Military of Equatorial Guinea The military of Equatorial Guinea ( in Spanish : " Fuerzas Armadas de Guinea Ecuatorial " ) consists of approximately 2 , 500 service members . The army has almost 1 , 400 soldiers , the police 400 paramilitary men , the navy 200 service members , and the air force about 120 members . There is also a Gendarmerie , but the number of members is unknown . The Gendarmerie is a new branch of the service in which training and education is being supported by the French Military Cooperation in Equatorial Guinea . Military appointments are all reviewed by President Teodoro Obiang , and few of the native militiamen come from outside of Obiang ' s Mongomo - based Esangui clan . Obiang was a general when he overthrew his uncle , Francisco Macías Nguema . Overall the military is poorly trained and equipped . It has mostly small arms , RPG s , and mortars . Almost none of its Soviet - style light - armored vehicles or trucks are operational . The Armed Forces were reorganized in 1979 . In 1988 , the United States donated a 68 - foot patrol boat to the Equatoguinean navy to patrol its exclusive economic zone . The U . S . patrol boat " Isla de Bioko " is no longer operational . U . S . military - to - military engagement has been dormant since 1997 ( the year of the last Joint Combined Exchange Training exercise ) . Between 1984 and 1992 , service members went regularly to the United States on the International Military Education Training program , after which funding for this program for Equatorial Guinea ceased . The government spent 6 . 5 % of its annual budget on defense in 2000 and 4 . 5 % of its budget on defense in 2001 . It recently acquired some Chinese artillery pieces , some Ukrainian patrol boats , and some Ukrainian helicopter gunships . The number of paved airports in Equatorial Guinea can be counted on one hand , and as such the number of airplanes operated by the air force is small . The Equatoguineans rely on foreigners to operate and maintain this equipment as they are not sufficiently trained to do so . Cooper and Weinert 2010 says that all aircraft are based on the military side of Malabo International Airport . In 2002 , a report said " The oil companies do not view Equatorial Guinea ' s military – a product of decades of brutal dictatorial rule – with much confidence . The army is believed to have only about 1 , 320 men under arms , the navy 120 , and the air force 100 . Seven of the army ' s nine generals are relatives of the president ; the other two are from his tribe . There is no clear command structure , the level of discipline is low , and professionalism and training are almost non - existent , according to locals and foreign oil workers . Even the presidential guard – an indication of the lack of trust in the country ' s forces – is composed of 350 Moroccan troops . " One general may be General Agustin Ndong Ona , reported in 2004 . In July 2010 , after the visit of Brazilian president , Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , the sale of a Barroso - class corvette to be constructed in Brazil was announced . Aircraft . Current inventory . On 26 January 2016 the Air Force of Equatorial Guinea signed a contract for the delivery of two CASA C - 295 transport aircraft , the first as a troop transport and the second for maritime surveillance to be delivery in 2017 .