Introduction
How is the Military in Mongolia and how does it work to maintain Sucity and fight terrorism? In terms of Military and security forces, we have the Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF): Land Force, Air Force, Cyber Security Forces, Special Forces, Construction-Engineering Forces (2025).
In Mongolia, the Mongolian Armed Forces (MAF) are responsible for ensuring the country's independence, security, and territorial integrity, as well as supporting Mongolia's developmental goals and diplomacy; it has a range of missions, including counterterrorism, international peacekeeping duties, and assisting the internal security forces in providing emergency aid and disaster relief; Mongolia hosts an annual international peacekeeping exercise known as “Khaan Quest”; it has no formal military alliances, but has defense ties and conducts training exercises with several regional countries and others, such as China, India, Russia, and the US
Mongolia actively cooperates with NATO on issues such as counterterrorism, nonproliferation, and cybersecurity through an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Program; it supported the NATO-led Kosovo Force from 2005-2007 and contributed troops to the NATO-led missions in Afghanistan from 2009-2021; Mongolia also is an observer in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (2025)
Mongolia actively cooperates with NATO on issues such as counterterrorism, nonproliferation, and cybersecurity through an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Program; it supported the NATO-led Kosovo Force from 2005-2007 and contributed troops to the NATO-led missions in Afghanistan from 2009-2021; Mongolia also is an observer in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (2025)
Security and military information of Mongolia
| Military and security service personnel strengths | information varies; estimated 10-20,000 active Mongolian Armed Forces (2025) |
|---|---|
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the MAF's inventory is comprised largely of Soviet-era and secondhand Russian equipment (2025) |
| Military service age and obligation | 18-25 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; initial service 24 months; compulsory service for men at 18; service obligation is 12 months in the military or police, which can be extended to 15 months under special circumstances; compulsory service can be exchanged for a 24‐month stint in the civil service or a cash payment determined by the Mongolian Government; after conscription, soldiers can contract into military service for up to 4 years (2025). |
| Military deployments | 850 South Sudan (UNMISS) (2025). note: since 2002, Mongolia has deployed more than 20,000 peacekeepers and observers to UN operations in more than a dozen countries |
| Military expenditures | |
| Military Expenditures 2024 | 0.7% of GDP (2024 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2023 | 0.6% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2022 | 0.6% of GDP (2022 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2021 | 0.8% of GDP (2021 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2020 | 0.8% of GDP (2020 est.) |
All Important Facts about Mongolia
Want to know more about Mongolia? Check all different factbooks for Mongolia below.
