List of countries without armed forces

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Countries without a normal army.
Countries without a normal army.

This is a list of countries without armed forces. The term "country" is used in the sense of independent state; thus, it applies only to sovereign states and not dependencies, whose defense is the responsibility of another country or an army alternative. The term "armed forces" refers to any government-sponsored defense used to further the domestic and foreign policies of their respective government. Some of the countries listed, such as Iceland and Monaco, have no armies, but still have a non-police military force.[1][2]

Many of the 21 countries listed here typically have had a long-standing agreement with a former occupying country; one example is the agreement between Monaco and France, which has existed for at least 300 years.[3] Monaco, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau have no say in their respective country's defense matters, and have little say in international relations.[3][4][5][6] For example, when Micronesia negotiated a defensive agreement with the United States, it did so from a weak position because it had grown heavily dependent on American assistance.[7] Andorra can request defensive aid if necessary, while Iceland had a unique agreement with the United States that lasted until 2006, which requires them to provide defense to Iceland when needed.[1][8] The remaining countries are responsible for their own defense, and operate either without any armed forces, or with limited armed forces. Some of the countries, such as Costa Rica, Dominica, and Grenada, underwent a process of demilitarization.[2][9] Other countries were formed without armed forces, such as Andorra over 700 years ago;[8] the primary reason being that they were, or still are, under protection from another nation at their point of independence. All of the countries on this list are considered to be in a situation of "non-militarization."[10]

Contents

[edit] Countries without armed forces

The terms country, state, and nation can have various meanings. Therefore, diverse lists of these entities are possible. Wikipedia offers the following lists:
  • the list of countries, listing countries in the sense of independent states (both those that are internationally recognized and generally unrecognized), inhabited dependent territories, and areas of special sovereignty.
  • the list of sovereign states, listing sovereign states with information on the extent of their sovereignty. It includes both states widely recognized (de jure) to be sovereign and entities that claim sovereignty while exercising de facto control over (part of) their claimed territory.
Related lists are the lists of federations, unrecognized countries, autonomous areas, dependent territories, and territorial disputes. In some contexts country and state is also used for some subnational entities.[11] More lists of countries can be found at the lists of countries.



List 1: Countries with absolutely no Military Forces.
Country Comments References
Flag of Andorra Andorra Defense of the country is the responsibility of France and Spain. Similar treaties were made with both nations on June 3, 1993. [8]
Flag of Dominica Dominica Has not had a standing army since 1981 due to an attempted army coup. Defense is the responsibility of the Regional Security System. [2]
Flag of Grenada Grenada Has not had a standing army since 1983 due to an American-led invasion. Defense is the responsibility of the Regional Security System. [2]
Flag of Haiti Haiti Haiti's military disbanded in June 1995, but rebels have demanded its re-establishment. The 6,000 strong Haitian National Police maintains some paramilitary units; these units are considered to be larger than what is required, considering the much smaller militaries of neighboring countries. [12]
Flag of Kiribati Kiribati The only forces permitted are the police and the coast guard. Defense assistance is provided by Australia and New Zealand. [13]
Flag of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein Abolished their army in 1868 because it was deemed too costly. Army is only permitted in times of war, but this situation has never occurred. According to the CIA World Factbook, defense is the responsibility of Switzerland. However, official sources of both Switzerland and Liechtenstein do not provide any backing to this claim and no defense treaty is ever mentioned. [14]
Flag of the Marshall Islands Marshall Islands Defense is the responsibility of the United States. [4]
Flag of Mauritius Mauritius Has had a paramilitary police force and coast guard since 1968. [15]
Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia Federated States of Micronesia Defense is the responsibility of the United States. Maintains a small paramilitary police force. [5]
Flag of Nauru Nauru Though Nauru has close ties with Australia, there is no known defense agreement between the two nations. [16]
Flag of Palau Palau Defense is the responsibility of the United States. [6]
Flag of Saint Lucia Saint Lucia A special service unit is maintained for internal purposes. Defense is the responsibility of Regional Security System. [2]
Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines A special service unit is maintained for internal purposes. Defense is the responsibility of Regional Security System. [2]
Flag of Samoa Samoa Does not have a standing army. New Zealand can be called upon for military aid per a 1962 agreement. [17]
Flag of the Solomon Islands Solomon Islands Had a heavy ethnic conflict between 1998 and 2006, in which Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific countries intervened to restore peace and order. Has no standing army. [18]
Flag of Tuvalu Tuvalu Has no army, but its police force includes a Maritime Surveillance Unit. [19]
Flag of the Vatican City Vatican City Maintains a Gendarmerie Corps for internal policing. The largely ceremonial Swiss Guard is a unit belonging to the Holy See, not the Vatican City State. There is no defense treaty with Italy, as it would violate the Vatican's neutrality. The Palatine Guard and Noble Guard were abolished in 1970. [20]

