02/07/2026
DID YOU KNOW!
There are 21 recognized sovereign states without permanent standing armed forces, per a widely cited Wikipedia analysis, with most relying on formal defense treaties with allied nations to guarantee national security without maintaining their own military, over 30 sovereign nations and unincorporated territories have abolished or never established standing armed forces, with defense, domestic security, and crisis response managed through international alliances, specialized police units, or small paramilitary forces. Below is a categorized breakdown of these nations and their security frameworks.
🌍 SOVEREIGN NATIONS WITHOUT STANDING MILITARIES
This group includes independent UN-recognized states that have no permanent army, navy, or air force, and rely on formal alliances for external defense:
- Costa Rica : Abolished its military in 1948 following a civil war, redirecting all former military funding to education, healthcare, and public infrastructure. It maintains specialized police units trained by the U.S. and Colombian security forces for domestic response.
- Panama : Dissolved its military in 1990, with the abolition formally enshrined in its 1994 constitution. It operates limited paramilitary special units for internal security.
- Iceland : A NATO member with no standing army, it coordinates defense through shared alliance agreements with other NATO nations, allowing it to prioritize social welfare spending.
- Compact of Free Association Nations (Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands) : All three Pacific island nations never formed a military at their founding, and the U.S. is legally responsible for their defense until at least 2044.
- Monaco : Has no standing army, but maintains a small non-police military force, with a 300-year-old defense treaty with France that guarantees external protection.
- Andorra : Landlocked between France and Spain, it has no standing military, with both neighboring countries providing formal defense support as needed.
🏝️ CARIBBEAN NATIONS WITH DISBANDED MILITARIES
Several small Caribbean states dissolved their militaries and joined regional security blocs for coordinated response:
- Grenada : Disbanded its military in 1983 and is a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS), a collective defense alliance for eastern Caribbean nations.
- Dominica : Abolished its military in 1981 and also participates in the RSS for shared security support.
- Saint Lucia : A current RSS member with no standing military, relying on the alliance for external and crisis response.
- Mauritius : Dissolved its military upon independence in 1968, operating a small paramilitary Special Mobile Force, with India as its primary security partner.
🇵🇬 PACIFIC ISLAND TERRITORIES & NATIONS WITH NO MILITARY
Small Pacific nations rely on allied support from Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. for security:
- Tuvalu : Never formed a military at its founding, with its national police force supported by Australian security partnerships.
- Solomon Islands : Its police force receives training and logistical support from Australia and New Zealand, with no standing military to manage domestic and border security.
- Vanuatu : Maintains a small paramilitary force trained jointly by Australia, China, France, New Zealand, and the U.S., with no formal standing armed forces.
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