Eritrean Defence Forces

Eritrean Defence Forces
ሓይልታት ምክልኻል ኤርትራ (Tigrinya)
Eritrean Defence Force badge
Founded	24 May 1991
Service branches	Eritrean Army Eritrean Navy Eritrean Air Force
Headquarters	Asmara
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	Isaias Afewerki
Minister of Defence	General Filipos Woldeyohannes
Chief of Staff	General Filipos Woldeyohannes
Personnel
Military age	18 years old
Conscription	Open-ended
Available for military service	1,985,023 males, age 18–40[3] (2004 est.), 1,980,987 females, age 18–40[3] (2004 est.)
Fit for military service	1,599,979 males, age 18–40[3] (2004 est.), 1,590,899 females, age 18–40[3] (2004 est.)
Active personnel	200,000[1]
Reserve personnel	500,000 [2]
Expenditure
Budget	US$ 640 million[4]
Percent of GDP	10.9% (2019 est.)[4]
Industry
Foreign suppliers	China Russia Egypt Japan India Israel United States
Related articles
History	Military history of Eritrea Eritrean War of Independence Hanish Islands Crisis Second Sudanese Civil War First Congo War Eritrean–Ethiopian War Djiboutian–Eritrean border conflict 2013 Eritrean Army mutiny Battle of Tsorona Tigray War
Ranks	Military ranks of Eritrea

The Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) (Tigrinya: ሓይልታት ምክልኻል ኤርትራ^{[pronunciation?]}) are the combined military forces of Eritrea composed of three branches: Eritrean Army, Eritrean Air Force and Eritrean Navy. The Army is by far the largest, followed by the Air Force and Navy. The Commander-in-Chief of the EDF is the President of Eritrea. Their military role stems from Eritrea's strategic geographical location, located on the Red Sea with a foothold on the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.