Rank #64 · Africa
Tunisia allocates approximately $1.4 billion to defense (2.6% of GDP), reflecting a post-Arab Spring security transformation driven by the Islamist insurgency in the Chaambi Mountain region and the destabilization of neighboring Libya. A designated Major Non-NATO Ally since 2015, Tunisia receives substantial US military aid and has integrated Western training and equipment into a force still shaped by its French colonial legacy. President Saied's 2021 power consolidation has affected civil-military dynamics.
Tunisia's defense appropriation for 2025 amounts to approximately 4.3 billion Tunisian dinars (~$1.4 billion), representing about 2.6% of GDP — one of the highest ratios in North Africa. Spending has grown consistently since 2011, driven by the Ansar al-Sharia/ISIL-linked insurgency in the Kasserine-Chaambi area and the proliferation of weapons and armed groups from Libya. The US provides significant Foreign Military Financing: Tunisia received $55 million in FMF in FY2024 plus IMET training funds. France has supplied armored vehicles and helicopters; Germany provided logistics and training support. The IMF's structural adjustment pressures constrain budget growth despite security demands. Personnel costs absorb a majority of the defense budget.
The Tunisian Armed Forces field approximately 35,800 active troops across three branches. The Army (~27,000) is the largest, structured around light infantry brigades adapted for mountainous counterterrorism operations in the Chaambi and Mghilla ranges. The Air Force (~4,000) operates F-5E/F Tiger II fighters, C-130 Hercules transports, and a small helicopter fleet. The Navy (~4,800) maintains coastal patrol capabilities at La Goulette and Sfax; the US has upgraded patrol vessels under security assistance programs. Special operations forces (GIGN, Brigades de Contre-terrorisme) play a central role in mountain operations. The National Guard — a gendarmerie-type force of ~17,000 — handles border security alongside the Army.
Tunisia has a small defense industrial base focused on maintenance, repair, and overhaul. SIMPAR and affiliated state entities handle vehicle and equipment servicing. No major weapon system is produced domestically. The country is almost entirely import-dependent for combat systems, relying on the US (M60A3 tanks, M113 APCs, F-5 fighters), France (VAB armored vehicles, Alouette helicopters), and Germany (trucks, training equipment). Tunisia participates in US-funded capacity-building programs and receives excess defense articles. There is nascent interest in developing a domestic defense electronics and small-arms sector, but investment and capability remain limited.
The primary internal threat is the jihadist insurgency centered in the Chaambi Mountain range along the Algerian border, active since 2012. While the insurgency's intensity has declined from its 2015-16 peak (multiple coordinated attacks including the Bardo Museum and Sousse hotel attacks), residual cells remain active. The Libya frontier is a persistent concern: weapons, fighters, and smuggling networks traverse the poorly controlled southern border. Tunisia also faces irregular migration pressure through its coast — it has become a key transit point for sub-Saharan migration to Europe, straining coastguard resources. Tunisia is not engaged in any foreign military operation.
In 2024 Tunisia concluded a border management agreement with the EU valued at €150 million, partly funding naval and coastguard upgrades to reduce irregular migration. The US delivered additional AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radars in 2024 under a security assistance package. President Saied's consolidation of power and the adoption of a new constitution in 2022 has raised civil-society concerns about democratic backsliding, prompting some EU partners to reassess cooperation levels. Tunisia received its first batch of refurbished M60A3TTS tanks from the US National Guard Bureau program in early 2025. Counterterrorism operations in the Chaambi region continued into 2026, with the military reporting neutralization of several cell members.
Approximately $1.4 billion in 2025, or about 2.6% of GDP. This includes substantial US foreign military financing. Defense spending has roughly tripled in real terms since the 2011 revolution, driven by the Chaambi insurgency and Libyan border instability.
Tunisia was designated a Major Non-NATO Ally by President Obama in 2015, granting access to Foreign Military Financing, excess defense articles, and advanced training. The US provides tens of millions of dollars annually in security assistance, focused on counterterrorism, border security, and maritime patrol.
A jihadist insurgency active since 2012 in the Kasserine governorate near the Algerian border. Linked initially to Ansar al-Sharia and later ISIL affiliates, it has carried out attacks on military and police personnel. Intensity peaked in 2015-16; the Tunisian military has maintained sustained operations reducing — but not eliminating — the threat.