Can you guarantee security without a military?
For most people, this question sounds like a contradiction, but there are countries that
maintain their territorial sovereignty without actually having military forces.
With the help of the CIA World Factbook,
we have identified the 31 countries that currently don't have armed forces.
While there are some nations on this list that don't have a military whatsoever, others are
dependent on other, more powerful countries that act as protective forces in the case of
an emergency. For example, the Marshall Islands' military defense is the responsibility of the US,
while France and Spain both provide military support to Andorra because of their proximity.
In some territories that don't have any standing army, their police forces function as de facto
military forces. In Costa Rica, for example, the Fuerza Pública is responsible for the defense of
the country's external borders in addition to the police's usual regulatory functions.
Here is our list of which countries exist without regular armed forces.
1. Andorra
The mini-state between France and Spain only has about 85,000 inhabitants.
The country in the Pyrenees does have its own police, called Cos de Policia d'Andorra,
but no military. The defense of the independent
state is the responsibility of Spain and France, because of their close proximity.
2. Aruba
The island state of Aruba lies in the Caribbean Sea and has,
since 1986, been a separate, semi-autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In recent years, it has become extremely popular with tourists.
The defense of the country, which has 116,000 inhabitants, is the responsibility
of the Netherlands. Aruba's national security services focus on fighting crime and terrorism.
3. Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands are a group of islands in the Caribbean belonging to the British
Overseas Territories. This means Britain is also responsible for the defense of the archipelago,
which lies roughly 150 miles south of Cuba. Nevertheless, the Cayman Islands still have
a national police force called the Royal Cayman Islands Police Force.
4. Cook Islands
The Cook Islands, named after Captain James Cook,
are an island state in the southern Pacific that is independent but in free association with New
Zealand. Thus New Zealand is responsible for its defense but only at request by the Cook Islands.
5. Costa Rica
There have been no armed forces in Costa Rica
since 1949, but police forces are usually used for defense purposes.
The country, which is often referred to as "Switzerland of Central America",
proclaimed its permanent and unarmed neutrality in 1983. In fact, Costa Rica is protected by the US.
6. Curacao
Curacao is also an island state in the Caribbean Sea that has no military forces.
However, the Dutch government controls the foreign and defense policy
of the 171 square-mile island, which has almost 150,000 inhabitants.
In a referendum in 2009, the people of Curacao
voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) also provides maritime security.
7. Dominica
Dominica is an island state in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Pacific
and is a member of the Commonwealth, a union of several sovereign states
consisting of the United Kingdom and its former colonies. Dominica has a police force
called the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force, which also acts as a coastguard.
8. Faroe Islands
Located in the North Atlantic between the British Isles, Norway, and Iceland, the Faroe Islands have
a total of 51,000 inhabitants. They do not have regular armed forces, but the Danish government
is responsible for their defense. The Arctic Command, which is part of the Danish armed forces,
is responsible for the territorial defense of the Faroe Islands.
9. French Polynesia
French Polynesia is located in the southern Pacific Ocean
and consists of many small and large islands. The most famous island of the territory is Tahiti.
In total, French Polynesia has 290,000 inhabitants,
but no armed forces of its own. Instead, France is responsible for its territorial defense.
10. Greenland
Greenland is the largest island on earth and geographically belongs to North America
but is an autonomous part of Denmark. In 2008,
Greenland voted for stronger self-government and responsibility in domestic affairs.
In 2009, Greenland passed the Self-Government Act, recognizing that its citizens had a right
to self-determination under international law. However, Denmark continues to exercise
control over several policy areas, including foreign, security, and financial policy.
This is why the Danish government is also responsible for the defense of the island.
11. Grenada
Grenada is an island state in the northern part of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea.
Since the US invasion of Grenada in 1983, the country no longer has its own military force.
However, there is a police force called the Royal Grenada Police Force,
which also acts as the coast guard.
12. Iceland
Although Iceland is a member of NATO, it has no permanent military force.
NATO is responsible for Iceland's defense.
Since 2006, all US forces have withdrawn from Iceland. Iceland participates in international
peace missions with the civilian Icelandic crisis management unit.
13. Kiribati
The state of Kiribati, independent since 1979,
is located in the western Pacific Ocean and has 109,000 inhabitants.
Kiribati, which used to be called The Gilbert Islands,
has no regular armed forces, and the establishment of a military
is forbidden in the constitution. However, the island state does have police forces.
14. Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein is the sixth smallest state in the world.
Although the country has no military armed forces, its national police force cooperates closely
with the military forces of neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland.