List 2: Countries with no Standing Army, but having limited Military Forces.
Country Comments References
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica Although the constitution has forbidden a standing military since 1949, there are over 10,000 military-style personnel, in the Civil Guard, Presidential Guard, Rural Guard and National Reserve, with military capabilities; they bear US-style military ranks, uniforms and equipment, and combine defensive (security) and border patrol duties with some policing roles. Seat of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the United Nations' University for Peace. [9][21]
Flag of Iceland Iceland Has not had a standing army since 1869, but is a member of NATO. There is a defense agreement with the United States, which maintained an Iceland Defense Force and a military base in the country from 1951 to September 2006. Even though Iceland does not have a standing army, it still maintains a military expeditionary peacekeeping force, an air defense system, an extensive militarised coast guard, a police service, and a tactical police force. [1]
Flag of Monaco Monaco Renounced its general military investment in the 17th century because the advancement in artillery technology had rendered it defenseless, but still self-identifies as having limited military forces. Defense is the responsibility of France, but two small military units are maintained; one primarily protects the Prince and judiciary, while the other is responsible for civil defence and fire fighting. Both units are trained and equipped with small arms. [3]
Flag of Panama Panama Abolished their army in 1990, which was confirmed by a parliamentary unanimous vote for constitutional change in 1994. The Panamanian Public Forces, including the National Police and Army, National Maritime Service, National Air Service, and Institutional Security Service, have some warfare capabilities. [22]

[edit] Iceland

Iceland has a history of not having a standing army, and was invaded during WWII by the British to prevent German conquest. It does have a 100-person expeditionary military unit, operated by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is primarily designated for peacekeeping operations and was established in the 1990s to improve the status of Iceland within NATO as it lacked sufficient armed forces to support NATO peacekeeping operations. Since they are not a regular army, Iceland is often said to have no army. Its largest military component is the Coast Guard (Icelandic name: Territorial Waters Guard) which is similar in structure and operation to the navies of many other countries. It includes armed ocean-going patrol boats, inshore patrol vessels, a scientific vessel, and an aeronautical section operating a range of aircraft, both fixed-wing and helicopter. The vessels of this force engaged the warships of the Royal Navy during the Cod Wars of the 1950s to the 1970s.

[edit] Demilitarized Countries

Some countries, having experienced multiple coups, have disbanded and banned their armed forces. However, some of the duties previously performed by the armed forces are now performed by divisions of a police force or National Guard. These countries, include Costa Rica, Dominica, Panama and Grenada. In some cases this leads to the actual existence of a military force, despite the use of an alternative name for the unit. For example, the Civil Guard of Costa Rica is required to transform itself into an army if the country is invaded, and therefore operates with military equipment, uniforms, and ranks (from Private to Colonel inclusive).[21] Haiti demobilized its military, but exists on paper, as it has not been banned.

[edit] Compact of Free Association

Some countries on this list rely on the USA for defense. They are Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau. They do this due to their status as associated states, receiving other benefits as well.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

General
  • Barbey, C. (2001). La non-militarization et les pays sans armée : une réalité. Switzerland: APRED. 
Specific
  1. ^ a b c Iceland Defense Force. Global Security. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Treaty Establishing the Regional Security System (1996). United States Department of State. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  3. ^ a b c Monaco signs new treaty with france. Monaco Consulate. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  4. ^ a b Background Note: Marshall Islands. United States Department of State. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  5. ^ a b Inspection of Embassy Kolonia, Federated States of Micronesia (ISP-I-02-09). United States Department of State. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  6. ^ a b PALAU. Encyclopedia of the Nations. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  7. ^ Hara, Kimie. Micronesia and the Postwar Remaking of the Asia Pacific: "An American Lake". Japan Focus. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
  8. ^ a b c Andorra Defense Forces - 1990. CIA World Factbook (1990). Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  9. ^ a b Costa Rica. World Desk Reference. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  10. ^ Non-militarization. Demilitarization. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  11. ^ E.g. the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales).
  12. ^ Haiti. World Desk Reference. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  13. ^ Kiribati Defense Forces - 1991. CIA World Factbook. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  14. ^ Background Note: Liechtenstein. United States Department of State. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  15. ^ Background Note: Mauritius. United States Department of State. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  16. ^ Nauru Defense Forces - 1991. CIA World Factbook. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  17. ^ Samoa. The World Factbook. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  18. ^ Australian defence presence in solomon islands. Australian Government Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  19. ^ Country Context. World Health Organization. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  20. ^ Vatican City. World Desk Reference. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
  21. ^ a b See this PDF and particularly notes on page 2 stating that the Civil Guard of Costa Rica is designed and equipped as an army, with US army ranks and equipment.
  22. ^ The Panama Defense Forces. Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.