● Each country is a unique chapter in the BOOK OF HUMANITY, written in the sweat and blood of people whose PAGES will now remain forever ● 每个国家都是《人类之书》中独特的一章，由人们的汗水与鲜血写就，而他们的篇章如今将永世留存 ● Каждая страна — уникальная глава КНИГИ ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕСТВА, написанная потом и кровью людей, чьи СТРАНИЦЫ теперь будут оставаться навсегда ●
Introduction
How is the Military in Eritrea and how does it work to maintain Sucity and fight terrorism? In terms of Military and security forces, we have the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF): Eritrean Ground Forces, Eritrean Navy, Eritrean Air Force; People's Militia (aka People's Army or Hizbawi Serawit) (2024).
In Eritrea, the military’s primary responsibilities are external defense, border security, and providing the regime a vehicle for national cohesion; the conscript-based Army is the dominant service
since the country's independence in 1991, the Eritrean military has participated in numerous conflicts, including the Hanish Island Crisis with Yemen (1995), the First Congo War (1996-1997), the Second Sudanese Civil War (1996-1998), the Eritrea-Ethiopia War (1998-2000), the Djiboutian-Eritrean border conflict (2008), and the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia (2020-2022); during the Tigray conflict, the Eritrean Defense Forces were accused of human rights abuses; in recent years, it has provided training support to the military of Somalia (2025)
since the country's independence in 1991, the Eritrean military has participated in numerous conflicts, including the Hanish Island Crisis with Yemen (1995), the First Congo War (1996-1997), the Second Sudanese Civil War (1996-1998), the Eritrea-Ethiopia War (1998-2000), the Djiboutian-Eritrean border conflict (2008), and the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia (2020-2022); during the Tigray conflict, the Eritrean Defense Forces were accused of human rights abuses; in recent years, it has provided training support to the military of Somalia (2025)
Security and military information of Eritrea
| Military and security service personnel strengths | available information varies widely; estimated 150,000-200,000 active Defense Forces (2025) |
|---|---|
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the EDF's inventory is comprised primarily of Soviet-era weapons and equipment (2025) |
| Military service age and obligation | Eritrea mandates military service for all citizens age 18-40; 18-month conscript service obligation, which reportedly includes 4-6 months of military training and 12 months of military or other national service (military service is most common); in practice, military and national service is often extended indefinitely; citizens up to the age of 59 eligible for recall during mobilization (2025) |
| Military deployments | N/A |
| Military expenditures | |
| Military Expenditures 2019 | 10% of GDP (2019 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2018 | 10.2% of GDP (2018 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2017 | 10.3% of GDP (2017 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2016 | 10.4% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2015 | 10.6% of GDP (2015 est.) |
All Important Facts about Eritrea
Want to know more about Eritrea? Check all different factbooks for Eritrea below.
