diff --git a/africa/ao.json b/africa/ao.json index 612885e6..40ba4abf 100644 --- a/africa/ao.json +++ b/africa/ao.json @@ -1265,7 +1265,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "23,255 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,272 (Guinea), 6,357 (Cote d'Ivoire), 5,725 (Mauritania) (2023)" + "text": "23,265 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,272 (Guinea), 6,357 (Cote d'Ivoire), 5,725 (Mauritania) (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/by.json b/africa/by.json index aa48fd67..74e2b123 100644 --- a/africa/by.json +++ b/africa/by.json @@ -1197,7 +1197,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "86,230 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" + "text": "86,380 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "76,987 (some ethnic Tutsis remain displaced from intercommunal violence that broke out after the 1993 coup and fighting between government forces and rebel groups; violence since April 2015) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/cf.json b/africa/cf.json index c5fdff01..e0e8a3ec 100644 --- a/africa/cf.json +++ b/africa/cf.json @@ -1263,7 +1263,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "30,290 (Central African Republic), 27,476 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers)(2023)" + "text": "31,324 (Central African Republic), 27,930 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers)(2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "27,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992) (2022)" diff --git a/africa/cg.json b/africa/cg.json index 1f0fd1c6..2036e836 100644 --- a/africa/cg.json +++ b/africa/cg.json @@ -1295,7 +1295,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "211,274 (Central African Republic), 208,075 (Rwanda), 57,020 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 43,271 (Burundi) (2023)" + "text": "211,366 (Central African Republic), 208,075 (Rwanda), 57,403 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 43,706 (Burundi) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "6.17 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; conflict in Kasai region since 2016) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/cn.json b/africa/cn.json index ea2c78d8..a77a7b6d 100644 --- a/africa/cn.json +++ b/africa/cn.json @@ -1095,7 +1095,7 @@ "note": "note 1: when the Gendarmerie serves as the judicial police, it reports to the Minister of Justice; the Gendarmerie also has an intervention platoon that may act under the authority of the interior minister

note 2: the National Directorate of Territorial Safety oversees customs and immigration

note 3: the FCD is also known as the Comoran Security Force" }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "estimated 600 Defense Force personnel; estimated 500 Federal Police (2022)" + "text": "estimated 600 Defense Force personnel; estimated 500 Federal Police (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the defense forces are lightly armed with a mix of mostly older equipment originating from several countries, including France, Italy, Russia, and the US (2023)" diff --git a/africa/ct.json b/africa/ct.json index 9ad57cf4..ccc6ab11 100644 --- a/africa/ct.json +++ b/africa/ct.json @@ -1184,7 +1184,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "18,011 (Sudan) (refugees since 15 April 2023), 6,636 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (2023)" + "text": "18,011 (Sudan) (refugees since 15 April 2023), 6,676 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "514,547 (clashes between army and rebel groups since 2005; tensions between ethnic groups) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/dj.json b/africa/dj.json index 36b80661..d307409e 100644 --- a/africa/dj.json +++ b/africa/dj.json @@ -1181,7 +1181,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "13,308 (Somalia) (2023); 6,518 (Yemen) (mid-year 2022)" + "text": "13,329 (Somalia) (2023); 6,518 (Yemen) (mid-year 2022)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/africa/ek.json b/africa/ek.json index 15252a77..a9b22958 100644 --- a/africa/ek.json +++ b/africa/ek.json @@ -1095,6 +1095,9 @@ "note": "note: police report to the Ministry of National Security, while gendarmes report to the Ministry of National Defense; police generally are responsible for maintaining law and order in the cities, while gendarmes are responsible for security outside cities and for special events; military personnel also fulfill some police functions in border areas, sensitive sites, and high-traffic areas" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2022": { + "text": "1.1% of GDP (2022 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "1.3% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, @@ -1106,13 +1109,10 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "1.1% of GDP (2018 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2017": { - "text": "1.1% of GDP (2017 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 1,500 active duty troops; approximately 500 Gendarmerie (2022)" + "text": "approximately 1,500 active-duty troops; approximately 500 Gendarmerie (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the FAGE is armed with mostly older (typically Soviet-era) and second-hand weapons systems; in recent years, it has sought to modernize its naval inventory with purchases of vessels from several countries, including Bulgaria and Israel; China and Russia have also supplied small amounts of equipment to the FAGE (2023)" diff --git a/africa/ga.json b/africa/ga.json index f1026b71..05980ccd 100644 --- a/africa/ga.json +++ b/africa/ga.json @@ -1185,7 +1185,7 @@ "text": "the GAF has a limited and obsolescent equipment inventory originating from several suppliers, including China, the UK, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (18-22 for officers); no conscription; service obligation 6 months (2021)" + "text": "18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (18-22 for officers); no conscription; service obligation 6 months (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Gambian security forces have a history of involvement in domestic politics, including multiple coups attempts and mutinies, with the latest being an attempted coup in 2022; since 2017, Gambia’s security sector has been undergoing reforms as part of a national reconstruction effort to recover from the 22 years of Yahya JAMMEH’s autocratic rule under which the security forces were severely under-resourced in terms of finances and equipment and were largely directed towards regime protection and suppressing dissent; international partners, including member states of the EU, particularly France and Germany, and the US have provided support to military and police reforms; several members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have also provided security forces for stability, as well as assistance and training through the ECOWAS Mission in the Gambia (ECOMIG); as of 2023, ECOMIG continued to provide about 1,000 military and gendarmerie personnel from Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal

the GAF is a lightly armed force with about 5 small infantry battalions, a handful of coastal patrol boats, and a few aircraft; in addition to external defense, the responsibilities of the GAF include providing maritime security, countering human trafficking, aiding civil authorities in emergencies and natural disaster relief, and engaging in activities such as engineering, education, health, and agriculture for domestic socio-economic development; the GAF also participates in peacekeeping missions, and since its first deployments in the 1990s, has been involved in more than 10 UN peacekeeping missions while contributing about 4,000 total troops 

the GAF traces its origins to the Gambia Regiment of the British Army; established in 1901, the Gambia Regiment was part of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF, later Royal West African Frontier Force or RWAFF) and served in both World Wars, including the British 1944-45 military campaign in Burma; the Gambia Regiment was disbanded in 1958 and replaced by the Field Force, a police paramilitary unit; the Field Force was responsible for The Gambia’s security until the establishment of the GAF in 1985; in addition, a defense agreement signed in 1965 between The Gambia and Senegal provided mutual assistance in the face of an external threat; from 1981-1989, The Gambia and Senegal formed a Confederal Army that was made up of troops from both countries (2023)" diff --git a/africa/gb.json b/africa/gb.json index 0cae93b4..56d8e2cd 100644 --- a/africa/gb.json +++ b/africa/gb.json @@ -1180,7 +1180,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 6,500 active duty troops including the Republican Guard and Gendarmerie (2022)" + "text": "approximately 6,500 active-duty troops including the Republican Guard and Gendarmerie (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Gabonese military is lightly armed with a mix of equipment from a variety of suppliers including Brazil, China, France, Germany, and South Africa (2023)" diff --git a/africa/gh.json b/africa/gh.json index b29045b3..dd608b4a 100644 --- a/africa/gh.json +++ b/africa/gh.json @@ -1233,13 +1233,13 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 14,000 active personnel (10,000 Army; 2,000 Navy; 2,000 Air Force) (2022)" + "text": "approximately 14,000 active personnel (10,000 Army; 2,000 Navy; 2,000 Air Force) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the military's inventory is a mix older and some newer Russian, Chinese, and Western equipment (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service, with basic education certificate; no conscription (2022)" + "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary military service, with basic education certificate; no conscription (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "140 Mali (MINUSMA); 875 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 725 (plus about 275 police) South Sudan (UNMISS); 650 Sudan (UNISFA) (2023)", diff --git a/africa/gv.json b/africa/gv.json index 785c3114..6d7314d5 100644 --- a/africa/gv.json +++ b/africa/gv.json @@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ "text": "950 sq km (2012)" }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { - "text": "Niger river source (shared with Mali, and Nigeria [m]) - 4,200 km; Gambia river source (shared with Senegal and The Gambia [m]) - 1,094 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" + "text": "Niger river source (shared with Mali, and Nigeria [m]) - 4,200 km; Gambie (Gambia) river source (shared with Senegal and The Gambia [m]) - 1,094 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km), Senegal (456,397 sq km)" @@ -315,7 +315,8 @@ }, "aerosolized dust or soil contact diseases": { "text": "Lassa fever" - } + }, + "note": "note:  on 20 September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated a Travel Health Alert for a diphtheria outbreak in several states in Guinea; vaccination against diphtheria is essential to protect against disease; if you are traveling to an affected area, you should be up to date with your diphtheria vaccines; before travel, discuss the need for a booster dose with your healthcare professional; diphtheria is a serious infection caused by strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacteria that make a toxin from which people get very sick; diphtheria bacteria spread from person to person through respiratory droplets like from coughing or sneezing; people can also get sick from touching open sores or ulcers of people sick with diphtheria (see attached map)" }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "7.7% (2016)" @@ -471,7 +472,7 @@ } }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { - "text": "Niger river source (shared with Mali, and Nigeria [m]) - 4,200 km; Gambia river source (shared with Senegal and The Gambia [m]) - 1,094 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" + "text": "Niger river source (shared with Mali, and Nigeria [m]) - 4,200 km; Gambie (Gambia) river source (shared with Senegal and The Gambia [m]) - 1,094 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km), Senegal (456,397 sq km)" @@ -1201,7 +1202,7 @@ "text": "the inventory of the Guinean military consists largely of aging and outdated (mostly Soviet-era) equipment; in recent years, it has received small amounts of equipment from China, France, and South Africa (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "Voluntary and selective conscripted service, 9-24 mos (2022)" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary and selective conscripted service; 9-12 months of service (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "670 Mali (MINUSMA) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/iv.json b/africa/iv.json index fd26be3a..0163ce47 100644 --- a/africa/iv.json +++ b/africa/iv.json @@ -1246,7 +1246,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 25,000 active troops (23,000 Army, including about 2,000 Special Forces; 1,000 Navy; 1,000 Air Force); 5-10,000 Gendarmerie (2022)" + "text": "approximately 25,000 active troops (23,000 Army, including about 2,000 Special Forces; 1,000 Navy; 1,000 Air Force); 5-10,000 Gendarmerie (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the inventory of the FACI consists mostly of older or second-hand equipment, typically of French or Soviet-era origin; Cote d'Ivoire was under a partial UN arms embargo from 2004 to 2016; in recent years it has received limited amounts of mostly second-hand equipment from a variety of suppliers, including Bulgaria, China, and France (2023)" diff --git a/africa/ke.json b/africa/ke.json index b4eae99d..41564dd5 100644 --- a/africa/ke.json +++ b/africa/ke.json @@ -1292,7 +1292,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "281,319 (Somalia), 157,402 (South Sudan), 57,286 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 21,847 (Ethiopia), 8,392 (Burundi), 5,756 (Sudan) (2023)" + "text": "281,319 (Somalia), 157,402 (South Sudan), 58,322 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 21,847 (Ethiopia), 8,392 (Burundi), 5,756 (Sudan) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "30,000 (election-related violence, intercommunal violence, resource conflicts, al-Shabaab attacks in 2017 and 2018) (2022)" diff --git a/africa/mi.json b/africa/mi.json index b2da2900..7428a9a4 100644 --- a/africa/mi.json +++ b/africa/mi.json @@ -1226,7 +1226,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "33,520 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) 11,433 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,563 (Rwanda) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" + "text": "33,681 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) 11,433 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers), 6,563 (Rwanda) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/mo.json b/africa/mo.json index e5e0ae3e..fab18028 100644 --- a/africa/mo.json +++ b/africa/mo.json @@ -1251,7 +1251,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 200,000 active personnel (175,000 Army; 10,000 Navy; 15,000 Air Force); estimated 20,000 Gendarmerie; estimated 5,000 Mobile Intervention Corps; estimated 25-30,000 Auxiliary Forces (2022)" + "text": "approximately 200,000 active personnel (175,000 Army; 10,000 Navy; 15,000 Air Force); estimated 20,000 Gendarmerie; estimated 5,000 Mobile Intervention Corps; estimated 25-30,000 Auxiliary Forces (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Moroccan military's inventory is comprised of mostly older French and US equipment, although in recent years, it has received quantities of more modern equipment from a variety of countries with France and the US continuing to be the leading suppliers (2023)" diff --git a/africa/mr.json b/africa/mr.json index c475825b..d9840016 100644 --- a/africa/mr.json +++ b/africa/mr.json @@ -1219,7 +1219,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory is limited and made up largely of older French and Soviet-era equipment; in recent years, Mauritania has received small amounts of mostly secondhand military equipment from a variety of suppliers, with China as the leading provider (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2022)" + "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; has a compulsory two-year military service law, but the law has reportedly never been applied (2022)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "450 (plus about 320 police) Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (2023)", diff --git a/africa/mz.json b/africa/mz.json index 0496b9e9..ce61cab4 100644 --- a/africa/mz.json +++ b/africa/mz.json @@ -1260,7 +1260,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "12,554 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 10,655 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" + "text": "12,678 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 10,655 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "875,972 (north Mozambique, violence between the government and an opposition group, violence associated with extremists groups in 2018, political violence 2019) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/ng.json b/africa/ng.json index 6ced8154..bc5ab306 100644 --- a/africa/ng.json +++ b/africa/ng.json @@ -1237,7 +1237,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "189,245 (Nigeria), 66,5020 (Mali) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" + "text": "216,655 (Nigeria), 66,5020 (Mali) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "335,277 (includes the regions of Diffa, Tillaberi, and Tahoua; unknown how many of the 11,000 people displaced by clashes between government forces and the Tuareg militant group, Niger Movement for Justice, in 2007 are still displaced; inter-communal violence; Boko Haram attacks in southern Niger, 2015) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/ni.json b/africa/ni.json index eb7bad25..a58a1f2a 100644 --- a/africa/ni.json +++ b/africa/ni.json @@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ "aerosolized dust or soil contact diseases": { "text": "Lassa fever" }, - "note": "note 1: on 4 May 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Travel Health Notice for a Yellow Fever outbreak in Nigeria; a large, ongoing outbreak of yellow fever in Nigeria began in September 2017; the outbreak is now spread throughout the country with the Nigerian Ministry of Health reporting cases of the disease in multiple states (Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Enugu); the CDC recommends travelers going to Nigeria should receive vaccination against yellow fever at least 10 days before travel and should take steps to prevent mosquito bites while there; those never vaccinated against yellow fever should avoid travel to Nigeria during the outbreak (see attached map)

note 2: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Nigeria is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

note 3: on 21 July 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Travel Health Alert for a diphtheria outbreak in several states in Nigeria; vaccination against diphtheria is essential to protect against disease; if you are traveling to an affected area, you should be up to date with your diphtheria vaccines; before travel, discuss the need for a booster dose with your healthcare professional; diphtheria is a serious infection caused by strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacteria that make a toxin from which people get very sick; diphtheria bacteria spread from person to person through respiratory droplets like from coughing or sneezing; people can also get sick from touching open sores or ulcers of people sick with diphtheria (see attached map)" + "note": "note 1: on 4 May 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Travel Health Notice for a Yellow Fever outbreak in Nigeria; a large, ongoing outbreak of yellow fever in Nigeria began in September 2017; the outbreak is now spread throughout the country with the Nigerian Ministry of Health reporting cases of the disease in multiple states (Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Enugu); the CDC recommends travelers going to Nigeria should receive vaccination against yellow fever at least 10 days before travel and should take steps to prevent mosquito bites while there; those never vaccinated against yellow fever should avoid travel to Nigeria during the outbreak (see attached map)

note 2: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Nigeria is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

note 3: on 20 September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated a Travel Health Alert for a diphtheria outbreak in several states in Nigeria; vaccination against diphtheria is essential to protect against disease; if you are traveling to an affected area, you should be up to date with your diphtheria vaccines; before travel, discuss the need for a booster dose with your healthcare professional; diphtheria is a serious infection caused by strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacteria that make a toxin from which people get very sick; diphtheria bacteria spread from person to person through respiratory droplets like from coughing or sneezing; people can also get sick from touching open sores or ulcers of people sick with diphtheria (see attached map)" }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "8.9% (2016)" diff --git a/africa/od.json b/africa/od.json index ada3fed7..2fa0f1dc 100644 --- a/africa/od.json +++ b/africa/od.json @@ -1059,7 +1059,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "245,371 (Sudan) (refugees since 15 April 2023), 12,491 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2023)" + "text": "245,371 (Sudan) (refugees since 15 April 2023), 12,845 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "2.258 million (alleged coup attempt and ethnic conflict beginning in December 2013; information is lacking on those displaced in earlier years by: fighting in Abyei between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in May 2011; clashes between the SPLA and dissident militia groups in South Sudan; inter-ethnic conflicts over resources and cattle; attacks from the Lord's Resistance Army; floods and drought) (2023)" diff --git a/africa/rw.json b/africa/rw.json index 37154b17..704e3933 100644 --- a/africa/rw.json +++ b/africa/rw.json @@ -1181,7 +1181,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 33,000 active RDF personnel (32,000 Army; 1,000 Air Force) (2022)" + "text": "approximately 33,000 active RDF personnel (32,000 Army; 1,000 Air Force) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the RDF's inventory includes mostly Soviet-era and older Western--largely French and South African--equipment; in recent years, Russia has been the top supplier of arms to Rwanda (2023)" @@ -1211,7 +1211,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "77,898 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 48,793 (Burundi) (2023)" + "text": "79,569 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 48,029 (Burundi) (2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "9,500 (2022)" diff --git a/africa/sg.json b/africa/sg.json index f0b9e3fa..e20cbe18 100644 --- a/africa/sg.json +++ b/africa/sg.json @@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ "text": "1,200 sq km (2012)" }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { - "text": "Senegal (shared with Guinea [s], Mali, and Mauritania [m] ) - 1,641 km; Gambia (shared with Guinea [s] and The Gambia [m]) - 1,094 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" + "text": "Senegal (shared with Guinea [s], Mali, and Mauritania [m] ) - 1,641 km; Gambie (Gambia) (shared with Guinea [s] and The Gambia [m]) - 1,094 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean drainage: Senegal (456,397 sq km)" @@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ } }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { - "text": "Senegal (shared with Guinea [s], Mali, and Mauritania [m] ) - 1,641 km; Gambia (shared with Guinea [s] and The Gambia [m]) - 1,094 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" + "text": "Senegal (shared with Guinea [s], Mali, and Mauritania [m] ) - 1,641 km; Gambie (Gambia) (shared with Guinea [s] and The Gambia [m]) - 1,094 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean drainage: Senegal (456,397 sq km)" diff --git a/africa/sl.json b/africa/sl.json index a1181ce0..fe41a9ef 100644 --- a/africa/sl.json +++ b/africa/sl.json @@ -1175,10 +1175,10 @@ "text": "the RSLAF has a small inventory that includes a mix of Soviet-origin and other older foreign-supplied equipment; in recent years, it has received limited amounts of mostly donations and secondhand equipment (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-29 for voluntary military service; women are eligible to serve; no conscription (2022)" + "text": "18-30 for voluntary military service for men and women (25-40 for specialists); no conscription (2023)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the RSLAF’s principle responsibilities are securing the borders and the country’s territorial waters, supporting civil authorities during emergencies and reconstruction efforts, and participating in peacekeeping missions; it is small, lightly armed, and has a limited budget; since being reduced in size and restructured with British assistance after the end of the civil war in 2002, it has received assistance from several foreign militaries, including those of Canada, China, France, the UK, and the US; the RSLAF has participated in peacekeeping operations in Somalia and Sudan; the Land Forces are by far the largest service with four small light infantry brigades; the Maritime Forces have a few small coastal and in-shore patrol boats, while the Air Wing has a handful of serviceable combat helicopters

