Military branches:
Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2007)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 75,265
females age 16-49: 75,389 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 58,596
females age 16-49: 58,866 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 2,015
female: 2,007 (2009 est.)

Military expenditures:
0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military - note:
the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2007)