (2025).
In Angola, the Angolan Armed Forces were created in 1991 under the Bicesse Accords signed between the Angolan Government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA); the current force is responsible for country’s external defense but also has some domestic security responsibilities, including border protection, expulsion of irregular migrants, and small-scale counterinsurgency operations against separatist groups; the Army and Air Force are some of the largest and better equipped forces in the region (2024)
Security and military information of Angola
| Military and security service personnel strengths | approximately 100,000 active-duty Armed Forces (2025) |
|---|---|
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | most Angolan military weapons and equipment are of Russian or Soviet-era origin; there are smaller quantities of items originating from such suppliers as China, Brazil, and South Africa (2024) |
| Military service age and obligation | 20-45 years of age for compulsory and 18-45 years for voluntary military service for men (registration at age 18 is mandatory); 20-45 years of age for voluntary service for women; 24-month conscript service obligation; Angolan citizenship required; the Navy is entirely staffed with volunteers (2023). |
| Military deployments | in 2023, Angola agreed to send 500 troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for 12 months to oversee cantonment of a rebel group known as M23 (2023). |
| Military expenditures | |
| Military Expenditures 2024 | 1% of GDP (2024 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2023 | 1.3% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2022 | 1.3% of GDP (2022 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2021 | 1.4% of GDP (2021 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2020 | 1.7% of GDP (2020 est.) |
All Important Facts about Angola
Want to know more about Angola? Check all different factbooks for Angola below.