the RSLAF’s origins lie in the Sierra Leone Battalion of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF), a multi-regiment force formed by the British colonial office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Gold Coast (Ghana), Nigeria (Lagos and the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria), Sierra Leone, and Gambia; the RWAFF fought in both World Wars (2023)" + "text": "the RSLAF’s principle responsibilities are securing the borders and the country’s territorial waters, supporting civil authorities during emergencies and reconstruction efforts, and participating in peacekeeping missions; it is small, lightly armed, and has a limited budget; since being reduced in size and restructured with British assistance after the end of the civil war in 2002, it has received assistance from several foreign militaries, including those of Canada, China, France, the UK, and the US; the RSLAF has participated in peacekeeping operations in Somalia and Sudan; the Land Forces are by far the largest service with four small light infantry brigades and a separate battalion, each assigned to a separate region, including the capital; the Maritime Forces have a few small coastal and in-shore patrol boats, while the Air Wing has a handful of serviceable combat helicopters; the RSLAF operates under a Joint Forces Command

the RSLAF’s origins lie in the Sierra Leone Battalion of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF), a multi-regiment force formed by the British colonial office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Gold Coast (Ghana), Nigeria (Lagos and the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria), Sierra Leone, and Gambia; the RWAFF fought in both World Wars (2023)" }, "Maritime threats": { "text": "the International Maritime Bureau reported one incident in the territorial waters of Sierra Leone in 2022 where the ship was hijacked, this was the first incident reported in two years; this incident was one of only two hijackings Worldwide in 2022; the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea remain a very high risk for piracy and armed robbery of ships; past incidents have been reported where vessels were attacked and crews kidnapped; these incidents showed that the pirates / robbers in the area are well armed and violent; pirates have robbed vessels and kidnapped crews for ransom; in the past, product tankers were hijacked and cargo stolen; the Maritime Administration of the US Department of Transportation has issued a Maritime Advisory (2023-001 - Gulf of Guinea-Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom) effective 3 January 2023, which states in part, \"Piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping for ransom continue to serve as significant threats to US-flagged vessels transiting or operating in the Gulf of Guinea\"" diff --git a/africa/tz.json b/africa/tz.json index cc8c80d7..acf9e789 100644 --- a/africa/tz.json +++ b/africa/tz.json @@ -1287,7 +1287,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "125,221 (Burundi), 88,160 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2023)" + "text": "121,142 (Burundi), 88,445 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/ug.json b/africa/ug.json index ce722856..1ae2d270 100644 --- a/africa/ug.json +++ b/africa/ug.json @@ -1246,7 +1246,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "893,925 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 494,874 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 51,692 (Somalia), 41,132 (Burundi), 36,900 (Eritrea), 23,808 (Rwanda), 9,139 (Ethiopia), 5,776 (Sudan) (2023)" + "text": "893,866 (South Sudan) (refugees and asylum seekers), 498,133 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 41,277 (Somalia), 38,533 (Burundi), 36,900 (Eritrea), 23,808 (Rwanda), 9,139 (Ethiopia), 5,776 (Sudan) (2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "67,000 (2022)" diff --git a/africa/wa.json b/africa/wa.json index c47ed88a..68a29a08 100644 --- a/africa/wa.json +++ b/africa/wa.json @@ -1231,7 +1231,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "6,285 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" + "text": "6,170 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2023)" } } } diff --git a/africa/wz.json b/africa/wz.json index da72dcd6..7e8ab058 100644 --- a/africa/wz.json +++ b/africa/wz.json @@ -1150,10 +1150,10 @@ }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { - "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Eswatini does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials convicted more traffickers and identified more victims; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous year to improve its anti-trafficking capacity; the lack of government coordination and leadership by the Inter Agency Task Force and Prevention of People Trafficking and the People Smuggling Secretariat, dedicated funding, and training for front-line officers continued to hamper anti-trafficking efforts; serious allegations of trafficking and victim abuse against senior government officials have remained pending for multiple years; the government failed to refer all victims to services, and the first shelter for victims refurbished in collaboration with foreign donor support remained inoperative; therefore, Eswatini was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2022)" + "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Eswatini does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; Eswatini established multi-agency emergency response teams to respond to trafficking victim identification; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous year, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; the lack of government coordination and leadership of the Prevention of People Trafficking and Smuggling Secretariat continued to hinder efforts; the government did not allocate funding for the Prevention of People Trafficking and People Smuggling Task Force to coordinate anti-trafficking efforts; the lack of specialized training for front-line officers continued to hamper efforts; serious allegations of trafficking and victim abuse by senior government officials have remained pending for multiple years; the first shelter for victims refurbished in collaboration with foreign donor support remained inoperative for the second consecutive year; therefore, Eswatini remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2023)" }, "trafficking profile": { - "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Eswatini, and traffickers exploit victims from Eswatini abroad; traffickers target vulnerable communities, particularly those with high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates; Swati girls, particularly orphans, are exploited in sex trafficking and domestic servitude, primarily in Eswatini and South Africa; Swati boys and foreign children are forced into labor in agriculture, cattle herding, and market vending within Eswatini; some Mozambican boys who migrate to Eswatini for work are exploited by traffickers in forced labor; Cuban nationals on medical missions in Eswatini may have been forced to work by the Cuban government; traffickers use Eswatini as a transit country to move foreign victims, primarily Mozambicans, to South Africa for forced labor; some Mozambican women reportedly are forced into commercial sex in Eswatini or transported to South Africa; some Swatis, including orphaned girls and girls from poor families who voluntarily migrate in search of work—particularly in South Africa—are exploited in sex trafficking; Swati men recruited in border communities are exploited in forced labor in South Africa’s timber industry (2022)" + "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Eswatini, and traffickers exploit victims from Eswatini abroad; traffickers target vulnerable communities, particularly those with high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates; Swati girls, particularly orphans, are exploited in sex trafficking and domestic servitude, primarily in Eswatini and South Africa; some Swati girls in forced domestic work are physically and sexually abused by their employers, and sex traffickers exploit orphaned girls in exchange for food and money; Swati boys and foreign children are forced into labor in agriculture, cattle herding, and market vending within Eswatini; some Mozambican boys who migrate to Eswatini for work are exploited by traffickers in forced labor; Cuban nationals on medical missions in Eswatini may have been forced to work by the Cuban government; traffickers use Eswatini as a transit country to move foreign victims, primarily Mozambicans, to South Africa for forced labor; some Mozambican women reportedly are forced into commercial sex in Eswatini or transported to South Africa; some Swati people, including orphaned girls and girls from poor families who voluntarily migrate in search of work—particularly in South Africa—are exploited in sex trafficking; Swati men recruited in border communities are exploited in forced labor in South Africa’s timber industry (2023)" } } } diff --git a/africa/za.json b/africa/za.json index 24f676e7..ada3114c 100644 --- a/africa/za.json +++ b/africa/za.json @@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ "text": "Alliance for Democracy and Development or ADD [Charles MILUPI]
Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Edith NAWAKWI]
Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Dr. Nevers MUMBA]
Party of National Unity and Progress or PNUP [Highvie HAMUDUDU]
Patriotic Front or PF [Edgar LUNGU]
United Party for National Development or UPND [Hakainde HICHILEMA]" }, "International organization participation": { - "text": "ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO" + "text": "ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO" }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { @@ -1245,7 +1245,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "57,301 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 8,330 (Burundi) (2023)" + "text": "58,274 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 8,330 (Burundi) (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/africa/zi.json b/africa/zi.json index 45678da5..276464cb 100644 --- a/africa/zi.json +++ b/africa/zi.json @@ -1185,20 +1185,20 @@ "text": "Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ)

Ministry of Home Affairs: Zimbabwe Republic Police (2023)" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2022": { + "text": "0.5% of GDP (2022 est.)" + }, + "Military Expenditures 2021": { + "text": "0.8% of GDP (2021 est.)" + }, + "Military Expenditures 2020": { + "text": "0.5% of GDP (2020 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "2.6% of GDP (2019 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "1.7% of GDP (2018 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2017": { - "text": "1.5% of GDP (2017 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2016": { - "text": "1.8% of GDP (2016 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2015": { - "text": "1.9% of GDP (2015 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { @@ -1229,7 +1229,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "11,833 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,926 (Mozambique) (2023)" + "text": "11,867 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 9,926 (Mozambique) (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/tn.json b/australia-oceania/tn.json index e502da14..a65449ba 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/tn.json +++ b/australia-oceania/tn.json @@ -1094,20 +1094,20 @@ "text": "His Majesty's Armed Forces Tonga (aka Tonga Defense Services): Tonga Royal Guard, Land Force (Royal Tongan Marines), Tonga Navy, Air Wing

Ministry of Police and Fire Services: Tonga Police Force (2023)" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1.6% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, + "Military Expenditures 2022": { + "text": "1.6% of GDP (2022 est.)" + }, + "Military Expenditures 2021": { + "text": "1.5% of GDP (2021 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "2.1% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "2.4% of GDP (2019 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1.5% of GDP (2018 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2017": { - "text": "2.1% of GDP (2017 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2016": { - "text": "1.7% of GDP (2016 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json index 2a7dea69..2021b238 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/do.json @@ -452,7 +452,7 @@ "text": "president nominated by the prime minister and leader of the opposition party and elected by the House of Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 1 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2023); prime minister appointed by the president" }, "election results": { - "text": "Charles A. SAVARIN (DLP) reelected president unopposed" + "text": "27 September 2023, parliament elects Sylvanie BURTON (DLP) with 20 votes for and five against; takes office on 2 October 2023" } }, "Legislative branch": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json index 7c576394..7b99a959 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json @@ -1235,7 +1235,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "information varies; approximately 60,000 active personnel (30,000 Army; 13,000 Navy; 17,000 Air Force); approximately 30,000 National Police (2022)" + "text": "information varies; approximately 60,000 active personnel (30,000 Army; 13,000 Navy; 17,000 Air Force); approximately 30,000 National Police (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the military is lightly armed with an inventory consisting mostly of older US equipment  (2023)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json index 9089df52..5caf6652 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json @@ -1245,15 +1245,15 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "IDPs": { - "text": "71,500 (2021)" + "text": "52,000 (2022)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { - "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — El Salvador does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials convicted more traffickers and identified more victims; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous year to improve its anti-trafficking capacity; the government significantly reduced the number of specialized prosecutors; less than half of all victims received government services or referrals to care providers; officials did not implement procedures to identify potential victims among children apprehended for gang-related activity or persons forcibly displaced from their homes; the government did not initiate any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of officials allegedly complicit in trafficking crimes or report progress on investigations from previous years; the anti-trafficking council was inactive and did not draft a new national anti-trafficking action plan, report on the government's 2021 efforts, or compile data across agencies; therefore, El Salvador was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2022)" + "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — El Salvador does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; El Salvador hired more police and prosecutors in specialized anti-trafficking units and provided awareness training for Salvadorans participating in temporary work programs abroad; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous year, to improve its anti-trafficking capacity; the government investigated, prosecuted, and convicted fewer traffickers; less than half of all victims received government services or referrals to care providers, and services provided were inadequate; the government arrested and detained thousands of suspected gang members, disabling criminal networks that fueled demand for sex and labor trafficking, but authorities arrested and detained children affiliated with gangs without screening for trafficking indicators; interagency coordination remained weak, government data was unreliable, and the national anti-trafficking council did not reconcile the data or publish a report on the government’s 2022 efforts; therefore, El Salvador remained on Tier 2 Watch list (2023)" }, "trafficking profile": { - "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in El Salvador, and traffickers exploit victims from El Salvador abroad; adults and children are exploited in sex trafficking within the country; children without parents, adolescent girls, and LGBTQI+ persons—especially transgender persons—are at particular risk; sex trafficking reportedly occurs in the tourism industry; traffickers exploit victims within their own communities, sometimes their own children or other family members; Salvadoran adults and children are exploited in forced labor in agriculture, domestic service, and begging; adults and children from neighboring countries—particularly Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua—are exploited in sex trafficking and forced labor in construction, domestic service, or the informal sector; traffickers recruit victims in regions of El Salvador with high levels of violence; limited government presence in gang-controlled territory exacerbates trafficking risks; gangs use the pretense of domestic employment to lure women into forced labor; transnational criminal organizations and gangs including MS-13 and Barrio 18 recruit, abduct, train, arm, and subject children to forced labor—including assassinations, extortion, and drug trafficking; these groups subject women and children, including LGBTQI+ children, to sex trafficking and forced labor in domestic service and child care; Salvadoran men, women, and children are exploited in sex trafficking and forced labor in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States; traffickers exploit some Central and South American, African, and Asian migrants who transit El Salvador to Guatemala, Mexico, the United States, and Canada in sex and labor trafficking; endemic corruption and complicity, including within law enforcement, the judiciary, the prison system, and local government, hinder anti-trafficking efforts (2022)" + "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in El Salvador, and traffickers exploit victims from El Salvador abroad; adults and children are exploited in sex trafficking within the country; orphans, adolescent girls, and LGBTQI+ persons are at particular risk; sex trafficking reportedly occurs in the tourism industry; traffickers exploit victims within their own communities or homes, sometimes their own children or other family members; Salvadoran adults and children are exploited in forced labor in agriculture, domestic service, and begging; adults and children from neighboring countries—particularly Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua—are exploited in sex trafficking and forced labor in construction, domestic service, or the informal sector; traffickers recruit victims in regions of El Salvador with high levels of violence and capitalize on fear to coerce victims and their families through threats of violence; in 2022, territorial gang control decreased dramatically across El Salvador, following the arrests of thousands of suspected gang members under the government’s state of exception; reports indicate extortion and violence declined significantly, but no data is available on the state of exception’s impact on trafficking; prior to the state of exception, limited government presence in gang-controlled territory exacerbated trafficking risks among vulnerable groups; many families were displaced fleeing gang exploitation of children; transnational criminal organizations and gangs, including MS-13 and Barrio 18, recruited, abducted, trained, armed, and subjected children to forced labor—including assassinations, extortion, and drug trafficking; these groups subjected women and children, including LGBTQI+ children, to sex trafficking and forced labor in domestic service and child care; Salvadoran men, women, and children are exploited in sex trafficking and forced labor in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, and the US; traffickers exploit some Salvadorans who irregularly migrate to the US in forced labor, criminal activity, and sex trafficking en route or upon arrival; traffickers exploit some victims from Asia, South America, or other Central American countries in sex and labor trafficking in El Salvador; reported corruption and complicity among some government officials may have obstructed anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/ho.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/ho.json index fa2de0c7..65e85170 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/ho.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/ho.json @@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ "text": "Cabinet appointed by president" }, "elections/appointments": { - "text": "president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term; election last held on 28 November 2021 (next to be held in 30 November 2025); note - in 2015, the Constitutional Chamber of the Honduran Supreme Court struck down the constitutional provisions on presidential term limits" + "text": "president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term; election last held on 28 November 2021 (next to be held on 30 November 2025); note - in 2015, the Constitutional Chamber of the Honduran Supreme Court struck down the constitutional provisions on presidential term limits" }, "election results": { "text": "
2021: Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya elected president; percent of vote - Iris Xiomara CASTRO de Zelaya (LIBRE) 51.1%, Nasry Juan ASFURA Zablah (PNH) 36.9%, Yani Benjamin ROSENTHAL Hidalgo (PL) 10%, other 2%

