Military & Security

Military - note

The Chadian National Army prioritizes internal security and is actively involved in counterinsurgency efforts aimed at various terrorist and rebel factions. Key terrorist entities such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham are active in the Lake Chad Basin region. Concurrently, several anti-government militias operate in northern Chad, with some launching from bases in southern Libya, including groups like the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), the Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic (CCSMR), the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), and the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR). The former President of Chad, Idriss DEBY, was killed in April 2021 amidst clashes involving FACT and government troops (2025).

Military deployments

note: Chad has deployed around 1,000-1,500 troops to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to combat Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the vicinity of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeastern border. Although national MNJTF troop contingents are stationed within their respective territories, cross-border operations are conducted on occasion.

Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT): Ground Forces (l'Armee de Terre, AdT), Chadian Air Force (l'Armee de l'Air Tchadienne, AAT), Chadian National Gendarmerie; General Direction of the Security Services of State Institutions (Direction Generale des Services de Securite des Institutions de l'Etat, GDSSIE)

Ministry of Public Security and Immigration: National Nomadic Guard of Chad (GNNT) (2025).

Military service age and obligation

Individuals aged 18-25 can volunteer for service; men are subject to compulsory service lasting between 18 and 36 months starting at age 20, while women face a 12-month requirement for military or civic service beginning at age 21 (2025).

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

The ANT possesses a combination of older, secondhand weaponry alongside some more contemporary arms sourced from various suppliers, including Brazil, China, France, Russia/former Soviet Union, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the UAE (2025).

Military and security service personnel strengths

The estimated number of active personnel in the Chadian National Army is between 35,000 and 40,000 (2025).