| Field Listing - Military - note

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Country | Military - note
Akrotiri | Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit
American Samoa | defense is the responsibility of the US
Andorra | defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
Anguilla | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Antarctica | the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes
Argentina | the Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained by the country's prolonged economic hardship; the country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and the military is now implementing "Plan 2000," aimed at making the ground forces lighter and more responsive (2005)
Aruba | defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Ashmore and Cartier Islands | defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
Baker Island | defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard

Barbados

the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005)

Bassas da India | defense is the responsibility of France
Bermuda | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Bouvet Island | defense is the responsibility of Norway
British Indian Ocean Territory | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
British Virgin Islands | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Cayman Islands | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Christmas Island | defense is the responsibility of Australia
Clipperton Island | defense is the responsibility of France
Cocos (Keeling) Islands | defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force
Cook Islands | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request
Coral Sea Islands | defense is the responsibility of Australia; visited regularly by the Royal Australian Navy; Australia has control over the activities of visitors
Cuba | Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993
Dhekelia | includes Dheklia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway
Europa Island | defense is the responsibility of France

European Union

In November 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a "Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe" that offers possibilities - with some limits - for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take some two years, this treaty will in effect make operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a European military planning unit is likely to continue. So is creation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational Command Support Brigade, and EUFOR, which took over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command - commitments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations. In November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formally committed to creating thirteen 1,500-man "battle groups" by the end of 2007, to respond to international crises on a rotating basis. Twenty-two of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops. France, Italy, and the UK are to form the first three battle groups in 2005, with Spain to follow. In May 2005, Norway, Sweden, and Finland agreed to establish one of the battle groups, possibly to include Estonian forces. The remaining groups are to be formed by 2007. (2005)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Faroe Islands | defense is the responsibility of Denmark
French Guiana | defense is the responsibility of France
French Polynesia | defense is the responsibility of France
French Southern and Antarctic Lands | defense is the responsibility of France
Georgia | a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia
Gibraltar | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the last British regular infantry forces left Gibraltar in 1992, replaced by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment
Glorioso Islands | defense is the responsibility of France
Greenland | defense is the responsibility of Denmark
Guadeloupe | defense is the responsibility of France
Guam | defense is the responsibility of the US
Guernsey | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Heard Island and McDonald Islands | defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols
Holy See (Vatican City) | defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard
Hong Kong | defense is the responsibility of China
Howland Island | defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard
Iceland | defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik
Isle of Man | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Jan Mayen | defense is the responsibility of Norway
Jarvis Island | defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard
Jersey | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Johnston Atoll | defense is the responsibility of the US
Juan de Nova Island | defense is the responsibility of France
Kingman Reef | defense is the responsibility of the US
Kiribati | Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ

Laos

Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005)

Lesotho | the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs
Liechtenstein | defense is the responsibility of Switzerland
Marshall Islands | defense is the responsibility of the US
Martinique | defense is the responsibility of France
Mayotte | defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island
Micronesia, Federated States of | Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a sovereign, self-governing state in free association with the US; FSM is totally dependent on the US for its defense
Midway Islands | defense is the responsibility of the US
Monaco | defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003)
Montserrat | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Nauru | Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
Navassa Island | defense is the responsibility of the US
Netherlands Antilles | defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
New Caledonia | defense is the responsibility of France
Niue | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Norfolk Island | defense is the responsibility of Australia
Northern Mariana Islands | defense is the responsibility of the US
Palau | defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years
Palmyra Atoll | defense is the responsibility of the US

Panama

on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by creating the Panamanian Public Forces; in October 1994, Panama's Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of a standing military force, but allowing the temporary establishment of special police units to counter acts of "external aggression"

Paracel Islands | occupied by China
Pitcairn Islands | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Puerto Rico | defense is the responsibility of the US
Reunion | defense is the responsibility of France
Saint Helena | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | defense is the responsibility of France
Samoa | Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship
San Marino | defense is the responsibility of Italy

Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resources at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay and conditions have been a problem in the past, as has alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance as initial steps towards the improvement of the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is exercised from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005)

South Africa | with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | defense is the responsibility of the UK
Spratly Islands | Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
Svalbard | demilitarized by treaty on 9 February 1920
Tokelau | defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Tromelin Island | defense is the responsibility of France
Turkey | in the early 1990s, the Turkish Land Force was a large but badly equipped infantry force; there were 14 infantry divisions, but only one was mechanized, and out of 16 infantry brigades, only six were mechanized; the overhaul that has taken place since has produced highly mobile forces with greatly enhanced firepower in accordance with NATO's new strategic concept (2005)
Turks and Caicos Islands | defense is the responsibility of the UK
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges | defense is the responsibility of the US
Virgin Islands | defense is the responsibility of the US
Wake Island | defense is the responsibility of the US; launch support facility is part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS) administered by US Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC)
Wallis and Futuna | defense is the responsibility of France
Yemen | a Coast Guard was established in 2002

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006