Armed Forces of El Salvador

The Armed Forces of El Salvador (Spanish: Fuerza Armada de El Salvador) are the military forces of El Salvador, consisting of three branches: the Salvadoran Army, the Salvadoran Air Force and the Navy of El Salvador. The President is the commander-in-chief, while administration is the responsibility of the Minister of National Defense. The legal basis of the military includes Articles 211 and 212 of the 1983 constitution, the 1998 Organic Law of the Armed Forces of El Salvador, and the 2002 National Defense Law.

The main focus of the armed forces in recent years has been combating organized crime. Under the Territorial Control Plan adopted in 2019, mixed military and police patrols, including large-scale deployments of military personnel, have taken place in high-crime areas. The Salvadoran armed forces have also had international peacekeeping deployments. El Salvador has partnerships with the United States and other regional countries focused on training, internal security, and providing support to civil authorities. Since the end of the civil war in 1992 the military has largely relied on Cold War-era platforms. As of 2024, the armed forces had 24,500 personnel, including 20,500 army, 2,000 in the navy, and 2,000 in the air force; supported by a reserve of 9,900 personnel.