15. Marshall Islands
After almost four decades under US administration,
the Marshall Islands gained their independence in 1986. The Marshall Islands have no armed
forces of their own so territorial defense is still provided by the US.
16. Mauritius
Mauritius is an island state in the Indian Ocean and has 1.3 million inhabitants.
The country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1968.
Although Mauritius has no regular armed forces of its own,
it has police forces and a paramilitary unit called the Special Mobile Force.
This is supposed to ensure the internal and external security of the country.
17. Micronesia
Parts of the Caroline Islands, a former UN trust territory in the Western Pacific under
US administration, merged in 1979 and adopted their own constitution as the
Federated States of Micronesia. Independence followed in 1986. The island state has no
military of its own, so its defense is the responsibility of the United States.
18. Monaco
The second-smallest state in the world, Monaco lies on the French Mediterranean coast
and is known as a tax haven. The city-state, which covers an area of just 0.78 square miles,
has a total of 31,000 inhabitants.
France is responsible for its defense but Monaco still has a national police force.
19. Montserrat
The Caribbean island of Montserrat has been considered an overseas territory
of the United Kingdom since 1783. Due to repeated volcanic eruptions,
many of the island's inhabitants have fled abroad in the past 25 years. Although Montserrat has its
own police force, there is no regular military and its defense is Britain's responsibility.
20. Nauru
Nauru, south of the Marshall Islands, is the smallest republic in the world.
After being annexed by several countries during the 19th and 20th centuries,
the country was declared a UN trust territory after the Second World War.
In 1968, the small island gained its independence. There is no military for
its almost 10,000 inhabitants, but according to an informal agreement,
the responsibility for defense lies with Australia.
21. Niue
Located in the South Pacific, Niue Island has just 1,600 inhabitants and is a self-governing
territory in free association with New Zealand. Although the small island
has no military of its own, it does have its own police force.
New Zealand provides the defense to this isolated island.
22. Palau
Situated west of the former Caroline Islands,
the archipelago opposed unification with the newly founded Federated States of Micronesia
in 1978 and declared its independence as the State of Palau instead.
There is still a free-association agreement between the US and Palau.
Thus, the US is allowed to station military personnel in the area.
However, this has not yet happened. Palau also has national police.
23. Panama
The Central American country Panama abolished its military in 1990
and instead created the Panamanian Public Forces.
They consist of a national police force, a national aviation service, and a border
service. Since 1994, Panama's constitution has prohibited the creation of a standing military.
24. St.Lucia
St. Lucia is an island state that belongs to the West Indies
and is a member of the Commonwealth. The state does not have its own military
but has its own police force, including a special unit and naval unit.
25. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The Caribbean island state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines gained its independence in 1979
after having been subordinated to the United Kingdom for a long time. The 102,000 inhabitants
of the island have no military, but the island state has its own police force.
26. Samoa
The islands, now known as Samoa, were the first Polynesian nation to achieve independence in 1962.
Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces, but it has its own police force.
There are also informal defense relations with New Zealand in place.
27. San Marino
San Marino is not only the oldest existing republic in the world, but it's also the
third-smallest European state. The mini-state, which is completely surrounded by Italy,
has no regular armed forces but has a voluntary military corps
that performs ceremonies and can be used to support the police.
In an emergency, the state reserves the right to call all San Marino citizens between
the ages of 16 and 60 to service. However, responsibility for defense lies with Italy.
28. Sint Maarten
The Caribbean island of Sint Maarten is autonomous but part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The northern part of the island, Saint-Martin, is an overseas territory of France.
Sint Maarten has no regular armed forces and the territorial defense of the island
is the responsibility of the Netherlands.
29. Solomon Islands
Since the independence of the Solomon Islands in 1978,
there have been repeated violent riots, and the crime rate on the islands has been high.
Between 2003 and 2017, aid missions consisting of police, military, and civilian advisors from
a total of 15 countries were active in the Solomon Islands. The aim of these missions was to restore
civil and political order. The Solomon Islands have no standing army but have the police force.
30. Tuvalu
Until its independence in 1978, the island state of Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean was known
as the Ellice Islands (a British colony). The fourth-smallest state in the world has around
11,000 inhabitants and no military of its own. However, Tuvalu has its own police force.
31. Vanuatu
Until its independence in 1980, Vanuatu belonged to the New Hebrides,
a territory of several Pacific islands administered by the United Kingdom and France.
The island state of Vanuatu, consisting of over 80 islands, has no regular military,
but there is the Vanuatu Police Force, the Vanuatu Mobile Force, and the Police Maritime Wing (PMW).