2017: Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado reelected president; percent of vote - Juan Orlando HERNANDEZ Alvarado (PNH) 43%, Salvador NASRALLA (Alianza de Oposicion contra la Dictadura) 41.4%, Luis Orlando ZELAYA Medrano (PL) 14.7%, other 0.9%" @@ -1209,7 +1209,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 16,000 active personnel (7,500 Army; 1,500 Navy, including about 1,000 marines; 2,000 Air Force; 5,000 Military Police of Public Order); approximately 18,000 National Police (2022)" + "text": "approximately 16,000 active personnel (7,500 Army; 1,500 Navy, including about 1,000 marines; 2,000 Air Force; 5,000 Military Police of Public Order); approximately 18,000 National Police (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the FFAA's inventory is comprised of mostly older imported equipment from Israel, the UK, and the US; in recent years, it has received limited amounts of military equipment from several countries, including Colombia and Israel (2023)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json index 64a94706..d170438a 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/jm.json @@ -1151,13 +1151,13 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 4,000 personnel (2022)" + "text": "approximately 5,000 personnel (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the JDF is lightly armed with a limited inventory featuring equipment mostly from Europe and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent); 18-28 for the reserves; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 12 months of service, soldiers can continue on with the JDF or seek other opportunities with other government agencies (2022)" + "text": "no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent); 18-28 for the reserves; since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 12 months of service, soldiers can continue on with the JDF or seek other opportunities with other government agencies (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "in addition to its responsibility of defending against external aggression, the JDF's primary missions are border, internal, and maritime security, including support to police operations in combating crime and violence; other missions include search and rescue, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and peacekeeping; it has arrest authority and partners with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF); both the JDF and JCF are under the Ministry of National Security, which directs policy for the security forces; the JDF participates in bilateral and multinational training exercises, including with the militaries of Canada, the UK, the US, and other Caribbean nations 

while Jamaica had a militia force as early as the 1660s, the JDF was constituted in 1962 from the West India Regiment (WIR), a British colonial regiment which dates back to 1795; troops for the WIR were recruited from freed slaves from North America, slaves purchased in the West Indies, and slaves from Africa bought off slave ships (2023)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/nu.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/nu.json index d01b026b..49ebefe5 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/nu.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/nu.json @@ -1158,7 +1158,7 @@ }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2022": { - "text": "0.5% of GDP (2022 est.)" + "text": "0.6% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "0.6% of GDP (2021 est.)" @@ -1180,7 +1180,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory includes mostly secondhand Russian/Soviet-era equipment; in recent years, Russia has been the leading arms supplier to Nicaragua (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; tour of duty 18-36 months (2022)" + "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; tour of duty 18-36 months (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the military is responsible for defending Nicaragua’s independence, sovereignty, and territory, but also has some domestic security responsibilities; key tasks include border security, assisting the police, protecting natural resources, and providing disaster relief and humanitarian assistance; it has ties with the militaries of Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia; Russia has provided training support and equipment 

the military’s Land Forces have a mechanized brigade and approximately 8 regional commands or detachments, each with 1 or more light infantry battalions; there is also a small special operations command; the Naval Forces operate patrol boats and have a naval infantry battalion; the Air Forces do not possess any combat aircraft 

the modern Army of Nicaragua was created in 1979 as the Sandinista Popular Army (1979-1984); prior to 1979, the military was known as the National Guard, which was organized and trained by the US in the 1920s and 1930s; the first commander of the National Guard, Anastasio SOMOZA GARCIA, seized power in 1937 and ran the country as a military dictator until his assassination in 1956; his sons ran the country either directly or through figureheads until the Sandinistas came to power in 1979; the defeated National Guard was disbanded by the Sandinistas (2023)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/vc.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/vc.json index a547e560..2fa134a0 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/vc.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/vc.json @@ -1,4 +1,9 @@ { + "Introduction": { + "Background": { + "text": "Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on Saint Vincent until 1719. Disputed by France and the UK for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to Britain in 1783. The British prized Saint Vincent due to its fertile soil, which allowed for thriving slave-run plantations of sugar, coffee, indigo, tobacco, cotton, and cocoa. In 1834, the British abolished slavery. Immigration of indentured servants eased the ensuing labor shortage, as did subsequent Portuguese immigrants from Madeira and East Indian laborers. Conditions remained harsh for both former slaves and immigrant agricultural workers, however, as depressed world sugar prices kept the economy stagnant until the early 1900s. The economy then went into a period of decline with many landowners abandoning their estates and leaving the land to be cultivated by liberated slaves. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979. In April 2021, the explosive eruption of the La Soufrière volcano in the north of Saint Vincent destroyed much of Saint Vincent’s most productive agricultural lands. Unlike most of its tourism-dependent neighbors, the Vincentian economy is primarily agricultural. The US provided $4.7 million in humanitarian support after the eruption." + } + }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago" @@ -95,11 +100,6 @@ "text": "the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays" } }, - "Introduction": { - "Background": { - "text": "Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on Saint Vincent until 1719. Disputed by France and the UK for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to Britain in 1783. The British prized Saint Vincent due to its fertile soil, which allowed for thriving slave-run plantations of sugar, coffee, indigo, tobacco, cotton, and cocoa. In 1834, the British abolished slavery. Immigration of indentured servants eased the ensuing labor shortage, as did subsequent Portuguese immigrants from Madeira and East Indian laborers. Conditions remained harsh for both former slaves and immigrant agricultural workers, however, as depressed world sugar prices kept the economy stagnant until the early 1900s. The economy then went into a period of decline with many landowners abandoning their estates and leaving the land to be cultivated by liberated slaves. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979. In April 2021, the explosive eruption of the La Soufrière volcano in the north of Saint Vincent destroyed much of Saint Vincent’s most productive agricultural lands. Unlike most of its tourism-dependent neighbors, the Vincentian economy is primarily agricultural. The US provided $4.7 million in humanitarian support after the eruption." - } - }, "People and Society": { "Population": { "text": "100,804 (2023 est.)" @@ -1042,7 +1042,7 @@ "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "no regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVPF; includes the Coast Guard, Special Services Unit, Rapid Response Unit, Drug Squad, and Anti-Trafficking Unit) (2023)", - "note": "note: the RSVPF is the only security force in the country and is responsible for maintaining internal security; it reports to the minister of national security, a portfolio held by the prime minister" + "note": "note: the RSVPF is the only security force in the country and is responsible for maintaining internal security; it reports to the Minister of National Security, a portfolio held by the prime minister" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the country has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since its creation in 1982; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts, and Saint Lucia) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security (2023)" diff --git a/central-asia/kg.json b/central-asia/kg.json index 01f51c21..6acb1415 100644 --- a/central-asia/kg.json +++ b/central-asia/kg.json @@ -1171,6 +1171,9 @@ "text": "Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic: Land Forces, Air Defense Forces, National Guard; Internal Troops; State Committee for National Security (GKNB): State Border Service (2023)" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2022": { + "text": "1.5% of GDP (2022 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "1.7% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, @@ -1182,13 +1185,10 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "2.3% of GDP (2018 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2017": { - "text": "2.3% of GDP (2017 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 14,000 active-duty troops (8,500 Land Forces; 2,500 Air Force/Air Defense; 3,000 National Guard) (2022)" + "text": "approximately 15,000 active-duty troops (9,000 Land Forces; 3,000 Air Force/Air Defense; 3,000 National Guard) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Kyrgyz military inventory is comprised of mostly older Russian and Soviet-era equipment; Russia is the leading supplier of armaments (2023)" diff --git a/central-asia/rs.json b/central-asia/rs.json index e148ff9d..b6c91bdf 100644 --- a/central-asia/rs.json +++ b/central-asia/rs.json @@ -1312,7 +1312,7 @@ "note": "note 1: in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine with an estimated 150,000 troops; prior to the invasion, it maintained an estimated 30,000 troops in areas of Ukraine occupied since 2014

note 2: as of 2023, Russia was assessed to have about 3,000-5,000 private military contractors conducting military and security operations in Africa and the Middle East, including in the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Sudan, and Syria" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Russian military is a mixed force of conscripts and volunteers that is capable of conducting the full range of air, land, maritime, and strategic missile operations; it is also active in the areas of cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and space; in addition to protecting Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the military supports Moscow’s national security objectives, which include maintaining and projecting influence and power outside Russia, particularly in the former Soviet republics, and deterring perceived external threats from the US and NATO; in recent years, the Russian military has conducted combat operations in both Syria and Ukraine; in February 2022, Russia launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the military, particularly the ground forces, continues to be heavily engaged there in what is the largest war in Europe since World War II ended in 1945; Russia has occupied Ukraine’s province of Crimea and backed separatist forces in the Donbas region of Ukraine since 2014 with arms, equipment, and training, as well as special operations forces and troops, although Moscow denied their presence prior to 2022; Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war at the request of the ASAD government in September 2015 in what was Moscow’s first overseas expeditionary operation since the Soviet era; Russian assistance has included air support, arms and equipment, intelligence, military advisors, private military contractors, special operations forces, and training; it seized the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008; separately, Russia has provided military personnel and private military contractors to conduct missions in Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, and Sudan 

Russia is the leading member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and has committed approximately 8,000 troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force (2023)" + "text": "the Russian military is a mixed force of conscripts and volunteers that is capable of conducting the full range of air, land, maritime, and strategic missile operations; it is also active in the areas of cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and space; in addition to protecting Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the military supports Moscow’s national security objectives, which include maintaining and projecting influence and power outside Russia, particularly in the former Soviet republics, and deterring perceived external threats from the US and NATO; in recent years, the Russian military has conducted combat operations in both Syria and Ukraine; in February 2022, Russia launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the military, particularly the ground forces, continues to be heavily engaged there in what is the largest war in Europe since World War II ended in 1945; Russia has occupied Ukraine’s province of Crimea and backed separatist forces in the Donbas region of Ukraine since 2014 with arms, equipment, and training, as well as special operations forces and troops, although Moscow denied their presence prior to 2022; Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war at the request of the ASAD government in September 2015 in what was Moscow’s first overseas expeditionary operation since the Soviet era; Russian assistance has included air support, arms and equipment, intelligence, military advisors, private military contractors, special operations forces, and training; it seized the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2008; separately, Russia has provided military personnel and private military contractors to conduct missions in Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, and Sudan 

Russian forces are organized into five military districts and operational/joint strategic commands; the Ground Troops are configured into at least 11 combined arms armies, one tank army, and four army corps, each comprised of a mixture of tank or “motorized rifle” (mechanized or motorized infantry) division and brigade structures supplemented by artillery, tactical missile, and air defense forces; the most capable ground forces are the special forces (Spetsial’noye naznacheniye or Spetsnaz) brigades and Airborne and Air Assault Troops (VDV), which are considered strategic-level assets; the Spetsnaz forces have eight brigades, while the VDV has two airborne and two air assault divisions, plus four independent air assault brigades and a Spetsnaz reconnaissance regiment 

the Navy conducts operations globally and has four fleets (Baltic, Black Sea, Pacific, and Northern), as well as a flotilla in the Caspian Sea; the principal surface warships are an aircraft carrier (under repair until at least 2024), four battlecruisers or cruisers, and over 20 destroyers and frigates; the backbone of the Navy is its submarine force, which has approximately 50-60 nuclear ballistic missile, nuclear cruise missile, nuclear attack-type, and conventional attack submarines; the ballistic missile submarines are an essential arm of Russia’s nuclear triad; the Navy has an aviation force with fighters, multipurpose fighters, and surface attack aircraft, as well as anti-submarine warfare and attack helicopters; it also has coastal defense forces and a ground force of several naval infantry brigades, which have been used as ground troops in Ukraine
the Aerospace Forces include as sub-branches the Air Force, the Air and Missile Defense Forces, and Space Forces; the Air and Air/Missile Defense elements are typically organized into armies, commands, bases, brigades, and regiments; the Air Forces are some of the largest in the world, and prior to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine included nearly 1,500 fighters, multirole fighters, and bombers, as well as nearly 1,500 combat helicopters

the Strategic Rocket Forces have both road-mobile and silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and are organized into three armies with 12 subordinate divisions, each further broken down into regiments

the paramilitary Russian National Guard is organized into regions or districts with subordinate divisions and brigades, which include a mix of security, special purpose, protective, and motorized units, as well as some artillery and aviation forces (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json index 661419d8..0c926c97 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json @@ -1165,10 +1165,10 @@ }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { - "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Brunei does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, therefore Brunei was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; the government took some steps to address trafficking, including initiating a labor trafficking prosecution, increasing investigations, and continuing construction of shelters; however, officials did not convict any traffickers under its trafficking statute, nor did it identify any victims; the government continued to detain, deport, and charge potential victims without attempting to discern if traffickers compelled the victims to engage in unlawful acts (2023)" + "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Brunei does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, therefore Brunei was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; key achievements included referring two alleged traffickers for prosecution, including one Bruneian national, identifying and providing assistance to 14 victims, opening two shelters for victims, and signing a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding with Bangladesh on recruitment of migrant workers; however, the government did not effectively screen for trafficking among foreign nationals in commercial sex and migrant workers; officials handled some potential trafficking cases administratively, if at all, and probably inappropriately detained, prosecuted, and deported potentially unidentified sex and labor trafficking victims; for the sixth consecutive year, the government did not convict any traffickers under its anti-trafficking law, and other laws that could be used to prosecute traffickers did not provide sufficiently stringent sentences (2023)" }, "trafficking profile": { - "text": "human traffickers exploit foreign victims in Brunei; some men and women who migrate to Brunei to work in domestic service, retail, or construction work are subject to involuntary servitude, debt-based coercion, contract switching, non-payment of wages, passport confiscation, physical abuse, or confinement; some female migrants entering Brunei on tourist visas are forced into prostitution; some traffickers use Brunei as a transit point for victims used for sex and labor trafficking in Malaysia and Indonesia; Anti-LGBTQI+ laws place some LGBTQI+ individuals at higher risk; Trafficking experts in Brunei have received threats from traffickers (2022)" + "text": "human traffickers exploit foreign victims in Brunei; some men and women who migrate to Brunei to work in domestic service, retail, or construction work are subject to involuntary servitude, debt-based coercion, contract switching, non-payment of wages, passport confiscation, physical abuse, or confinement; some female migrants entering Brunei on tourist visas are forced into prostitution, and some Kenyan women reportedly faced forced labor in Brunei; workers from Bangladesh and China may have been forced to work in Brunei at Chinese-run projects; some traffickers use Brunei as a transit point for victims used for sex and labor trafficking in Malaysia and Indonesia; Anti-LGBTQI+ laws place some LGBTQI+ individuals at higher risk; trafficking experts in Brunei have received threats from traffickers (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json index 1cfdc756..28bf08aa 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/cb.json @@ -1210,20 +1210,20 @@ "note": "note 1: the National Committe for Maritime Security performs coast guard functions and has representation from military and civilian agencies

note 2: the Cambodian National Police are under the Ministry of Interior" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2022": { + "text": "2.1% of GDP (2022 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { - "text": "2.5% of GDP (2021 est.)" + "text": "2.3% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { - "text": "2.5% of GDP (2020 est.)" + "text": "2.3% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "2.2% of GDP (2019 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "2.2% of GDP (2018 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2017": { - "text": "2.1% of GDP (2017 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/ja.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/ja.json index 720b8ffa..a4e1e7f6 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/ja.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/ja.json @@ -1259,17 +1259,17 @@ "note": "note: the Japanese Government in 2022 pledged to increase defense expenditures to 2% of GDP in line with NATO standards by 2028; if the planned increase occurs, Japan would have one of the world's largest defense budgets" }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 240,000 active personnel (150,000 Ground; 45,000 Maritime; 45,000 Air); 14,000 Coast Guard (2022)" + "text": "approximately 240,000 active personnel (150,000 Ground; 45,000 Maritime; 45,000 Air); 14,000 Coast Guard (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the JSDF is equipped with a mix of imported and domestically produced equipment; Japan has a robust defense industry and is capable of producing a wide range of air, ground, and naval weapons systems; the majority of its weapons imports are from the US and some domestically produced weapons are US-origin and manufactured under license (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (maximum enlistment age 32); no conscription (2022)", - "note": "note: as of 2020, women made up about 7% of the military's full-time personnel" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (maximum enlistment age 32); no conscription (2023)", + "note": "note: as of 2021, women made up about 7% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { - "text": "approximately 180 Djibouti (2022)" + "text": "approximately 200 Djibouti (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "Japan was disarmed after its defeat in World War II; shortly after the Korean War began in 1950, US occupation forces in Japan created a 75,000-member lightly armed force called the National Police Reserve; the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) was founded in 1954; the current JSDF is a trained and professional military equipped with modern weaponry; its primary concerns are China and North Korea, as well as protecting the country’s territorial waters, countering piracy and terrorism, and conducting humanitarian operations; it exercises regularly with the US military and increasingly with other regional countries, such as Australia; the ground forces are organized into 10 divisions and a number of independent brigades, which include airborne, air assault, and amphibious rapid reaction forces; the maritime force is one of the largest and most modern navies in the world; its principal warships include four helicopter carriers (two are undergoing conversion to light aircraft carriers), nearly 50 destroyers and frigates/destroyer escorts, three landing platform/dock (LPD) amphibious assault ships, and more than 20 attack-type submarines; it also has a large force of maritime aircraft, including over 150 for anti-submarine warfare; the Air Self Defense Force has over 300 modern combat aircraft, as well as more than 200 other aircraft for surveillance, early warning, electronic warfare, search and rescue, transportation, and logistics

Japan’s alliance with the US (signed in 1951) is one of the cornerstones of the country’s security, as well as a large part of the US security role in Asia; approximately 55,000 US troops and other military assets, including aircraft and naval ships, are stationed in Japan and have exclusive use of more than 80 bases and facilities; in exchange for their use, the US guarantees Japan’s security; the Japanese Government provides about $2 billion per year to offset the cost of stationing US forces in Japan; in addition, it pays compensation to localities hosting US troops, rent for bases, and costs for new facilities to support the US presence; Japan also has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation

Article 9 of Japan’s 1947 constitution renounced the use of force as a means of settling international disputes; however, Japan has interpreted Article 9 to mean that it can maintain a military for national defense purposes and, since 1991, has allowed the JSDF to participate in noncombat roles overseas in a number of UN peacekeeping missions and in the US-led coalition in Iraq; in 2014-2015 the Japanese Government reinterpreted the constitution as allowing for \"collective self-defense,\" described as the use of force on others’ behalf if Japan’s security was threatened; in 2022, the government released three documents that provided a blueprint that could fundamentally reshape Japan’s approach to its security; the documents labeled China as an “unprecedented strategic challenge,” declared Japan’s intention to develop \"counterstrike” capabilities, including cruise missiles and armed drones, and outlined plans to increase Japan’s security-related expenditures to 2% of its national gross domestic product (GDP), in line with NATO standards; post-war Japan generally has limited defense spending to 1% of its GDP (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json index 1f416416..fdffbadc 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json @@ -644,7 +644,7 @@ }, "National heritage": { "total World Heritage Sites": { - "text": "15 (13 cultural, 2 natural)" + "text": "16 (14 cultural, 2 natural)" }, "selected World Heritage Site locales": { "text": "Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes (n); Changdeokgung Palace Complex (c); Jongmyo Shrine (c); Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple (c); Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites (c); Gyeongju Historic Areas (c); Namhansanseong (c); Baekje Historic Areas (c); Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea (c); Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (c)" @@ -1226,6 +1226,9 @@ "note": "note 1: in January 2022, the South Korean military announced the formation of a space branch under its Joint Chiefs of Staff to coordinate the development of space and space-enabled capabilities across the Army, Navy and Air Force

note 2: the military reserves include Mobilization Reserve Forces (First Combat Forces) and Homeland Defense Forces (Regional Combat Forces)" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "2.6% of GDP (2023)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "2.6% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, @@ -1237,13 +1240,10 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "2.7% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "2.5% of GDP (2018)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 550,000 active-duty personnel (420,000 Army; 70,000 Navy, including about 30,000 Marines; 60,000 Air Force) (2023)" + "text": "approximately 500,000 active-duty personnel (365,000 Army; 70,000 Navy, including about 30,000 Marines; 65,000 Air Force) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the South Korean military is equipped with a mix of domestically produced and imported weapons systems; South Korea has a robust defense industry and production includes armored fighting vehicles, artillery, aircraft, naval ships, and missiles; its weapons are designed to be compatible with US and NATO systems; in recent years the top foreign weapons supplier has been the US, and some domestically produced systems are built under US license (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json index 895603ca..82e96e1f 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json @@ -1224,7 +1224,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 115,000 active duty troops (80,000 Army; 18,000 Navy; 17,000 Air Force) (2022)" + "text": "approximately 110,000 active-duty troops (80,000 Army; 15,000 Navy; 15,000 Air Force) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the military fields a diverse mix of older and more modern imported weapons systems from a wide variety of suppliers across Europe, Asia, and the US; in recent years it has received military equipment from approximately 20 countries with South Korea as one of the leading suppliers (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json index a25ccefb..56106615 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/pp.json @@ -1205,7 +1205,7 @@ "text": "the PNGDF is lightly armed; most of its military assistance has come from Australia (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-27 for a general enlistee or 18-30 for an officer cadet; no conscription (2022)" + "text": "18-27 for voluntary military service; no conscription (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the PNGDF is a small, lightly armed, and underfunded force tasked with defense of the country and its territories against external attack, as well as internal security and socio-economic development duties; the Land Element includes two infantry battalions, an engineer battalion, a signal squadron, an explosive ordnance disposal unit, and a preventive medicine platoon; the Air Element is a small air wing operating a light transport aircraft and two leased helicopters while the Maritime Element consists of four patrol boats and two landing craft

the PNGDF was established in 1973, and its primary combat unit, the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (RPIR), is descended from Australian Army infantry battalions comprised of native soldiers and led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers formed during World War II to help fight the Japanese; the RPIR was disbanded after the war, but reestablished in 1951 as part of the Australian Army where it continued to serve until Papua New Guinea gained its independence in 1975, when it became part of the PNGDF

Papua New Guinea's traditional security partners are Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the US; Australia and the US are assisting the country with expanding and improving the Defense Force naval base at Lombrum on Manus Island; the US first established a Lombrum base in 1944 during World War II; in recent years, Papua New Guinea has established security ties with France and the UK; the US and PNG signed a defense cooperation agreement in May 2023, which included a shiprider agreement that provides the opportunity for PNG personnel to work on US Coast Guard and US Navy vessels, and vice versa, to tackle maritime crime such as illegal fishing (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json index 4af16aa0..eea4121a 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json @@ -1251,7 +1251,7 @@ "text": "the AFP is equipped with a wide mix of imported weapons systems; in recent years, it has received equipment from more than a dozen countries led by Israel, South Korea, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-25 (enlisted) and 21-29 (officers) years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2022)", + "text": "18-27 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2023)", "note": "note: as of 2020, women made up about 6% of the active military; women were allowed to enter the Philippine Military Academy and train as combat soldiers in 1993" }, "Military - note": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json index f2ac43ef..b4243013 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json @@ -314,7 +314,8 @@ }, "vectorborne diseases": { "text": "dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis" - } + }, + "note": "note: On 20 September 2023, the CDC issued a travel notice for an outbreak of diphtheria in several provinces in Vietnam (see attached map); vaccination against diphtheria is essential to protect against disease; if you are traveling to an affected area, you should be up to date with your diphtheria vaccines; Diphtheria is a serious infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make a toxin; Diphtheria bacteria spread from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing" }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "2.1% (2016)" diff --git a/europe/al.json b/europe/al.json index 4caf11e9..6567e7fa 100644 --- a/europe/al.json +++ b/europe/al.json @@ -1235,7 +1235,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "1,948 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 45,491 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-July 2023)" + "note": "note: 45,889 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-August 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "

a source country for cannabis and an active transshipment point for Albanian narco-trafficking organizations moving illicit drugs into European markets

" diff --git a/europe/bk.json b/europe/bk.json index b357a066..8855653f 100644 --- a/europe/bk.json +++ b/europe/bk.json @@ -1226,7 +1226,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "48 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 132,858 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-August 2023)" + "note": "note: 133,892 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "

drug trafficking groups are major players in the procurement and transportation of large quantities of cocaine destined for European markets

" diff --git a/europe/bu.json b/europe/bu.json index 04fa28c8..be5c0d27 100644 --- a/europe/bu.json +++ b/europe/bu.json @@ -1299,10 +1299,10 @@ }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { - "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Bulgaria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials prosecuted significantly more suspected traffickers, ordered restitution, and drafted an annual national program with increased funding for combating trafficking and protecting victims; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to improve its anti-trafficking capacity; authorities investigated and convicted significantly fewer traffickers, the fewest since the government began reporting trafficking data; courts continued to issue suspended sentences for most convicted traffickers; victim identification and assistance data remained unreliable, making it difficult to accurately assess trafficking; authorities penalized victims for crimes traffickers compelled them to commit; lack of resources, legal authority, and training impeded law enforcement; corruption in law enforcement and the judiciary hindered progress, and alleged complicity in trafficking crimes persisted; therefore, Bulgaria was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2022)" + "text": "Tier 2 Watch List — Bulgaria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials convicted more traffickers, informally adopted new National Action Plans for 2022 and 2023, and utilized seized assets to supplement shelters and service centers assisting victims; the government mandated specialized training for investigative prosecutors and magistrates and required assignment of trafficking cases to those individuals; the National Investigative Service established a cyber unit, focusing on internet-based exploitation, including trafficking; Bulgaria and Germany cooperated on a bilateral program to combat labor trafficking, information campaigns targeting the large number of Bulgarians seeking jobs in Germany, and a referral mechanism for trafficking cases between countries; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; courts continued to issue suspended sentences for most convicted traffickers; officials did not adequately screen for trafficking indicators or identify victims, particularly among vulnerable groups such as Roma; the government provided limited funding to NGOs for victim services and a national commission for capacity building and implementation of anti-trafficking activities, limiting the sustainability of the government’s anti-trafficking systems; a lack of resources, legal authority, and training impeded law enforcement; corruption in law enforcement and the judiciary hindered progress, and alleged complicity in trafficking crimes persisted; therefore, Bulgaria remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year (2023) " }, "trafficking profile": { - "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Bulgaria, and traffickers exploit victims from Bulgaria abroad; Bulgaria remains one of the primary source countries of human trafficking in the EU; vulnerable groups include the unemployed, children in residential care, individuals working in commercial sex, and members of the Romani community; most victims are individuals with disabilities and those with mental health conditions; Bulgarian women and children are exploited in sex trafficking throughout Western Europe and Bulgaria; Bulgarians of Turkish ethnicity and Romani women and girls account for most of the sex trafficking victims in Bulgaria; traffickers typically exploit Bulgarian women and girls from poorer regions and increasingly use the internet or social media to recruit victims; family- or clan-based organizations and independent traffickers are overwhelmingly of Romani ethnicity and usually know the victims, who are also Roma; traffickers exploit Bulgarian men and boys in forced labor across Europe, predominantly in agriculture, construction, and the service sector; Romani children are exploited in forced labor, particularly begging and pick-pocketing in Austria, France, and Sweden; child trafficking cases reportedly are increasing; children are exploited in small family-owned shops, textile production, restaurants, and construction businesses, and some face sexual exploitation in government-run institutions; Ukrainian refugees are highly vulnerable to trafficking (2022)" + "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Bulgaria, and traffickers exploit victims from Bulgaria abroad; Bulgaria remains one of the primary source countries of human trafficking in the EU; vulnerable groups include Bulgarians with little education and income, the unemployed, children in residential care, homeless individuals, individuals working in commercial sex, migrants, and Roma; most victims are Roma or individuals with disabilities or mental health conditions; Bulgarians of Turkish ethnicity and Romani women and girls account for most of the sex trafficking victims in Bulgaria; family- or clan-based organizations and independent traffickers are overwhelmingly of Romani ethnicity and usually know the victims, who are also Roma; sex trafficking rings typically consist of Bulgarian traffickers who cooperate with foreign nationals in destination countries but do not have direct ties to organized crime groups; traffickers exploit Bulgarian women and girls in sex trafficking throughout Western Europe and in Bulgaria, and exploit Bulgarian men and boys in forced labor across Europe, predominantly in agriculture, construction, and hospitality industries; Romani children are exploited in forced labor, particularly begging and pick-pocketing in Austria, France, and Sweden; child trafficking cases reportedly are increasing; thousands of Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and seeking sanctuary in Bulgaria are highly vulnerable to trafficking; corruption among law enforcement and judiciary officials continues to enable some trafficking crimes (2023)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { diff --git a/europe/cy.json b/europe/cy.json index e9a85af3..87c3188b 100644 --- a/europe/cy.json +++ b/europe/cy.json @@ -1230,7 +1230,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "74 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 53,552 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-June 2023)" + "note": "note: 55,098 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-August 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "

the ROC financial system is vulnerable to money laundering by domestic and foreign criminals; proceeds generated by illicit activity abroad pose a greater threat; primary sources of illicit proceeds are investment fraud, corruption, advance fee fraud, tax evasion, illegal drugs, and tobacco smuggling. Additionally, cybercrime, especially phishing, e-mail hacking, and ransomware use, continues to increase. Criminals have reportedly used ROC banks to launder proceeds, particularly from Russian and Ukrainian illicit activity.

 

" diff --git a/europe/da.json b/europe/da.json index 6209dc4a..a656b5b9 100644 --- a/europe/da.json +++ b/europe/da.json @@ -652,38 +652,38 @@ "text": "diversified EU trade-based economy; environmental regulatory innovator; dominant services sector; increased government spending but retaining budget surpluses; currently high inflation; unique \"flexicurity\" labor market" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { + "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022": { + "text": "$352.436 billion (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": { "text": "$339.472 billion (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$323.751 billion (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { - "text": "$330.34 billion (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { + "Real GDP growth rate 2022": { + "text": "3.8% (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP growth rate 2021": { "text": "4.86% (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2020": { "text": "-1.99% (2020 est.)" - }, - "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { - "text": "1.49% (2019 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { + "Real GDP per capita 2022": { + "text": "$59,700 (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP per capita 2021": { "text": "$58,000 (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$55,500 (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP per capita 2019": { - "text": "$56,800 (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { diff --git a/europe/ez.json b/europe/ez.json index 129a5edf..bc21de89 100644 --- a/europe/ez.json +++ b/europe/ez.json @@ -1206,14 +1206,14 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 26,000 active personnel (20,000 Army; 6,000 Air Force) (2022)" + "text": "approximately 27,000 active personnel (21,000 Army; 6,000 Air Force) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Czech military has a mix of Soviet-era and more modern equipment, mostly of Western European origin from such suppliers as Austria, Germany, and Spain; Czechia has a considerable domestic defense industry; during the Cold War, Czechoslovakia was a major producer of tanks, armored personnel carriers, military trucks, and trainer aircraft (2023)", "note": "note: in 2019, Czechia announced a modernization plan to acquire more Western equipment that was compliant with NATO standards, including aircraft and armored vehicles" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-28 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished 2004 (2022)", + "text": "18-28 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished 2004 (2023)", "note": "note: as of 2019, women comprised about 13% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { diff --git a/europe/fi.json b/europe/fi.json index f89870e8..b1621cc5 100644 --- a/europe/fi.json +++ b/europe/fi.json @@ -669,38 +669,38 @@ "text": "highly industrialized, export-based EU economy and euro user; high per capita GDP; major timber, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries; manageable public debts; rigid labor laws impose higher regulatory burdens" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { + "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022": { + "text": "$275.545 billion (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": { "text": "$270.143 billion (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$262.343 billion (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { - "text": "$268.259 billion (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { + "Real GDP growth rate 2022": { + "text": "2.1% (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP growth rate 2021": { "text": "2.97% (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2020": { "text": "-2.21% (2020 est.)" - }, - "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { - "text": "1.22% (2019 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { + "Real GDP per capita 2022": { + "text": "$49,600 (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP per capita 2021": { "text": "$48,800 (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$47,400 (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP per capita 2019": { - "text": "$48,600 (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { diff --git a/europe/fr.json b/europe/fr.json index f300a3bc..65941192 100644 --- a/europe/fr.json +++ b/europe/fr.json @@ -1315,7 +1315,7 @@ "note": "note 1: in 2019, women comprised approximately 16% of the uniformed armed forces 

note 2: men between the ages of 17.5 and 39.5 years of age, of any nationality, may join the French Foreign Legion; those volunteers selected for service sign five-year contracts

note 3: in 2018, Parliament passed a law that would require military service for all genders beginning in 2024; President MACRON included the measure in his platform hoping that it would reinvigorate a sense of civic duty; the service would include two components: the first would take place around age 16 and include one month of training and civic service, while the second component would last between three months and a year and be more geared towards defense and security duties; France began a pilot for the program in 2019" }, "Military deployments": { - "text": "approximately 300 Central African Republic; approximately 1,000 Chad; 300 Comoros; approximately 900 Cote d'Ivoire; approximately 1,400 Djibouti; 300 Estonia (NATO); approximately 2,000 French Guyana; approximately 900 French Polynesia; approximately 1,000 French West Indies; 350 Gabon; approximately 500 Middle East (Iraq/Jordan/Syria); 650 Lebanon (UNIFIL); approximately 1,400 New Caledonia; approximately 1,500 Niger; approximately 1,700 Reunion Island; approximately 800 Romania (NATO); approximately 350 Senegal; approximately 650 United Arab Emirates (2023)", + "text": "approximately 300 Central African Republic; approximately 1,000 Chad; 300 Comoros; approximately 900 Cote d'Ivoire; approximately 1,400 Djibouti; 300 Estonia (NATO); approximately 2,000 French Guyana; approximately 900 French Polynesia; approximately 1,000 French West Indies; 350 Gabon; approximately 500 Middle East (Iraq/Jordan/Syria); 650 Lebanon (UNIFIL); approximately 1,400 New Caledonia; approximately 1,500 Niger (France has pledged to remove these troops by the end of 2023); approximately 1,700 Reunion Island; approximately 800 Romania (NATO); approximately 350 Senegal; approximately 650 United Arab Emirates (2023)", "note": "note: in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, some NATO countries, including France, have sent additional troops to the battlegroups deployed in NATO territory in eastern Europe" }, "Military - note": { diff --git a/europe/gr.json b/europe/gr.json index dbefefbc..a1995b23 100644 --- a/europe/gr.json +++ b/europe/gr.json @@ -1248,7 +1248,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "4,488 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 1,250,914 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" + "note": "note: 1,257,072 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis products and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime" diff --git a/europe/hr.json b/europe/hr.json index 40ce759f..b1c87197 100644 --- a/europe/hr.json +++ b/europe/hr.json @@ -1252,7 +1252,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "2,889 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 820,999 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-July 2023)" + "note": "note: 832,384 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-August 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "

drug trafficking groups are major players in the procurement and transportation of of large quantities of cocaine destined for European markets

 

" diff --git a/europe/hu.json b/europe/hu.json index cf2351d2..c2cdccb2 100644 --- a/europe/hu.json +++ b/europe/hu.json @@ -1255,7 +1255,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory consists largely of Soviet-era weapons, with a smaller mix of more modern European and US equipment; in recent years, Germany has been the top supplier of military hardware to Hungary (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (abolished 2005); 6-month service obligation (2022)", + "text": "18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (abolished 2005); 6-month service obligation (2023)", "note": "note: as of 2019, women comprised approximately 20% of Hungary's full-time military personnel" }, "Military deployments": { diff --git a/europe/it.json b/europe/it.json index 027aaa16..8c189e9a 100644 --- a/europe/it.json +++ b/europe/it.json @@ -1294,7 +1294,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "3,000 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 811,094 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" + "note": "note: 826,119 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "

important gateway for drug trafficking; organized crime groups allied with Colombian and Spanish groups trafficking cocaine to Europe

" diff --git a/europe/lg.json b/europe/lg.json index 4109aca8..18c74973 100644 --- a/europe/lg.json +++ b/europe/lg.json @@ -552,7 +552,7 @@ "text": "President Egils LEVITS (since 8 July 2019)" }, "head of government": { - "text": "Prime Minister vacant (as of 17 August 2023); note - Krisjanis KARINS stepped down on 17 August 2023" + "text": "Prime Minister Evika SILINA (since 15 September 2023)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, appointed by Parliament" @@ -562,7 +562,8 @@ }, "election results": { "text": "
2019: Egils LEVITS elected president; Parliament vote - Egils LEVITS 61, Didzis SMITS 24, Juris JANSONS 8; Krisjanis KARINS confirmed prime minister 61-39

