Guinea-Bissau
Military Power Ranking 2025
MPR Rank: 172nd
MPR SCORE: 149
MPR Index: 0.0192 (1.0000 is perfect)
Reverse MPR Index: 0.9295 (0.0000 is perfect)
Z Score: -0.792 (standard deviations above the mean)
Overview
Guinea-Bissau ranks 172nd in the 2024 Military Power Rankings. The Armed Forces of Guinea-Bissau (FAGB) are a small, resource-constrained military, primarily responsible for internal security, border control, and support to the civilian government. Chronic political instability, repeated coups, and budget shortfalls have significantly degraded the operational capability and modernization of the force.
Despite these challenges, the military remains a central actor in national governance, often playing a decisive role in political transitions. Guinea-Bissau relies heavily on foreign training, peacekeeping partnerships, and regional diplomacy for its security posture. The armed forces also contribute to ECOWAS stabilization missions, aligning their doctrine with defensive, internal stability operations rather than external projection.
Military Strengths
Guinea-Bissau’s limited military strength is based on its internal deployment capacity, regional coordination, and foreign-assisted reform programs.
1. Focus on Internal Stability and Coup Containment
The FAGB maintains a core focus on garrison duties, VIP protection, and response to civil unrest, especially in Bissau and strategic locations like airports and seaports.
Key units include the Presidential Guard, Military Police, and infantry patrol detachments along the Senegal and Guinea borders.
2. Regional Engagement through ECOWAS
Guinea-Bissau has hosted and contributed to ECOWAS stabilization forces, including missions focused on election security, anti-coup deterrence, and conflict prevention.
Participates in West African defense forums, although with limited resources.
3. Role in UN Peacekeeping and External Training Programs
Officers have served in United Nations peacekeeping missions, gaining experience in logistics, command structure, and civil-military coordination.
Receives support from Portugal, Brazil, ECOWAS, and Angola for officer training and defense planning.
4. Resilience in Crisis and Disaster Response
The military plays a role in flood relief, medical logistics, and public safety during epidemics, transport shutdowns, and natural disasters.
Why Guinea-Bissau Is Still Ranked 172nd
Small, Fragmented Force Structure
The FAGB has an estimated 2,000–3,000 personnel, most of whom are underpaid, poorly equipped, and stationed in fixed garrisons without mobility support.No Air or Naval Combat Capabilities
Guinea-Bissau lacks a functioning air force, and its naval forces are limited to a few coastal patrol boats with minimal range and endurance.Outdated Equipment and Logistics Deficiencies
Most military equipment is Soviet-era surplus or donated gear, poorly maintained due to lack of spare parts and fuel shortages.Highly Politicized Command Structure
The military has been repeatedly implicated in coups and political interventions, undermining reform efforts and limiting foreign investment in modernization.
Conclusion
Guinea-Bissau’s military plays a critical internal role, not through conventional force, but by maintaining territorial cohesion, deterring civil unrest, and enabling limited crisis response. While the Armed Forces of Guinea-Bissau suffer from chronic underfunding and politicization, they continue to function as a stability mechanism within a volatile political system. Its MPR ranking reflects extremely limited warfighting capabilities, mitigated only by its participation in peacekeeping and regional stabilization frameworks.
Military Strength and Force Projection
Active Military Personnel: 4,500 (IISS 2023)
Reserve Personnel: 1,500
Paramilitary Forces: 1,000 (National Guard and Police)
Army Personnel: 3,500
Navy Personnel: 500
Air Force Personnel: 500
Ground Forces
Main Battle Tanks (MBTs): None
Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs): 15+ (light vehicles)
Artillery (Towed and Self-Propelled): 10+ (light artillery)
Air Wing
Guinea-Bissau’s air wing is small and consists of only a few helicopters, mainly used for transport and medical evacuations.
Helicopters: 3
Transport Aircraft: None
Naval Forces
Guinea-Bissau’s navy is modest, with a few patrol boats focused on coastal security and protecting the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Patrol Boats: 2
Missile Capabilities
Guinea-Bissau does not possess missile systems or nuclear capabilities. The country’s focus remains on internal security and maintaining territorial integrity.
Strategic Partnerships
Guinea-Bissau relies on foreign assistance and international partnerships for its defense needs. The country participates in regional peacekeeping missions and benefits from cooperation with other West African nations, as well as assistance from the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). These partnerships are crucial for capacity-building and maintaining security within the region.
Military History & Combat Experience
Guinea-Bissau’s military legacy stems from its anti-colonial insurgency, civil-military hybridization, and intermittent political conflict, not from conventional warfare with external actors.
