List of countries without armed forces

This is a list of countries without armed forces. The term country here means sovereign states, and excludes dependencies (such as Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Bermuda) whose defence 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 standing armies but still have a non-police military force.[1][2][3]

Many of the 21 countries listed here typically have had a long-standing agreement with a former colonial or protecting power; one example of the latter is the agreement between Monaco and France, which has existed for at least 300 years.[4][5] Similarly, the Compact of Free Association nations of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and Palau rely on the United States for their defence. They ensure their national security concerns are addressed through annual Joint Committee Meetings to discuss defence matters with US Pacific Command. Andorra has a small army, and can request defensive aid if necessary,[6][7] while Iceland has a unique agreement since 1951 with the United States which requires them to provide defence to Iceland when needed, although permanent armed forces have not been stationed there since 2006.[8][9]

The remaining countries are responsible for their own defence, and operate either without any armed forces, or with limited armed forces. Some of the countries, such as Costa Rica and Grenada, underwent a process of demilitarization.[10][11][12] Other countries were formed without armed forces, such as Samoa over 60 years ago;[13] the primary reason being that they were, or still are, under protection from another nation at their point of independence.

  1. ^ "National Security". Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Mfa.is. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  2. ^ "Direction de la Sûreté Publique / Département de l'Intérieur / Le Gouvernement / Gouvernement et Institutions / Portail du Gouvernement - Monaco" (in French). Gouv.mc. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Comparative Criminology | Europe - Monaco". Rohan.sdsu.edu. 1 January 2002. Archived from the original on 30 April 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference monaco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "CIA - The World Factbook". Cia.gov. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Documento BOE-A-1993-16868". BOE.es. 30 June 1993. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Andorra Defense Forces - 1990". CIA World Factbook. 1990. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference iceland was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "U.S. Military Forces Leaving Iceland". Usmilitary.about.com. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  10. ^ "Treaty Establishing the Regional Security System (1996)". United States Department of State. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  11. ^ Schanche, Don A. (17 March 1990). "Breakup of Palace Guard Helps to Demilitarise Haiti - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference costa rica was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Top 10 Countries Without Military Forces | Top 10 Lists". TopTenz.net. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2012.

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