2015: Raimonds VEJONIS elected president; Parliament vote - Raimonds VEJONIS (Latvian Green Party) 55, Egils LEVITS (NA) 42" - } + }, + "note": "note: on 15 September 2023, Parliament voted 53-39 to approve Prime Minister Evika SILINA" }, "Legislative branch": { "description": { diff --git a/europe/mj.json b/europe/mj.json index bfbc2149..b4d8666c 100644 --- a/europe/mj.json +++ b/europe/mj.json @@ -1250,7 +1250,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "468 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 32,873 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-August 2023)" + "note": "note: 33,178 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { diff --git a/europe/nl.json b/europe/nl.json index abd7d1e7..c6edb4a7 100644 --- a/europe/nl.json +++ b/europe/nl.json @@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ "text": "Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Wopke HOEKSTRA]
Christian Union or CU [Mirjam BIKKER]
Correct Answer 2021 or JA21 [Joost EDERMANS]
Democrats 66 or D66 [Sigrid KAAG]
Denk [Farid AZARKAN]
Farmer-Citizen Movement or BBB [Caroline van der PLAS]
50Plus [Martin van ROOIJEN]
Forum for Democracy or FvD [Thierry BAUDET]
Green Left (GroenLinks) or GL [Jesse KLAVER]
Labor Party or PvdA (Attje KUIKEN)
Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert WILDERS]
Party for the Animals or PvdD [Esther OUWENHAND]
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy or VVD [Mark RUTTE]
Reformed Political Party or SGP [Kees VAN DER STAAIJ]
Socialist Party or SP [Lilian MARIJNISSEN]
Together or BIJ1 [Sylvana Simons]
Volt Netherlands or Volt [Laurens DASSEN]" }, "International organization participation": { - "text": "ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC" + "text": "ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC" }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { diff --git a/europe/no.json b/europe/no.json index a4df2199..9e1a7032 100644 --- a/europe/no.json +++ b/europe/no.json @@ -656,38 +656,38 @@ "text": "high-income non-EU European economy; aging labor force; large state-owned energy company constrains budget and spending; largest oil sovereign wealth fund; major fishing, forestry, and extraction industries; large welfare system" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { + "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022": { + "text": "$368.151 billion (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": { "text": "$355.122 billion (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$341.855 billion (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { - "text": "$344.324 billion (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { + "Real GDP growth rate 2022": { + "text": "3.3% (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP growth rate 2021": { "text": "3.88% (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2020": { "text": "-0.72% (2020 est.)" - }, - "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { - "text": "0.75% (2019 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { + "Real GDP per capita 2022": { + "text": "$67,500 (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP per capita 2021": { "text": "$65,700 (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$63,500 (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP per capita 2019": { - "text": "$64,400 (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { diff --git a/europe/pl.json b/europe/pl.json index 2faab78a..e7e34516 100644 --- a/europe/pl.json +++ b/europe/pl.json @@ -1215,7 +1215,8 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (Wojska Ladowe), Navy (Marynarka Wojenna), Air Force (Sily Powietrzne), Special Forces (Wojska Specjalne), Territorial Defense Force (Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej)

Ministry of Interior and Administration: Polish National Police (Policja); Border Guard (Straż Graniczna or SG) (2023)" + "text": "Polish Armed Forces (Polskie Siły Zbrojne): Land Forces (Wojska Ladowe), Navy (Marynarka Wojenna), Air Force (Sily Powietrzne), Special Forces (Wojska Specjalne), Territorial Defense Forces (Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej)

Ministry of Interior and Administration: Polish National Police (Policja); Border Guard (Straż Graniczna or SG) (2023)", + "note": "note: as of 2023, Cyberspace Defense Forces (Wojska Obrony Cyberprzestrzeni) were in development" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2023": { @@ -1235,7 +1236,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 120,000 active-duty personnel (65,000 Army; 7,000 Navy; 15,000 Air Force; 3,000 Special Forces; 25,000 joint service/other; 5,000 active Territorial Defense Forces); approximately 25,000 other Territorial Defense Forces (reserves) (2022)", + "text": "approximately 120,000 active-duty personnel (65,000 Army; 7,000 Navy; 15,000 Air Force; 3,000 Special Forces; 25-30,000 joint service/other); approximately 40,000 Territorial Defense Forces  (2023)", "note": "note: in June 2019, the Polish Government approved a plan to increase the size of the military over a period of 10 years to over 200,000 troops, including doubling the size of the Territorial Defense Forces; in 2021, it announced additional plans to increase the size of the military to over 300,000 personnel" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { @@ -1243,15 +1244,15 @@ "note": "note: in late 2018, Poland announced a 7-year (through 2026) approximately $50 billion defense modernization plan that would include such items as 5th generation combat aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, rocket artillery, helicopters, submarines, frigates, and improved cyber security; in 2022, it signed large military weapons contracts with South Korea and the US" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription phased out in 2009-12; professional soldiers serve on a permanent basis (for an unspecified period of time) or on a contract basis (for a specified period of time); initial contract period is 24 months; women serve in the military on the same terms as men (2022)", - "note": "note 1: as of 2019, women made up about 7% of the military's full-time personnel

note 2: in May 2022, Poland announced a new 12-month voluntary military service program with recruits going through a 1-month basic training period with a military unit, followed by 11 months of specialized training; upon completion of service, the volunteers would be allowed to join the Territorial Defense Forces or the active reserve, and have priority to join the professional army and be given preference for employment in the public sector; the program is part of an effort to increase the size of the Polish military" + "text": "18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription phased out in 2009-12; professional soldiers serve on a permanent basis (for an unspecified period of time) or on a contract basis (for a specified period of time); initial contract period is 24 months; women serve in the military on the same terms as men (2023)", + "note": "note 1: as of 2019, women made up about 7% of the military's full-time personnel

note 2: in May 2022, Poland announced a new 12-month voluntary military service program with recruits going through a one-month basic training period with a military unit, followed by 11 months of specialized training; upon completion of service, the volunteers would be allowed to join the Territorial Defense Forces or the active reserve, and have priority to join the professional army and be given preference for employment in the public sector; the program is part of an effort to increase the size of the Polish military" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "250 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR); up to 180 Latvia (NATO); 200 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 230 Romania (NATO) (2023)", "note": "note 1: Poland has obligated about 2,500 troops to the Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine joint military brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG), which was established in 2014; the brigade is headquartered in Poland and is comprised of an international staff, three battalions, and specialized units; units affiliated with the multinational brigade remain within the structures of the armed forces of their respective countries until the brigade is activated for participation in an international operation

note 2: in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, some NATO countries, including Poland, have committed additional troops and equipment to the battlegroups deployed in NATO territory in the Baltic States and eastern Europe" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "Poland’s geographic location on NATO’s eastern flank and its history of foreign invasion underpin the Polish military’s heavy focus on territorial and border defense and supporting its NATO and EU security commitments; its chief concern is Russian aggression, particularly following Moscow’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 and full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022, which has led to increased defense spending and modernization efforts, as well as efforts to boost the NATO and US military presence; since 2014, Poland has been hosting several NATO military formations designed to enhance the defense of Poland and NATO’s eastern flank, including a US-led multinational NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative, NATO fighter detachments at Malbork Air Base, a NATO-led divisional headquarters (Multinational Division Northeast), which coordinates training and preparation activities of its respective subordinate battlegroups in Poland and Lithuania, and a corps-level NATO field headquarters (Multinational Corps Northeast); in 2022, the US announced it would establish a permanent corps headquarters in Poland to command US rotational forces in Europe; Poland also participates in a variety of EU and NATO military deployments in Africa, the Baltic States, Southern Europe, and the Middle East; Poland provided considerable support to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, where more than 30,000 military personnel served over a 20-year period before the mission ended in 2021

the Polish military is a professional and volunteer force that exercises regularly, including with NATO partners; it is organized into a General Staff, an Armed Forces General Command, an Armed Forces Operational Command, Territorial Defense Forces (established 2017), Military Police, and the Warsaw Garrison Command;  the Army is organized for a mobile territorial defense with one armored cavalry and three mechanized divisions, complemented by independent airborne, air mobile, and aviation brigades, as well as armored reconnaissance and artillery regiments; the active forces are backed up by the Territorial Defense Forces, which have nearly 20 light infantry brigades manned by part-time reserve personnel; the Navy is a compact force for defending Poland's territorial waters, coastline, and its interests abroad, as well as providing support to NATO missions; its principal warships are two frigates, two corvettes, three attack submarines, and a few fast-attack craft; it also has a considerable force of mine warfare vessels, as well as a naval aviation brigade focused on anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrolling; the Air Force has a mix of about 80 Soviet-era and more modern US fighter aircraft; it has more advanced US (F-35s) and South Korean (FA-50s) on order to replace its Soviet-era inventory beginning in 2024; Poland also has a joint special forces command with air, ground, and maritime components (2023)" + "text": "Poland’s geographic location on NATO’s eastern flank and its history of foreign invasion underpin the Polish military’s heavy focus on territorial and border defense and supporting its NATO and EU security commitments; its chief concern is Russian aggression, particularly following Moscow’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 and full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022, which has led to increased defense spending and modernization efforts, as well as efforts to boost the NATO and US military presence; since 2014, Poland has been hosting several NATO military formations designed to enhance the defense of Poland and NATO’s eastern flank, including a US-led multinational NATO ground force battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative, NATO fighter detachments at Malbork Air Base, a NATO-led divisional headquarters (Multinational Division Northeast), which coordinates training and preparation activities of its respective subordinate battlegroups in Poland and Lithuania, and a corps-level NATO field headquarters (Multinational Corps Northeast); in 2022, the US announced it would establish a permanent corps headquarters in Poland to command US rotational forces in Europe; Poland also participates in a variety of EU and NATO military deployments in Africa, the Baltic States, Southern Europe, and the Middle East; Poland provided considerable support to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, where more than 30,000 military personnel served over a 20-year period before the mission ended in 2021

the Polish military is a professional and volunteer force that exercises regularly, including with NATO partners; it is organized into a General Staff, an Armed Forces General Command, an Armed Forces Operational Command, Territorial Defense Forces (established 2017), Military Police, and the Warsaw Garrison Command;  the Army is comprised of several armored cavalry and mechanized infantry divisions, which are complemented by independent airborne, air mobile, and aviation brigades, as well as armored reconnaissance and artillery regiments ; the active forces are backed up by the Territorial Defense Forces, which have nearly 20 light infantry brigades manned by part-time reserve personnel; the Navy is a compact force for defending Poland's territorial waters, coastline, and its interests abroad, as well as providing support to NATO missions; its principal warships are two frigates, two corvettes, three attack submarines, and a few fast-attack craft; it also has a considerable force of mine warfare vessels, as well as a naval aviation brigade focused on anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrolling; the Air Force has a mix of about 80 Soviet-era and more modern US fighter aircraft; it has more advanced US (F-35s) and South Korean (FA-50s) on order to replace its Soviet-era inventory beginning in 2024; Poland also has a joint special forces command with air, ground, and maritime components (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/europe/ri.json b/europe/ri.json index 9f073d27..f92e6440 100644 --- a/europe/ri.json +++ b/europe/ri.json @@ -1193,7 +1193,7 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Serbian Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije, VS): Land Forces (aka Army; includes Riverine Component, consisting of a naval flotilla on the Danube), Air and Air Defense Forces, Serbian Guard

Serbian Ministry of Interior: General Police Directorate (2023)", + "text": "Serbian Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije, VS): Army (aka Land Forces; includes Riverine Component, consisting of a naval flotilla on the Danube), Air and Air Defense Forces, Serbian Guard

Serbian Ministry of Interior: General Police Directorate (2023)", "note": "note: the Serbian Guard is a brigade-sized unit that is directly subordinate to the Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff; its duties include safeguarding key defense facilities and rendering military honors to top foreign, state, and military officials 
" }, "Military expenditures": { @@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory consists of Russian and Soviet-era weapons systems; in recent years, China and Russia have been the largest suppliers of arms to Serbia (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished January 2011 (2022)", + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription abolished in 2011 (2023)", "note": "note: as of 2021, women made up about 16% of the military's full-time personnel" }, "Military deployments": { @@ -1244,7 +1244,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "2,594 (includes stateless persons in Kosovo) (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 1,004,194 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-August 2023)" + "note": "note: 1,007,648 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Trafficking in persons": { "tier rating": { diff --git a/europe/ro.json b/europe/ro.json index e549b4c5..2375e16b 100644 --- a/europe/ro.json +++ b/europe/ro.json @@ -1237,13 +1237,13 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 75,000 active-duty military personnel (58,000 Land Forces; 7,000 Naval Forces; 10,000 Air Force) (2022)" + "text": "approximately 70,000 active-duty military personnel (53,000 Land Forces; 7,000 Naval Forces; 10,000 Air Force) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the military's inventory is comprised mostly of Soviet-era and older domestically produced weapons systems, although in recent years it has launched an effort to acquire more Western-origin equipment from European countries and the US, including aircraft and armored vehicles (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; all military inductees contract for an initial 5-year term of service, with subsequent successive 3-year terms until age 36; conscription ended in 2006 (2022)" + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; all military inductees contract for an initial 5-year term of service, with subsequent successive 3-year terms until age 36; conscription ended in 2006 (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "up to 120 Poland (NATO) (2023)" diff --git a/europe/sp.json b/europe/sp.json index 5c96f965..111ec34b 100644 --- a/europe/sp.json +++ b/europe/sp.json @@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "Spanish Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de España): Army (Ejército de Tierra), Spanish Navy (Armada Espanola; includes Marine Corps), Air and Space Force (Ejército del Aire y del Espacio), Emergency Response Unit (Unidad Militar de Emergencias); Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) (2023)", - "note": "note 1: the Civil Guard is a military force with police duties (including coast guard) under both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior; it also responds to the needs of the Ministry of Finance

note 2: the Emergency Response Unit was established in 2006 as a separate branch for responding to natural disasters and providing disaster relief both domestically and abroad; it has personnel from all the other branches of military service

note 3: the Spanish National Police ( Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, CNP) and the Civil Guard maintain internal security as well as migration and border enforcement under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior; the regional police under the authority of the Catalan and the Basque Country regional governments and municipal police throughout the country also support domestic security 

note 4: the military has a Common Corps of four specialized corps that provide professional services to all the branches of the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard, including comptroller, legal, medical, and music services

note 5: the Royal Guard is an independent regiment of the military dedicated to the protection of the King and members of the royal family; it is made up of members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Common Corps" + "note": "note 1: the Civil Guard is a military force with police duties (including coast guard) under both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior; it also responds to the needs of the Ministry of Finance

note 2: the Emergency Response Unit was established in 2006 as a separate branch of service for responding to natural disasters and providing disaster relief both domestically and abroad; it has personnel from all the other military services

note 3: the Spanish National Police ( Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, CNP) and the Civil Guard maintain internal security as well as migration and border enforcement under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior; the regional police under the authority of the Catalan and the Basque Country regional governments and municipal police throughout the country also support domestic security 

note 4: the military has a Common Corps of four specialized corps that provide professional services to all the branches of the Armed Forces and the Civil Guard, including comptroller, legal, medical, and music services

note 5: the Royal Guard is an independent regiment of the military dedicated to the protection of the King and members of the royal family; it is made up of members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Common Corps" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2023": { @@ -1247,7 +1247,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory is comprised of domestically produced and imported Western weapons systems; in recent years, leading suppliers have included France, Germany, and the US; Spain's defense industry manufactures land, air, and sea weapons systems and is integrated within the European defense-industrial sector (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-26 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 24-36 month initial obligation; women allowed to serve in all branches, including combat units; no conscription (abolished 2001), but the Spanish Government retains the right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency; 18-58 for the voluntary reserves (2022)", + "text": "18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 24-36 month initial obligation; women allowed to serve in all branches, including combat units; no conscription (abolished 2001), but the Spanish Government retains the right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency; 18-58 for the voluntary reserves (2023)", "note": "note 1: as of 2019, women comprised about 13% of the military's full-time personnel

note 2: the military recruits foreign nationals with residency in Spain from countries of its former empire, including Argentina, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela" }, "Military deployments": { @@ -1287,7 +1287,7 @@ "stateless persons": { "text": "6,489 (2022)" }, - "note": "note: 301,166 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals, including Canary Islands (January 2015-September 2023)" + "note": "note: 304,548 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals, including Canary Islands (January 2015-September 2023)" }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "

a primary European transit point for cocaine from South America and for hashish from Morocco; cocaine is shipped in raw or liquid form with mixed cargo to avoid detection or altered to escape detection Spanish chemists reconstitute it and distribute to Europe; minor domestic drug production; synthetic drugs, including ketamine, new psychoactive substances (NPS), and MDMA transit from Spain to the United States

" diff --git a/europe/sw.json b/europe/sw.json index 1911fe4e..0c511f3d 100644 --- a/europe/sw.json +++ b/europe/sw.json @@ -660,38 +660,38 @@ "text": "small, open, competitive, and thriving economy that remains outside of the euro zone; has achieved an enviable standard of living, with its combination of free-market capitalism and extensive welfare benefits" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { + "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022": { + "text": "$574.877 billion (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": { "text": "$558.427 billion (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$531.455 billion (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { - "text": "$543.245 billion (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { + "Real GDP growth rate 2022": { + "text": "2.6% (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP growth rate 2021": { "text": "5.08% (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2020": { "text": "-2.17% (2020 est.)" - }, - "Real GDP growth rate 2019": { - "text": "1.99% (2019 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { + "Real GDP per capita 2022": { + "text": "$54,800 (2022 est.)" + }, "Real GDP per capita 2021": { "text": "$53,600 (2021 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$51,300 (2020 est.)" }, - "Real GDP per capita 2019": { - "text": "$52,900 (2019 est.)" - }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { diff --git a/europe/vt.json b/europe/vt.json index 9c6c46de..7cf76abb 100644 --- a/europe/vt.json +++ b/europe/vt.json @@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ "note": "note: the Swiss Guard Corps has protected the Pope and his residence since 1506" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps: 19-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; must be a single Roman Catholic male with Swiss citizenship who has completed basic training with the Swiss military and can obtain a certificate of good conduct; qualified candidates must apply to serve; the service contract is between 2 and 25 years (2022)" + "text": "Pontifical Swiss Guard Corps: 19-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; must be a single Roman Catholic male with Swiss citizenship who has completed basic training with the Swiss military and can obtain a certificate of good conduct; qualified candidates must apply to serve; the service contract is between 2 and 25 years (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "defense is the responsibility of Italy" diff --git a/middle-east/ae.json b/middle-east/ae.json index d57705a4..8ffa4b2c 100644 --- a/middle-east/ae.json +++ b/middle-east/ae.json @@ -1179,6 +1179,12 @@ "note": "note: each emirate maintains a local police force called a general directorate, which is officially a branch of the federal Ministry of Interior; all emirate-level general directorates of police enforce their respective emirate’s laws autonomously; they also enforce federal laws within their emirate in coordination with one another under the federal ministry; the State Security Directorate (SSD) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai State Security (DSS) have primary responsible for counterterrorism law enforcement efforts; local, emirate-level police forces, especially the Abu Dhabi Police and Dubai Police, are the first responders in such cases and provide technical assistance to SSD and DSS" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2022": { + "text": "4% of GDP (2022 est.)" + }, + "Military Expenditures 2021": { + "text": "5% of GDP (2021 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "5.6% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, @@ -1187,12 +1193,6 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "5.5% of GDP (2018 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2017": { - "text": "5.2% of GDP (2017 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2016": { - "text": "6% of GDP (2016 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/middle-east/aj.json b/middle-east/aj.json index d97bbea3..b6ea52aa 100644 --- a/middle-east/aj.json +++ b/middle-east/aj.json @@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ "note": "note: most of the military is made up of professional contract soldiers; as of 2018, women made up an estimated 3% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Azerbaijani military was established in 1991, although its origins go back to 1918; much of the military’s original equipment was acquired from former Soviet military forces that left Azerbaijan by 1992; territorial defense is the military’s primary focus, particularly with regards to neighboring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region; a secondary focus is guarding against Iran; the Ground Forces have five army corps and an independent combined arms army in the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxicvan (Nakhichevan); four of the army corps are deployed around Nagorno-Karabakh (one corps also has units deployed along the Iranian border) while the fifth is responsible for the defense of the capital Baku;  between them, the corps and the combined arms army have more than 20 mechanized or motorized combat brigades; the Ground Forces also have separate brigades of artillery, battlefield rockets, and special forces; the Air Force has about 30 Russian-origin fighters and ground attack aircraft, as well as some combat helicopters; the Navy patrols the Caspian Sea with a corvette and several coastal patrol craft

Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in open conflicts over Nagorno-Karabakh in 1991-94 and 2020, plus a brief flare-up in 2016; six weeks of fighting in September-November 2020 resulted in Azerbaijan seizing control over much of the territory it lost to Armenian and Nargorno-Karabakh forces in the 1990s, including a portion of Nagorno-Karabakh and almost all of the surrounding territories; in November 2020, Russia deployed about 2,000 peacekeeping troops in and around Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a Russian-brokered cease-fire agreement, which required Armenia to withdraw its military forces from Nagorno-Karabakh; Armenia claimed this withdrawal was completed as of August 2022; nevertheless, tensions remain high, with Azerbaijan accusing Armenia of secretly continuing to provide weapons, supplies, and troops to Nagorno-Karabakh; cease-fire violations across the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the line of contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan occur regularly; since 2021, a series of small scale clashes also have occurred between Armenia and Azerbaijan along their border; in addition, Armenia has accused Azerbaijani forces of multiple border intrusions and seizing parts of sovereign Armenian territory

Turkey is Azerbaijan’s strongest military partner, a relationship that has included weapons transfers, technical advice, bilateral training exercises, and key support during the 2020 conflict with Armenia; military reforms over the past decade and the operations of the Azerbaijani forces during the 2020 conflict reflected Turkish influence; Azerbaijan is not part of NATO but has had a cooperative relationship with it dating back to when it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and has provided troops to NATO-led missions in Kosovo (1999-2008) and Afghanistan (2002-2014) (2023)" + "text": "the Azerbaijani military was established in 1991, although its origins go back to 1918; much of the military’s original equipment was acquired from former Soviet military forces that left Azerbaijan by 1992; territorial defense is the military’s primary focus, particularly with regards to neighboring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region; a secondary focus is guarding against Iran; the Ground Forces have five army corps, plus an independent combined arms army, which is assigned to the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxicvan (Nakhichevan); between them, the corps and the combined arms army have more than 20 mechanized or motorized combat brigades; the Ground Forces also have separate brigades of artillery, battlefield rockets, and special forces; the Air Force has about 30 Russian-origin fighters and ground attack aircraft, as well as some combat helicopters; the Navy patrols the Caspian Sea with a corvette and several coastal patrol craft

Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in open conflicts over Nagorno-Karabakh in 1991-94 and 2020, plus a brief flare-up in 2016; tensions continued following the 2020 conflict; Azerbaijan seized the entire enclave in 2023 

Turkey is Azerbaijan’s strongest military partner, a relationship that has included weapons transfers, technical advice, bilateral training exercises, and key support during the 2020 conflict with Armenia; military reforms over the past decade and the operations of the Azerbaijani forces during the 2020 conflict reflected Turkish influence; Azerbaijan is not part of NATO but has had a cooperative relationship with it dating back to when it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994 and has provided troops to NATO-led missions in Kosovo (1999-2008) and Afghanistan (2002-2014) (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/middle-east/am.json b/middle-east/am.json index dad38ad5..e2f5a9f1 100644 --- a/middle-east/am.json +++ b/middle-east/am.json @@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ } }, "Ethnic groups": { - "text": "Armenian 98.1%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.2%, other 0.7% (2011 est.)" + "text": "Armenian 98.1%, Yezidi 1.2%, other 0.7% (2011 est.)" }, "Languages": { "Languages": { @@ -1210,7 +1210,7 @@ "note": "note: as of 2021, conscripts comprised about half of the military's active personnel; as of 2018, women made up about 13% of the active duty military; the Armenian Army established its first all-women combat unit in 2020" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Armenian Armed Forces were officially established in 1992, although their origins go back to 1918; the modern military’s missions include deterrence, territorial defense, crisis management, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response, as well as socio-economic development projects; territorial defense is its primary focus, particularly in regards to ongoing tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region; from the early 1990s until 2022, Armenian military forces worked closely with the “Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army” (aka “Artsakh Defense Army”) to provide defense and security for Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions; Armenia and Azerbaijan had significant military clashes over the area in 1991-94 and 2020, plus a brief flare up in 2016; the six-week 2020 conflict resulted in an Armenian defeat, and almost 2,000 Russian peacekeeping troops were deployed to the area in and around Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a Russian-brokered cease-fire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan; the agreement required Armenia to withdraw its military forces from Nagorno-Karabakh, and Armenia claimed this withdrawal was completed as of August 2022; nevertheless, tensions remain high with Azerbaijan accusing Armenia of secretly continuing to provide weapons, supplies, and troops to Nagorno-Karabakh; cease-fire violations across the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the line of contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan occur regularly; since 2021, a series of small scale clashes have also occurred between Armenia and Azerbaijan along their border; in addition, Armenia has accused Azerbaijani forces of multiple border intrusions and seizing parts of sovereign Armenian territory

the bulk of the Armenian military’s ground combat forces are organized into five small corps that are  typically comprised of one or more Soviet-style “motorized rifle” (mechanized infantry) regiments, plus supporting units of artillery, reconnaissance, and tank forces; there are also separate artillery, air defense, battlefield rockets, and special operations forces; four of the five corps are typically deployed along the border with Azerbaijan with the fifth deployed along the border with Turkey; the ground forces also have a peacekeeping brigade; the air combat forces consist of small numbers of Soviet-era ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters; Armenia is landlocked so it has no naval forces  

Armenia has close military ties with Russia and hosts Russian military forces at two bases, as well as Russian border guards along multiple border areas; it has been a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and committed troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force; Armenia has relations with NATO going back to 1992 when Armenia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council; in 1994, it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and has contributed to the NATO force in Kosovo, as well as the former NATO deployment in Afghanistan (2023)" + "text": "the Armenian Armed Forces were officially established in 1992, although their origins go back to 1918; the modern military’s missions include deterrence, territorial defense, crisis management, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response, as well as socio-economic development projects; territorial defense is its primary focus, particularly in regards to tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region; from the early 1990s until 2022, Armenian military forces worked closely with the “Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army” (aka “Artsakh Defense Army”) to provide defense and security for Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions; Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in open conflicts over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in 1991-94 and 2020, plus a brief flare-up in 2016; tensions continued following the 2020 conflict; Azerbaijan seized the entire enclave in 2023 

the bulk of the Armenian military’s ground combat forces are organized into five small corps that are  typically comprised of one or more Soviet-style “motorized rifle” (mechanized infantry) regiments, plus supporting units of artillery, reconnaissance, and tank forces; there are also separate artillery, air defense, battlefield rockets, and special operations forces; four of the five corps are typically deployed along the border with Azerbaijan with the fifth deployed along the border with Turkey; the ground forces also have a peacekeeping brigade; the air combat forces consist of small numbers of Soviet-era ground attack aircraft and attack helicopters; Armenia is landlocked so it has no naval forces  

Armenia has close military ties with Russia and hosts Russian military forces at two bases, as well as Russian border guards along multiple border areas; it has been a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and committed troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force; Armenia has relations with NATO going back to 1992 when Armenia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council; in 1994, it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and has contributed to the NATO force in Kosovo, as well as the former NATO deployment in Afghanistan (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/middle-east/gz.json b/middle-east/gz.json index 2bfafba7..58b02fb5 100644 --- a/middle-east/gz.json +++ b/middle-east/gz.json @@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ }, "People and Society": { "Population": { - "text": "2,037,744 (2023 est.)" + "text": "2,098,389 (2023 est.)" }, "Nationality": { "noun": { diff --git a/middle-east/ir.json b/middle-east/ir.json index e3a61099..fbd6292e 100644 --- a/middle-east/ir.json +++ b/middle-east/ir.json @@ -643,7 +643,7 @@ }, "National heritage": { "total World Heritage Sites": { - "text": "26 (24 cultural, 2 natural)" + "text": "27 (25 cultural, 2 natural)" }, "selected World Heritage Site locales": { "text": "Persepolis (c); Tchogha Zanbil (c); Bam and its Cultural Landscape (c); Golestan Palace (c); Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System (c); Pasargadae (c); Hyrcanian Forests (n); Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex (c); Meidan Emam, Esfahan (c); Bisotun (c)" diff --git a/middle-east/iz.json b/middle-east/iz.json index ea939d83..09c93294 100644 --- a/middle-east/iz.json +++ b/middle-east/iz.json @@ -1202,6 +1202,9 @@ "text": "Ministry of Defense: Iraqi Army, Army Aviation Command, Iraqi Navy, Iraqi Air Force, Iraqi Air Defense Command, Special Forces Command, Special Security Division (Green Zone protection)

National-Level Security Forces: Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS; reports to the Prime Minister), Prime Minister's Special Forces Division, Presidential Brigades

Ministry of Interior: Federal Police Forces Command, Border Guard Forces Command, Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, Emergency Response Division, Facilities Protection Directorate, and Provincial Police

Ministry of Oil: Energy Police Directorate

Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC): Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Tribal Mobilization Forces (TMF); the PMF and TMF are a collection of approximately 60 militias of widely varied sizes and political interests

the federal constitution provides the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) the right to maintain its own military/militia (peshmerga) and security forces, but the two main Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), each maintain their own forces: 

KRG Ministry of Peshmerga: Regional Guard Brigades; Unit (or Division) 70 Forces and Counter Terrorism Group (CTG) of the PUK; Unit (or Division) 80 Forces and Counterterrorism Directorate (CTD) of the KDP

KRG Ministry of Interior: both the KDP and PUK maintain separate police, emergency response, and internal security/intelligence (Asayish) services under nominal Ministry of Interior control  (2023)" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2022": { + "text": "2.1% of GDP (2022 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "3.7% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, @@ -1213,20 +1216,17 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "4.5% of GDP (2018 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2017": { - "text": "6% of GDP (2017 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "information varies; approximately 200,000 personnel under the Ministry of Defense (190,000 Army/Aviation Command/Special Forces; 5,000 Navy; 5,000 Air/Air Defense Forces); approximately 25,000 National-Level Security Forces; Ministry of Peshmerga: approximately 150,000-plus (45-50,000 Regional Guard Brigades; 40-45,000 Unit 70 Forces; 65-70,000 Unit 80 Forces); estimated 100-160,000 Popular Mobilization Forces (2023)" + "text": "information varies; approximately 200,000 personnel under the Ministry of Defense (190,000 Army/Aviation Command/Special Forces; 5,000 Navy; 5,000 Air/Air Defense Forces); approximately 25,000 National-Level Security Forces; estimated 100-160,000 Popular Mobilization Forces

Ministry of Peshmerga: approximately 150,000 (45-50,000 Regional Guard Brigades; 40-45,000 Unit 70 Forces; 65-70,000 Unit 80 Forces) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Iraqi military's inventory includes a mix of equipment from a wide variety of sources, including Europe, South Africa, South Korea, Russia, and the US; in recent years, Russia and the US have been the leading suppliers of military hardware to Iraq (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-40 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2022)", - "note": "note: service in the armed forces was mandatory in Iraq from 1935 up until 2003" + "note": "note: service in the armed forces was mandatory in Iraq from 1935 up until 2003; in 2021, the Iraqi cabinet approved a draft law to reinstate compulsory military service and referred the proposed law, called the “Service Under the Flag Law,” to the Iraqi parliament " }, "Military - note": { "text": "Iraqi security forces (ISF), including conventional air and ground forces, are primarily focused on internal security duties; they are actively conducting counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) terrorist group, particularly in northern and western Iraq; the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), a highly regarded force comprised of three special forces brigades, is the ISF's principal operational unit against ISIS

Kurdish Security Forces (KSF, aka Peshmerga) also conducted operations against ISIS; the KSF were formally recognized as a legitimate Iraqi military force under the country’s constitution and have operated jointly with the Iraqi military against ISIS militants, but they also operate outside of Iraqi military command structure; since 2021, the ISF and the KSF have conducted joint counter-ISIS operations in an area known as the Kurdish Coordination Line (KCL), a swath of disputed territory in northern Iraq claimed by both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the central Iraqi Government; the KSF/Peshmerga report to the Kurdistan Regional Government or Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan parties instead of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense

Popular Mobilization Commission and Affiliated Forces (PMF or PMC), also known as Popular Mobilization Units (PMU, or al-Hashd al-Sha’abi in Arabic), tribal militia units have fought alongside the Iraqi military against ISIS since 2014, but the majority of these forces continue to largely ignore the 2016 Law of the Popular Mobilization Authority, which mandated that armed militias must be regulated in a fashion similar to Iraq’s other security forces and act under the Iraqi Government’s direct control; the Iraqi Government funds the PMF, and the prime minister legally commands it, but many of the militia units take orders from associated political parties and/or other government officials, including some with ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and some that have been designated as terrorist organizations by the US; the PMF/PMU is an umbrella organization comprised of many different militias, the majority of which are Shia:

--Shia militias backed by Iran; they are considered the most active and capable, and include such groups as the Badr Organization (Saraya al-Sala), Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and Kataib Hizballah

--Shia militias affiliated with Shia political parties, but not aligned with Iran, such as the Peace Brigades (Saray al-Salam)

--Shia militias not connected with political parties, but affiliated with the Najaf-based Grand Ayatollah Ali al-SISTANI (Iraq’s supreme Shia cleric), such as the Hawza militias

--other PMF/PMU militias include Sunni Tribal Mobilization militias, or Hashd al-Asha’iri; some of these militias take orders from the ISF and local authorities while others respond to orders from the larger Shia PMU militias; still other militias include Yazidi and Christian militias and the Turkmen brigades; the links of these forces to the PMU is not always clear-cut and may be loosely based on financial, legal, or political incentives

at the request of the Iraqi government, NATO agreed to establish an advisory, training and capacity-building mission for the Iraqi military in October 2018; as of 2022, the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) had about 500 troops; in December 2021, the task force that leads the defeat ISIS mission in Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), transitioned from a combat role to an advise, assist, and enable role (2023)" diff --git a/middle-east/jo.json b/middle-east/jo.json index fe62dd44..33a2baeb 100644 --- a/middle-east/jo.json +++ b/middle-east/jo.json @@ -1226,7 +1226,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 94,500 active duty armed forces personnel (80,000 Army; 14,000 Air Force; 500 Coast Guard); approximately 15,000 Gendarmerie Forces (2022)" + "text": "approximately 95,000 active duty armed forces personnel (80,000 Army; 14,000 Air Force; 500 Coast Guard); approximately 15,000 Gendarmerie Forces (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the JAF inventory is comprised of a wide mix of imported equipment from Europe, some Gulf States, Russia, and the US; in recent years, the Netherlands and the US have been the leading suppliers (2023)" @@ -1254,7 +1254,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "2.4 million (Palestinian refugees) (2020); 12,866 (Yemen), 6,013 Sudan (2021); 33,951 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 656,762 (Syria) (2023)" + "text": "2.4 million (Palestinian refugees) (2020); 12,866 (Yemen), 6,013 Sudan (2021); 33,951 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 655,283 (Syria) (2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "64 (2022)" diff --git a/middle-east/ku.json b/middle-east/ku.json index 45d8fc5c..f25959cd 100644 --- a/middle-east/ku.json +++ b/middle-east/ku.json @@ -1146,6 +1146,9 @@ "note": "note 1: the Emiri Guard Authority and the 25th Commando Brigade exercise independent command authority within the Kuwaiti Armed Forces, although activities such as training and equipment procurement are often coordinated with the other services; the 25th Commando Brigade is Kuwait's leading special forces unit; the Emiri Guard Authority (aka Emiri Guard Brigade) is responsible for protecting Kuwait's heads of state

note 2: the Kuwaiti National Guard reports directly to the prime minister and the amir and possesses an independent command structure, equipment inventory, and logistics corps separate from the Ministry of Defense, the regular armed services, and the Ministry of Interior; it is responsible for protecting critical infrastructure and providing support for the Ministries of Interior and Defense as required

note 3: the police, Kuwait State Security, and Coast Guard are under the Ministry of Interior" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2022": { + "text": "4.5% of GDP (2022 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "6.8% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, @@ -1153,17 +1156,14 @@ "text": "6.3% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { - "text": "5.6% of GDP (2019)" + "text": "5.6% of GDP (2019 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "5.1% of GDP (2018)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2017": { - "text": "5.6% of GDP (2017)" + "text": "5.1% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 17,000 active duty armed forces personnel (12,500 Army, including the Amiri Guard and 25th Commando Brigade; 2,000 Navy; 2,500 Air Force); approximately 6,500 National Guard (2022)" + "text": "approximately 17,000 active-duty armed forces personnel (12,500 Army, including the Amiri Guard and 25th Commando Brigade; 2,000 Navy; 2,500 Air Force); approximately 7,000 National Guard (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the military's inventory consists of weapons from a wide variety of sources, including Western Europe, Russia, and the US; the US has been the leading supplier of arms to Kuwait (2023)" diff --git a/middle-east/mu.json b/middle-east/mu.json index c145dece..fc755f42 100644 --- a/middle-east/mu.json +++ b/middle-east/mu.json @@ -1175,13 +1175,13 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 40,000 active-duty troops (25,000 Army, 5,000 Navy; 5,000 Air Force; 5,000 Royal Guard) (2022)" + "text": "approximately 40,000 active-duty troops (25,000 Army, 5,000 Navy; 5,000 Air Force; 5,000 Royal Guard) (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the SAF's inventory includes a mix of older and some more modern weapons systems from a variety of suppliers, particularly Europe and the US; in recent years, the UK has been the leading supplier of arms to Oman (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service (women have been allowed to serve since 2011); no conscription (2022)" + "text": "18 for voluntary military service for men and women (women have been allowed to serve since 2011); no conscription (2022)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the SAF’s primary responsibility is external security; it is a small, but professional and well-equipped military that trains regularly, including with foreign partners such as the UK, US, and Gulf Cooperation Council countries; the SAF has a longstanding security relationship with the British military going back to the 18th century; the relationship was notable during the Dhofar Rebellion (1963-1976), when the British military provided considerable assistance to the SAF in their eventually successful counterinsurgency campaign; today, the SAF and the British maintain a joint training base in Oman and exercise together regularly; in 2017, Oman and the UK signed an agreement allowing the British military the use of facilities at Al Duqm Port; in 2019, the US obtained access to the port, expanding on previous military cooperation agreements in 2014, 2010, and 1980; Oman also allows other nations to use some of its maritime facilities, including China