War of Independence Against Portugal (1963–1974):
Guinea-Bissau’s military roots trace back to the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which waged a guerrilla war against Portuguese forces. The war featured asymmetric warfare, jungle ambushes, and liberated zones, making Guinea-Bissau one of the few African colonies to gain independence largely through armed struggle.Post-Independence Militarization and Coups (1980–2000s):
The post-independence era saw the military transform into a political power broker, with the 1980 coup by João Bernardo Vieira initiating a cycle of factionalism, repression, and military-influenced governance.
A civil war in 1998–1999 between rival army factions and Vieira loyalists devastated the country and led to foreign-mediated peace efforts.Chronic Instability and Military Interventions (2000–2012):
The 2000s saw multiple attempted and successful coups, with high-profile assassinations of both military and political figures. The FAGB repeatedly intervened in elections, arrests of government officials, and suspension of constitutional processes.ECOWAS and International Reform Missions (2012–Present):
Following the 2012 coup, ECOWAS deployed a stabilization force (ECOMIB) to restore order. Guinea-Bissau has since attempted military reform with Portuguese and African Union guidance, but with limited structural change.
Though lacking conventional combat history in recent decades, Guinea-Bissau’s military remains a politically influential institution with experience in guerrilla warfare, civil conflict, and crisis mediation, shaped by decades of instability and external involvement.
General Information
Demographics and Geography
Population: ~2.1 million (2024 est.)
Population Available for Military Service: ~850,000
Geographic Area: 36,125 km²
Land Boundaries: 724 km
Bordering Countries: Guinea, Senegal
Coastline: 350 km (Atlantic Ocean)
Climate: Tropical; hot and humid with a rainy season (June–November) and dry season (December–May)
Terrain: Mostly low coastal plain with swamps, mangroves, and forested interior
Natural Resources: Fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, oil potential, agricultural land
Proven Oil Reserves: Offshore potential under exploration; not yet commercially viable
Proven Natural Gas Reserves: None
Economic Indicators
Defense Budget (2025): ~$35 million USD
Defense Budget as % of GDP: ~1.9%
GDP (PPP): ~$4.5 billion USD
GDP per Capita (PPP): ~$2,100
External Debt: ~$1.2 billion USD
Military Expenditure Trend (last 5 years): Irregular due to political instability and military restructuring
Military Infrastructure and Readiness
Military Service Obligation: Voluntary
Primary Defense Focus: Regime protection, internal control, border surveillance
Military Industry Base: None
Cyber/Electronic Warfare Capability: None
Nuclear Warhead Inventory: None (non-nuclear state)
Major Military Districts / Commands: Armed Forces of Guinea-Bissau under Ministry of Defense, with military zones linked to key regions
Missile Inventory Highlights: None; infantry weapons and aging light artillery
Reservist Call-up Readiness / Timeline: Low; 60–90 days
Reservist Force Size: ~6,000
Space, Intelligence, and Strategic Infrastructure
Space or Satellite Programs: None
Military Satellite Inventory: None
Intelligence Infrastructure: Military intelligence and state security service under political control
Intelligence Sharing Partnerships: ECOWAS, Portugal
Airports (Total): ~8
Major Military Airports: Osvaldo Vieira International Airport (dual-use)
Naval Power and Maritime Logistics
Merchant Marine Fleet: Small
Major Ports: Bissau, Buba
Naval Infrastructure: Coast Guard with limited patrol capability
Naval Replenishment Capability: Minimal coastal support and resupply
Domestic Mobility and Infrastructure
Railway Network: None
Roadways: ~4,400 km (mostly unpaved or in poor condition)
Energy and Fuel Logistics
Oil Production: None
Energy Imports: Full reliance on imported refined fuels
Strategic Petroleum Reserves: Minimal
Defense Production and Strategic Forces
Domestic Defense Production: None
Military Installations (Domestic): Bissau, Buba, Canchungo
Military Installations (Overseas): None
Foreign Military Personnel Presence: Periodic ECOWAS security missions
Defense Alliances: ECOWAS, limited bilateral ties with Portugal and regional partners
Strategic Airlift Capability: None
Wartime Industrial Surge Capacity: Extremely low
Research and Industry Support
Defense R&D Investment: None
Key Wartime Industries Beyond Defense: Timber and cashew export logistics, port services
Political and Administrative Structure
Capital: Bissau
Founding Date: September 24, 1973 (independence declared from Portugal; recognized in 1974)
System of Government: Semi-presidential republic (frequent military a
