Belize Defence Force

Belize Defence Force
Flag of the Belize Defence Force
MottoShoulder To Shoulder
Founded1 January 1978; 46 years ago (1978-01-01)
Service branches
HeadquartersPrice Barracks, Ladyville
Websitewww.bdf.mil.bz
Leadership
Commander-in-ChiefCharles III, King of Belize, represented by Froyla Tzalam, Governor-General of Belize
Minister of National Defence and Border SecurityFlorencio Marin Jr.
Commander of the Defence ForceBrigadier General Azariel Loria[1]
Personnel
Military age18–23 years
ConscriptionLaws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient.
Available for
military service
121,249, age 18–49 years (2007)
Fit for
military service
87,871, age 18–49 years (2007)
Reaching military
age annually
6,313 (2007)
Active personnel1,630 (2016 approx)[2]
Reserve personnel850 (2016 approx)[2]
Expenditure
Budget1.6% (2020) [3] US$32 million (2012)[2]
Industry
Foreign suppliers
Related articles
RanksMilitary ranks of Belize

The Belize Defence Force (BDF) is the military of Belize, and is responsible for protecting the sovereignty of the country. The BDF is under the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security, which is currently headed by Hon. Florencio Marin Jr.; the BDF itself is commanded by Brigadier General Azariel Loria. In 2012, the Belizean government spent about $17 million on the military, constituting 1.08% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).[4]

  1. ^ "Brigadier General Azariel Loria Takes Command". channel5belize.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference IISS_2012_374 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product, 1988-2020" (PDF). Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Belize". CIA World Factbook. 14 November 2022. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.