the Omani Navy conducts maritime security operations along the country’s long coastline, including patrolling, ensuring freedom of navigation in the key naval chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz, and countering piracy and smuggling; while Oman is not a member of the US-led, 34-member nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), which operates task forces to counter piracy and smuggling, the Omani Navy has at times participated in CMF-led joint exercises; the Navy is a small but relatively modern force; its principal warships include nine corvettes and offshore patrol vessels, which are supported by a number of small patrol and fast attack craft

the Royal Army was formed as the Muscat Garrison in 1907; today, it has an armored brigade equipped with American and British tanks, 2 brigades of infantry, and a border guard brigade, as well as an airborne regiment; the Royal Guard is comprised of an infantry brigade and 2 special forces regiments; the Air Force has about three dozen modern European- and US-made multipurpose fighter aircraft (2023)" diff --git a/middle-east/tu.json b/middle-east/tu.json index 8b9c2102..6c7eb4b7 100644 --- a/middle-east/tu.json +++ b/middle-east/tu.json @@ -1298,7 +1298,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "10,244 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 3,298,817 (Syria), 43,605 (Ukraine) (as of 31 August 2023) (2023)" + "text": "10,244 (Iraq) (mid-year 2022); 3,288,755 (Syria), 43,605 (Ukraine) (as of 31 August 2023) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "1.099 million (displaced from 1984-2005 because of fighting between the Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs are Kurds from eastern and southeastern provinces; no information available on persons displaced by development projects) (2022)" diff --git a/north-america/mx.json b/north-america/mx.json index 9a20ab44..d723651a 100644 --- a/north-america/mx.json +++ b/north-america/mx.json @@ -1325,7 +1325,7 @@ "note": "note: as of 2022, women comprised about 15% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Mexican military is responsible for defending the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of Mexico, as well as providing for internal security, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and socio-economic development; in recent years, internal security duties have been a key focus, particularly in countering narcotics trafficking and organized crime groups, as well as border control and immigration enforcement; the constitution was amended in 2019 to grant the president the authority to use the armed forces to protect internal and national security, and courts have upheld the legality of the armed forces’ role in law enforcement activities in support of civilian authorities through 2028; the military also provides security for strategic facilities, such as oil production infrastructure, and administers most of the country's land and sea ports and customs services, plus the approximately 2,700 branches of a state-owned development bank; in addition, President LOPEZ OBRADOR has placed the military in charge of a growing number of infrastructure projects, such as building and operating a new airport for Mexico City and sections of a train line in the country’s southeast

the Mexican Army is a lightly armed force comprised largely of infantry supplemented by mechanized or motorized forces; it is primarily focused on internal security operations vice conventional warfare, and its posture and composition reflects an internal focus over external threats; much of the force is deployed throughout the country in 12 military regional commands and 48 subordinate military zones, giving the Army a country-wide presence and the ability to respond immediately to a crisis; force strengths in each zone vary according to the security situation, from a single infantry battalion to over 10 infantry battalions and small motorized cavalry regiments, plus other units on rotation; the Army’s principal mobile combat forces are approximately 10 light or mechanized/motorized infantry brigades, 3 special forces brigades, and a paratrooper brigade, which are separate from the units under the military zones; the National Guard has up to 12 military police brigades; the Air Force’s inventory reflects its chief roles of supporting the Army, conducting counter-narcotics operations, and providing assistance during natural disasters; its fixed-wing combat aircraft include a handful of US-made fighters acquired in the 1980s and about 30 light attack planes; the Air Force also has more than 30 transport aircraft, as well as about 100 multipurpose helicopters

the Mexican Navy is largely a coastal patrol force but has a growing blue water capability; it has a range of missions including maritime law enforcement, security of maritime facilities, resources, and the environment, humanitarian assistance, and search and rescue; it has fleet commands for both the Pacific and Caribbean Sea/Gulf of Mexico, plus naval aviation, and naval infantry forces; the Navy’s warships include 5 frigates and more than 100 patrol vessels of varying sizes and capabilities; the Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina) has both external and internal security responsibilities, including providing port security, protecting the coastal fringe, and patrolling major waterways; it also has had a significant role in combating narcotics trafficking and organized crime; the Corps has more than 30 combat battalions, which include amphibious, commando, infantry, paratrooper, security, and special operations forces (2023)" + "text": "the Mexican military is responsible for defending the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of Mexico, as well as providing for internal security, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and socio-economic development; in recent years, internal security duties have been a key focus, particularly in countering narcotics trafficking and organized crime groups, as well as border control and immigration enforcement; the constitution was amended in 2019 to grant the president the authority to use the armed forces to protect internal and national security, and courts have upheld the legality of the armed forces’ role in law enforcement activities in support of civilian authorities through 2028; the military also provides security for strategic facilities, such as oil production infrastructure, and administers most of the country's land and sea ports and customs services, plus the approximately 2,700 branches of a state-owned development bank; in addition, President LOPEZ OBRADOR has placed the military in charge of a growing number of infrastructure projects, such as building and operating a new airport for Mexico City and sections of a train line in the country’s southeast

the Mexican Army is a lightly armed force comprised largely of infantry supplemented by mechanized or motorized forces; it is primarily focused on internal security operations vice conventional warfare, and its posture and composition reflects an internal focus over external threats; much of the force is deployed throughout the country in 12 military regional commands and 48 subordinate military zones, giving the Army a country-wide presence and the ability to respond immediately to a crisis; force strengths in each zone vary according to the security situation, from a single infantry battalion to over 10 infantry battalions and small motorized cavalry regiments, plus other units on rotation; the Army’s principal mobile combat forces are approximately 10 light or mechanized/motorized infantry brigades, three special forces brigades, and a paratrooper brigade, which are separate from the units under the military zones; the National Guard has up to 12 military police brigades; the Air Force’s inventory reflects its chief roles of supporting the Army, conducting counter-narcotics operations, and providing assistance during natural disasters; its fixed-wing combat aircraft include a handful of US-made fighters acquired in the 1980s and about 30 light attack planes; the Air Force also has more than 30 transport aircraft, as well as about 100 multipurpose helicopters

the Mexican Navy is largely a coastal patrol force but has a growing blue water capability; it has a range of missions including maritime law enforcement, security of maritime facilities, resources, and the environment, humanitarian assistance, and search and rescue; it has fleet commands for both the Pacific and Caribbean Sea/Gulf of Mexico, plus naval aviation, and naval infantry forces; the Navy’s warships include five frigates and more than 100 patrol vessels of varying sizes and capabilities; the Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina) has both external and internal security responsibilities, including providing port security, protecting the coastal fringe, and patrolling major waterways; it also has had a significant role in combating narcotics trafficking and organized crime; the Corps has more than 30 combat battalions, which include amphibious, commando, infantry, paratrooper, security, and special operations forces (2023)" }, "Maritime threats": { "text": "the International Maritime Bureau reported one incident in the territorial waters of Mexico in 2022, the same number of attacks as in 2021; ports in Mexico continue to be affected by the crime of armed robbery; this incident occurred in the port of Puerto Dos Bocas while ships were berthed or at anchor; pirates and robbers in this area are armed with guns" diff --git a/oceans/xo.json b/oceans/xo.json index 14957f37..3c751b0c 100644 --- a/oceans/xo.json +++ b/oceans/xo.json @@ -1,4 +1,9 @@ { + "Introduction": { + "Background": { + "text": "The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude." + } + }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia" @@ -82,11 +87,6 @@ "text": "major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait" } }, - "Introduction": { - "Background": { - "text": "The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude." - } - }, "People and Society": { }, "Environment": { diff --git a/south-america/ar.json b/south-america/ar.json index 7c8cf161..96c17c45 100644 --- a/south-america/ar.json +++ b/south-america/ar.json @@ -610,7 +610,7 @@ "text": "

Avanza Libertad or AL [José Luis ESPERT]
Civic Coalition ARI or CC-ARI [Elisa CARRIÓ, Maximiliano FERRARO]
Consenso Federal (Federal Consensus) or CF [Roberto LAVAGNA, Juan Manuel URTUBEY]
Frente Cívico por Santiago (Civic Front for Santiago) [Gerardo ZAMORA]
Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores – Unidad (Workers' Left Front) or FIT-U [Nicolás DEL CAÑO, Miriam BREGMAN] (coalition of leftist parties in lower house; includes PTS, PO, and MST)
Frente de la Concordia Misionero (Front for the Renewal of Social Concord) or FRCS [Carlos Eduardo ROVIRA]
Frente de Todos (Everyone's Front) or FdT [Alberto FERNÁNDEZ] (includes FR, La Campora, and PJ); note - ruling coalition since 2019; includes several national and provincial Peronist political parties
Frente Renovador (Renewal Front) or FR [Sergio MASSA, Pablo MIROLO]
Generación por un Encuentro Nacional (Generation for a National Encounter) or GEN [Margarita STOLBIZER]
Hacemos por Córdoba (We do for Cordoba) or HC [Juan SCHIARETTI]
Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change) or JxC [Patricia BULLRICH, Horacio Rodríguez LARRETA, Mauricio MACRI] (includes CC-ARI, PRO, and UCR); note - primary opposition coalition since 2019
Juntos Somos Río Negro (Together We Are Rio Negro) or JSRN [Alberto WERETILNECK]   
Justicialist Party or PJ [Alberto Angel FERNÁNDEZ]
La Cámpora [Maximo KIRCHNER]
La Libertad Avanza (The Liberty Advances) or LLA [Javier MILEI]
Movimiento Popular Neuquino (Neuquén People's Movement) or MPN [Omar GUTIÉRREZ]
Movimiento Socialista de los Trabajadores (Workers' Socialist Movement) or MST [Vilma RIPOLL, Alejandro BODART]
Partido de los Trabajadores Socialistas (Socialist Workers' Party) or PTS [Nicolás DEL CAÑO]
Partido Obrero (Workers' Party) or PO [Gabriel SOLANO]
Partido Socialista or PS [Mónica Haydée FEIN]
Propuesta Republicana (Republican Proposal) or PRO [Mauricio MACRI]
Unidad Federal (coalition of provencial parties in the lower house; includes FRCS and JSRN)
Unión Cívica Radical (Radical Civic Union) or UCR [Gerardo Rubén MORALES]
Vamos con Vos (Let's Go with You) or VcV [Florencio RANDAZZO]

" }, "International organization participation": { - "text": "AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, PROSUR, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNOOSA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC" + "text": "AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, PROSUR, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNOOSA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC" }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { diff --git a/south-america/ci.json b/south-america/ci.json index 442a3c76..15022810 100644 --- a/south-america/ci.json +++ b/south-america/ci.json @@ -1216,7 +1216,7 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 70,000 active armed forces personnel (40,000 Army; 20,000 Navy; 10,000 Air Force); approximately 50,000 Carabineros (2022)" + "text": "approximately 75,000 active armed forces personnel (45,000 Army; 20,000 Navy; 10,000 Air Force); approximately 50,000 Carabineros (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the Chilean military inventory is comprised of a wide mix of mostly Western equipment and some domestically produced systems; in recent years, it has received military hardware from a variety of countries, including Australia, the UK, and the US; Chile's defense industry has capabilities in military aircraft, ships, and vehicles (2023)" diff --git a/south-america/ec.json b/south-america/ec.json index ac6efe8d..fc544d44 100644 --- a/south-america/ec.json +++ b/south-america/ec.json @@ -1239,7 +1239,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory includes a wide mix of mostly older equipment derived from a variety of sources such as Brazil, China, Russia, and the US; in recent years, Ecuador has received limited amounts of more modern material from several countries, including Germany and Spain (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age for selective conscript military service, although conscription was suspended in 2008; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; Ecuadorian birth requirement; 1-year service obligation; females have been allowed to serve in all branches since 2012 (2022)", + "text": "18-22 years of age for selective conscript military service, although conscription was suspended in 2008; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; Ecuadorian birth requirement; 1-year service obligation; females have been allowed to serve in all branches since 2012 (2023)", "note": "note: in 2017, women made up an estimated 3% of the military" }, "Military - note": { diff --git a/south-america/gy.json b/south-america/gy.json index c7425ccb..1f1916ca 100644 --- a/south-america/gy.json +++ b/south-america/gy.json @@ -1152,13 +1152,13 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 4,000 active duty military personnel (2022)" + "text": "approximately 3,000 active-duty military personnel (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the military has a limited inventory comprised mostly of second-hand platforms from a variety of foreign suppliers, including Brazil, China, the former Soviet Union, the UK, and the US (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18 years of age or older for voluntary military service; no conscription (2022)" + "text": "18-25 years of age or older for voluntary military service; no conscription (2023)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) was established in 1965; its primary missions are defense of the country, including border security, assisting civil authorities with law and order as needed, and contributing to the Guyana’s economic development; key areas of concern include disaster response, illegal fishing, narcotics trafficking, piracy, and porous borders; the GDF trains regularly and participates in both bilateral and multinational exercises; it has relationships with Brazil, China, France, the UK, and the US; the GDF’s ground force officers are trained at the British Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, while coast guard officers receive training at the British Royal Naval College

the GDF’s ground combat forces include 3 infantry battalions (1 reserve), a special forces squadron, and an artillery company; the coast guard has an offshore patrol craft and a few patrol boats, as well as a small amphibious “raider” force; the air corps does not have any combat aircraft but instead provides tactical observation, transport, casualty evacuation, and other forms of support to the ground forces (2023)" diff --git a/south-america/ns.json b/south-america/ns.json index bf87f508..86f77dac 100644 --- a/south-america/ns.json +++ b/south-america/ns.json @@ -1151,7 +1151,7 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Suriname Army (National Leger, NL): Army, Navy, Air Force, Military Police; Ministry of Justice and Police: Suriname Police Force (Korps Politie Suriname or KPS) (2023)" + "text": "Suriname National Army (Nationaal Leger or NL); Army (Landmacht), Navy (Marine); Air Force (Luchtmacht), Military Police (Korps Militaire Politie)

Ministry of Justice and Police: Suriname Police Force (Korps Politie Suriname or KPS) (2023)" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2019": { @@ -1171,10 +1171,10 @@ } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 2,000 total personnel (2022)" + "text": "approximately 2,000 total personnel (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { - "text": "the Suriname Army has a limited inventory comprised of a mix of older, foreign-supplied equipment; in recent years, Suriname has received small quantities of military hardware from several countries, including the US (2022)" + "text": "the Suriname Army has a limited inventory comprised of a mix of older, foreign-supplied equipment; in recent years, Suriname has received small quantities of military hardware from India (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2022)" diff --git a/south-america/pe.json b/south-america/pe.json index 88dba8c6..2d684069 100644 --- a/south-america/pe.json +++ b/south-america/pe.json @@ -1274,7 +1274,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory is a mix of mostly older equipment from a wide variety of suppliers, including Brazil, Europe, Russia/the former Soviet Union, and the US; in recent years, it has received some more modern weapons systems from more than a dozen countries with South Korea as the leading supplier (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "18-50 years of age for male and 18-45 years of age for female voluntary military service (12 months); no conscription (abolished in 1999) (2022)", + "text": "18-30 years of age for voluntary military service (12 months); no conscription (abolished in 1999) (2023)", "note": "note: as of 2019, women made up about 10% of the active duty military" }, "Military deployments": { diff --git a/south-asia/af.json b/south-asia/af.json index 13beda0a..1bac6c9c 100644 --- a/south-asia/af.json +++ b/south-asia/af.json @@ -1168,7 +1168,7 @@ "note": "note: as of 2022, there were also up to 10,000 foreign fighters in Afghanistan, most of whom were aligned with the Taliban" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { - "text": "the Taliban military/security forces are armed largely with US-provided equipment captured from the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces when the central government in Kabul collapsed in 2021 (2022)" + "text": "the Taliban military/security forces are armed largely with US-provided equipment captured from the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces when the central government in Kabul collapsed in 2021 (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "not available", @@ -1193,7 +1193,7 @@ "text": "59,486 (Pakistan) (mid-year 2022)" }, "IDPs": { - "text": "4.314 million (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west due to natural disasters and political instability) (2021)" + "text": "4.394 million (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west due to natural disasters and political instability) (2022)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { diff --git a/south-asia/bg.json b/south-asia/bg.json index 912fe571..6bf2cb38 100644 --- a/south-asia/bg.json +++ b/south-asia/bg.json @@ -1331,7 +1331,7 @@ }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { - "text": "962,416 (Burma) (2023)" + "text": "963,038 (Burma) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "427,000 (conflict, development, human rights violations, religious persecution, natural disasters) (2022)" diff --git a/south-asia/in.json b/south-asia/in.json index 8fa7b9d8..933d7f00 100644 --- a/south-asia/in.json +++ b/south-asia/in.json @@ -619,7 +619,8 @@ }, "election results": { "text": "Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BJP 97, INC 34, AITC 13, DMK 10, other 2, independent 2; composition - men 209, women 29, percent of women 13.8%

House of the People - percent of vote by party - BJP 55.8%, INC 9.6%, AITC 4.4%, YSRCP 4.4%, DMK 4.2%, SS 3.3%, JDU 2.9%, BJD 2.2%, BSP 1.8%, TRS 1.7%, LJP 1.1%, NCP 0.9%, SP 0.9%, other 21.2%, independent 0.7%; seats by party - BJP 303, INC 52, DMK 24, AITC 22, YSRCP 22, SS 18, JDU 16, BJD 12, BSP 10, TRS 9, LJP 6, NCP 5, SP 5, other 35, independent 4, vacant 2; composition - men 465, women 78, percent of women 14.3%; note - total Parliament percent of women 11.3%" - } + }, + "note": "note: in late September 2023, both the Council of States and the House of the People passed a bill that reserves one-third of the House seats for women; implementation could begin for the House election in 2029" }, "Judicial branch": { "highest court(s)": { @@ -1287,7 +1288,7 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Indian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard; Defense Security Corps; Ministry of Home Affairs: Central Armed Police Forces (includes Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Security Guards, Sashastra Seema Bal) (2023)", + "text": "Indian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard; Defense Security Corps

