Ecuador
Military: Ecuador
Military branches:
Ecuadorian Armed Forces: Ecuadorian Land Force (Fuerza Terrestre Ecuatoriana, FTE), Ecuadorian Navy (Fuerza Naval del Ecuador (FNE), includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard), Ecuadorian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2012)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for selective conscript military service; conscription has been suspended; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; Air Force 18-22 years of age, Ecadorian birth requirement; 1-year service obligation (2012)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,728,906
females age 16-49: 3,844,918 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,834,213
females age 16-49: 3,269,535 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 152,593
female: 147,143 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
country comparison to the world: 60
Transnational Issues: Ecuador
Disputes - international:
organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 122,964 (Colombia) (2012)
Illicit drugs:
significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with much of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents (2008)