Ministry of Home Affairs: Central Armed Police Forces (includes Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Security Guards, Sashastra Seema Bal) (2023)", "note": "note 1: the Defense Security Corps provides security for Ministry of Defense sites

note 2: the Border Security Force (BSF) is responsible for the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders; the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB or Armed Border Force) guards the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders

note 3: the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) includes a Rapid Reaction Force (RAF) for riot control and the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) for counter-insurgency operations 

note 4: the Assam Rifles are under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, while operational control falls under the Ministry of Defense (specifically the Indian Army)" }, "Military expenditures": { @@ -1314,7 +1315,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory consists mostly of Russian- and Soviet-origin equipment along with a smaller mix of Western and domestically produced arms; Russia continues to be the leading provider of arms to India, although in recent years India has increased acquisitions from other suppliers, including France, Israel, and the US; India's defense industry is capable of producing a range of air, land, missile, and naval weapons systems for both domestic use and export; it also produces weapons systems under license (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "ages vary by service, but generally 16.5-27 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2022)", + "text": "ages vary by service, but generally 16.5-27 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2023)", "note": "note 1: in 2022, the Indian Government announced that it would begin recruiting 46,000 men aged 17.5-21 annually to serve on 4-year contracts under a process called the Agnipath scheme; at the end of their tenure, 25% would be retained for longer terms of service, while the remainder would be forced to leave the military, although some of those leaving would be eligible to serve in the Coast Guard, the Merchant Navy, civilian positions in the Ministry of Defense, and in the paramilitary forces of the Ministry of Home Affairs, such as the Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles

note 2: as of 2022, women made up about .59% of the Army, 1.1% of the Air Force, and 6% of the Navy; women in the Army were not allowed to serve in combat arms; the Air Force has allowed women to serve as fighter pilots since 2016; in 2022, the Navy announced it would allow women to serve in every branch of the service, including submarines and aviation

note 3: the Indian military accepts citizens of Nepal and Bhutan; descendants of refugees from Tibet who arrived before 1962 and have resided permanently in India; peoples of Indian origin from nations such as Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India; eligible candidates from “friendly foreign nations” may apply to the Armed Forces Medical Services 

note 4: the British began to recruit Nepalese citizens (Gurkhas) into the East India Company Army during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816), and the Gurkhas subsequently were brought into the British Indian Army; following the partition of India in 1947, an agreement between Nepal, India, and Great Britain allowed for the transfer of the 10 regiments from the British Indian Army to the separate British and Indian armies; six regiments of Gurkhas (aka Gorkhas in India) regiments went to the new Indian Army; a seventh regiment was later added" }, "Military deployments": { diff --git a/south-asia/mv.json b/south-asia/mv.json index 3c5d0629..75f74d24 100644 --- a/south-asia/mv.json +++ b/south-asia/mv.json @@ -1112,14 +1112,14 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Fire and Rescue Service, Defense Intelligence Service, Service Corps, Adjutant General's Corps, Special Protection Corps, Special Forces, Training and Education Command, Welfare and Recreation Service (2023)", + "text": "Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): the MNDF has combined force structure with seven services divided into Combat and Maneuver Forces (Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Fire and Rescue Service) and Support Services (Service Corps, Defense Intelligence Service, Medical Corps, Adjutant General's Corps); there is also a separate Special Forces command and a Special Protection Service (2023)", "note": "note: the Maldives Police Service is responsible for internal security and reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs" }, "Military expenditures": { "text": "not available" }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { - "text": "approximately 2,500 personnel (2022)" + "text": "approximately 3-4,000 personnel (2023)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "India has provided most of the equipment in the MNDF's inventory (2023)" diff --git a/south-asia/pk.json b/south-asia/pk.json index 4145288b..27d5b688 100644 --- a/south-asia/pk.json +++ b/south-asia/pk.json @@ -1270,7 +1270,7 @@ }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { - "text": "Pakistan Army (includes National Guard), Pakistan Navy (includes marines, Maritime Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fizaia)

Ministry of Interior: Frontier Corps, Pakistan Rangers (2023)", + "text": "Pakistan Armed Forces: Pakistan Army (includes National Guard), Pakistan Navy (includes marines, Maritime Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fizaia)

Ministry of Interior: Frontier Corps, Pakistan Rangers (2023)", "note": "note 1: the National Guard is a paramilitary force and one of the Army's reserve forces, along with the Pakistan Army Reserve, the Frontier Corps, and the Pakistan Rangers

note 2: the Frontier Corps is a paramilitary force manned mostly by individuals from the tribal areas and commanded by officers from the Pakistan Army; its primary mission is security of the border with Afghanistan; the Frontier Corps is under the Ministry of Interior, but would report to the Army in times of conflict

note 3: the Pakistan Rangers is a paramilitary force operating in Sindh and Punjab" }, "Military expenditures": { @@ -1297,7 +1297,7 @@ "text": "the military's inventory includes a broad mix of equipment, primarily from China, but also from such suppliers as France, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK, and the US; China has been the leading supplier of arms to Pakistan; Pakistan also has a large domestic defense industry (2023)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { - "text": "16 (or 17 depending on service) to 23 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age 18; women serve in all three armed forces; reserve obligation to age 45 for enlisted men, age 50 for officers (2022)" + "text": "16 (or 17 depending on service) to 23 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age 18; women serve in all three armed forces; reserve obligation to age 45 for enlisted men, age 50 for officers (2023)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "1,300 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 1,900 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 225 Mali (MINUSMA); 275 South Sudan (UNMISS); 575 Sudan (UNISFA) (2023)" diff --git a/world/xx.json b/world/xx.json index e54e962b..5fa80190 100644 --- a/world/xx.json +++ b/world/xx.json @@ -2,9 +2,6 @@ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating World Wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about environmental degradation including deforestation, energy and water shortages, declining biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820 to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1987, 6 billion in 1999, 7 billion in 2012, and 8 billion in 2022. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine and agriculture) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war)." - }, - "Women's World Cup 2023": { - "text": "Special World Cup One-Page Country Summaries of the eight quarterfinalists of this quadrennial football (soccer) tournament." } }, "Geography": { @@ -112,7 +109,7 @@ "text": "

A private initiative to come up with a new list for seven of the world’s wonders sprang up early in the new Millennium. Worldwide balloting – via the Internet or by telephone – took place covering a list of 200 existing monuments. Reportedly over 100 million votes were cast over a period of several years and the final list was announced on 7-7-2007. Even though the polling was unscientific, the seven “winners” were a worthy compilation of extraordinary Wonders to be found around the world. All seven of the New Wonders are inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are frequently cited in the literature. 

1. Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
This archeological site includes the impressive remains of a large pre-Columbian Maya city that flourished from ca. A.D. 600-1100. Among the outstanding structures at the site are the massive Temple of the Warriors complex, an Observatory (El Caracol), the Great Ball Court, and the Sacred Cenote (sinkhole) where offerings were made. The most famous building, however, is the step-pyramid known as the Temple of Kukulcan that dominates the center of the site and serves as the symbol of Chichen Itza. The pyramidal structure is 24 m high; the crowning temple adds another 6 m. Although located in the dense jungles of Yucatan, it remains one of the most visited tourist sites in Mexico.

2. The Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Construction began with the Roman Emperor Vespasian in A.D. 72 and was completed by his son Titus in A.D. 80. Some further modifications were made by Domitian (A.D. 81-96). The three emperors make up the Flavian Dynasty, thus providing the alternate name for the structure as the Flavian Amphitheater. The massive structure is estimated to have seated, on average, about 65 thousand spectators and was most famously used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. Substantially ruined by earthquakes and thieves who looted much of the stone, the structure nonetheless remains an iconic symbol of Rome. The Colosseum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the World.

3. Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Built between 1922 and 1931, the 30-meter-tall sculpture is reputed to be the largest Art Deco statue in the World. Its pedestal provides another 8 m in height and the arms stretch out to 28 m. Constructed of reinforced concrete and soapstone, the statue has become the cultural icon not only of Rio but also of Brazil.

4. Great Wall, China
The name refers to a remarkable series of fortification systems that stretched across the northern historical borders of China and served as protection against various nomadic peoples. The earliest of these walls date to the 7th century B.C.; certain stretches began to be linked in the 3rd century B.C. and successive dynasties added to or maintained various sections of the walls. The best known and best-preserved portions of the wall are those built by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). An archeological survey revealed that the Wall and all its associated branches measures 21,196 km. Winding through amazingly varied terrain, the Great Wall is acknowledged as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history.

5. Machu Picchu, Cuzco Region, Peru
Perhaps the most spectacular archeological site in the Americas, the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, situated on a 2,430 m Andean mountain ridge, is now thought to have been erected as an estate for the Inca Emperor Pachacuti (r. 1438-1471). Additionally, it may also have served as a religious sanctuary. Built between about 1450 and 1460, it was abandoned approximately a century later, at the time of the Spanish conquest. Construction was carried out in the classic Inca style of polished, dry-stone, fitted walls. Some 750 people lived at this royal estate, most of them support staff to the nobility. The site is roughly divided into an agricultural sector (with myriad terraces for raising crops) and an urban sector. The latter is composed of an upper town (with temples) and a lower town (with warehouses). Some of the religious monuments include: the Intiwatana (a carved, ritual stone that served as a type of sundial and that is referred to as “The Hitching Post of the Sun”); the Torreon or Temple of the Sun, a small tower that likely served as a type of observatory; and the Intimachay, a sacred cave with a masonry entrance.

6. Petra, Ma’an, Jordan
Petra is believed to have been established in the 4th century B.C. as the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, an entity that grew fabulously wealthy as the nexus of trade routes in the southern Levant. The kingdom retained its independence until annexed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 106. The city is justifiably famous for two things, its stunning rock-cut architecture and its water conduit system, which allowed the Nabataeans to control and store the water supply in this desert region and create an artificial oasis. At its peak in the 1st century A.D., the city may have had a population of 20 thousand.

7. Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
This gorgeous ivory-white mausoleum – described as “one of the universally admired masterpieces of the World’s heritage” – was commissioned in 1632 by Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658) as the final resting place for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The building also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The Taj Mahal is the centerpiece of an entire 17-hectare complex that also includes a guest house, a mosque, and formal gardens. The entire project was not completed until about 1653. The Taj Mahal remains one of the most visited tourist sites in the World.

note: The Great Pyramid of Egypt, the only surviving Wonder of the ancient Seven, received an honorary status among the New Seven Wonders. Its inclusion enabled a Wonder to be listed for each of the continents but Australia.

" }, "The World Factbook's Seven Natural Ultra-Wonders of the World": { - "text": "

While all of the above Wonders are indeed outstanding, their presence in any type of list is entirely subjective. There are many other fabulous sites around the world that are equally worthy of being designated as Wonders. (An example is the inclusion of Chichen Itza from Mexico. While it is spectacular, it became a 'Wonder' for its popularity as a tourist site. Equally worthy in the same country is Teotihuacan, a far larger site outside of Mexico City that has two immense pyramids that dwarf the one at Chichen Itza.)

Taking these considerations into account, The World Factbook has come up with a Seven Wonders list that is indisputable, i.e., a list derived in a completely objective manner. A decision was made to focus on natural wonders and not anything man-made. These Wonders all are the biggest in their respective categories (they cannot be topped) and so there can be no dispute with the choice, therefore the 'ultra' designation. This fact distinguishes the Factbook listing from other Seven Natural Wonders lists that have been compiled in the past.

1. Amazonia
A trans-national Wonder that is: a. the World's largest collection of land biodiversity, b. the World's largest rainforest, and c. includes the World's largest swamp in the Amazon River floodplain; mostly in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, but also in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.

2. Central Indo-Pacific Region
A Wonder hotspot that is the World's largest collection of marine biodiversity; best represented by the Coral Triangle in the tropical waters around the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste; as well as by the Great Barrier Reef (the World's largest reef) in Australia.

3. The Aurora (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis; aka the Polar Lights)
The World's largest light display that never ceases to awe; seen in countries of the northern latitudes, as well as those of the southern latitudes and Antarctica.

4. Mount Everest and the Himalayas
The World's tallest mountain and mountain range above sea level that stretches across Nepal, China (Tibet), India, Pakistan, and Bhutan (see alternate below).

5. Victoria Falls
The World's largest unbroken waterfall on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe (see alternates below).

6. Sahara
The World's largest hot desert that spreads across Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia (see alternate below).

7. Animal Migrations
The Earth is full of astounding migrations – occurring daily, seasonally, or annually – that are truly awe-inspiring natural wonders. A few extraordinary examples are: a. the diel vertical migrations (DVM, the World's largest animal migration in terms of biomass and number of animals participating), which occur twice daily in all the oceans when zooplankton (microscopic animals) and fish rise to near the surface at night to feed on phytoplankton (microscopic plants) and then with the return of day dive back into the depths to hide in dark waters; b. the Arctic tern's annual round trip of 71,000 km (from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere and back (the World's longest avian migration); or c. the 22,000 km annual migration of the humpback whale (World's longest mammal migration).

Alternates

Mountain alternate (no. 4). If measured strictly from base to peak, then the World's tallest and largest mountains would be on the Island of Hawaii, which includes both the World's tallest mountain [Mauna Kea] and the World's largest active volcano and most voluminous mountain [Mauna Loa]); United States (Hawaii).

Waterfall alternate (no. 5). What constitutes the 'biggest' waterfall(s) can be approached in a number of ways. Depending on one's viewpoint, Iguazu Falls (World's largest waterfall system (275 drops)) in Argentina and Brazil, or Angel Falls (World's tallest waterfall) in Venezuela could substitute.

Desert alternate (no. 6). If a desert is defined as a barren area where little precipitation occurs, then Antarctica with the World's largest polar desert would certainly qualify; it is about 1.5 times the size of the Sahara. The southern continent does not belong to any one country but is a condominium governed by parties to the Antarctic Treaty.

note: A question might arise, how about the World's largest canyon? The Grand Canyon (United States, Arizona) is sometimes mentioned as a Wonder of the World, but 'largest' canyons can be notoriously difficult to define and measure. Does one go by length, depth, or total area of canyon system? Then too, there are largely inaccessible canyons in the Himalayas that have never been properly surveyed and massive canyons are known to exist in some ice-covered parts of Greenland and Antarctica. Therefore, it is not possible to come up with a superlative canyon.

" + "text": "

While all of the above Wonders are indeed outstanding, their presence in any type of list is entirely subjective. There are many other fabulous sites around the world that are equally worthy of being designated as Wonders. (An example is the inclusion of Chichen Itza from Mexico. While it is spectacular, it became a 'Wonder' for its popularity as a tourist site. Equally worthy in the same country is Teotihuacan, a far larger site outside of Mexico City that has two immense pyramids that dwarf the one at Chichen Itza.)

Taking these considerations into account, The World Factbook has come up with a Seven Wonders list that is indisputable, i.e., a list derived in a completely objective manner. A decision was made to focus on natural wonders and not anything man-made. These Wonders are all the biggest in their respective categories (they cannot be topped) and so there can be no dispute with the choice, therefore the 'ultra' designation. This fact distinguishes the Factbook listing from other Seven Natural Wonders lists that have been compiled in the past.

1. Amazonia
A trans-national Wonder that is: a. the World's largest collection of land biodiversity, b. the World's largest rainforest, and c. includes the World's largest swamp in the Amazon River floodplain; mostly in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, but also in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.

2. Central Indo-Pacific Region
A Wonder hotspot that is the World's largest collection of marine biodiversity; best represented by the Coral Triangle in the tropical waters around the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste; as well as by the Great Barrier Reef (the World's largest reef) in Australia.

3. The Aurora (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis; aka the Polar Lights)
The World's largest light display that never ceases to awe; seen in countries of the northern latitudes, as well as those of the southern latitudes and Antarctica.

4. Mount Everest and the Himalayas
The World's tallest mountain and mountain range above sea level that stretches across Nepal, China (Tibet), India, Pakistan, and Bhutan (see alternate below).

5. Victoria Falls
The World's largest unbroken waterfall on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe (see alternates below).

6. Sahara
The World's largest hot desert that spreads across Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia (see alternate below).

7. Animal Migrations
The Earth is full of astounding migrations – occurring daily, seasonally, or annually – that are truly awe-inspiring natural wonders. A few extraordinary examples are: a. the diel vertical migrations (DVM, the World's largest animal migration in terms of biomass and number of animals participating), which occur twice daily in all the oceans when zooplankton (microscopic animals) and fish rise to near the surface at night to feed on phytoplankton (microscopic plants) and then with the return of day dive back into the depths to hide in dark waters; b. the Arctic tern's annual round trip of 71,000 km (from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere and back (the World's longest avian migration); or c. the 22,000 km annual migration of the humpback whale (World's longest mammal migration).

Alternates

Mountain alternate (no. 4). If measured strictly from base to peak, then the World's tallest and largest mountains would be on the Island of Hawaii, which includes both the World's tallest mountain [Mauna Kea] and the World's largest active volcano and most voluminous mountain [Mauna Loa]); United States (Hawaii).

Waterfall alternate (no. 5). What constitutes the 'biggest' waterfall(s) can be approached in a number of ways. Depending on one's viewpoint, Iguazu Falls (World's largest waterfall system (275 drops)) in Argentina and Brazil, or Angel Falls (World's tallest waterfall) in Venezuela could substitute.

Desert alternate (no. 6). If a desert is defined as a barren area where little precipitation occurs, then Antarctica with the World's largest polar desert would certainly qualify; it is about 1.5 times the size of the Sahara. The southern continent does not belong to any one country but is a condominium governed by parties to the Antarctic Treaty.

note: A question might arise, how about the World's largest canyon? The Grand Canyon (United States, Arizona) is sometimes mentioned as a Wonder of the World, but 'largest' canyons can be notoriously difficult to define and measure. Does one go by length, depth, or total area of canyon system? Then too, there are largely inaccessible canyons in the Himalayas that have never been properly surveyed and massive canyons are known to exist in some ice-covered parts of Greenland and Antarctica. Therefore, it is not possible to come up with a superlative canyon.

" } }, "Geography - note": {