Samoa — Military Capability Assessment
Force structure, readiness, power projection, and deterrence: the Bureau’s strategic assessment of Samoa’s military capability — scored 0–100 across 24 causal dimensions.
Last updated: October 2026
Stronger than 51% of the 195 ranked countries.
Nearest neighbors
| Rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| #93 | Hungary | 34.8/100 |
| #94 | Jamaica | 34.5/100 |
| #95 | Samoa (you) | 34.2/100 |
| #96 | Kiribati | 34.1/100 |
| #97 | Nigeria | 34.1/100 |
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Why this score — the assessment, decomposed
The 34.24/100 rests first on Command & control (65.00), Force mass (52.00), Land warfare (52.00). The binding constraints: Air power (8.00), Submarine force (8.00), Nuclear survivability (6.50) — in a causal model, capability can never rise above its weakest observed link. What would move the needle: Air power (8.00) — the weak link in the spending → equipment → readiness → capability chain.
- Alliance architecture adds a +5.78 bonus.
- Nuclear deterrence contributes a capped +0.64 bonus — it cannot manufacture top-tier conventional standing on its own.
13 of 24 dimensions could not be observed (Mobilization, Equipment quality, Readiness & training, ISR & intelligence, Missile forces, Air defense…); missing data caps the score — it never inflates it.
The six sub-scores
All 24 causal dimensions
Assessment coverage: 47.8% — 11 of 24 dimensions observed. Military assessment, run 2026-10-04; evidence snapshot: CIA World Factbook 2026-09-28, SIPRI arms-producer revenue, nuclear taxonomy.
Air power
Kernel assessment: Air power 8.00/100 (observed).
Type-by-type inventory in preparation — this dossier deepens as coverage grows. Nothing here is estimated silently.
Land power
Kernel assessment: Land warfare 52.00/100 (observed).
Type-by-type inventory in preparation — this dossier deepens as coverage grows. Nothing here is estimated silently.
Sea power
Kernel assessment: Naval power 22.80/100 (observed).
Type-by-type inventory in preparation — this dossier deepens as coverage grows. Nothing here is estimated silently.
Missiles & air defense
Missile forces could not be observed in this assessment — missing data caps the score, it is never treated as zero.
Type-by-type inventory in preparation — this dossier deepens as coverage grows. Nothing here is estimated silently.
Nuclear
Status: Non-nuclear-weapon state; party to the Treaty of Rarotonga (signed 6 Sep 1985, deposited 20 Oct 1986).
Force structure — record
no regular military forces; Samoa Police Service (includes a maritime unit) (2025)
informal defense ties exist with New Zealand, which pledged to afford assistance to Samoa in the conduct of its international relations under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship; New Zealand naval vessels patrol Samoan waters Samoa has a "shiprider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Somoa's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; "shiprider" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2025)
MILITARY POWER 34.24/100 — The Magna Military Power score is our 0–100 measure of causal military capability — 24 dimensions (mass, equipment, readiness, projection, industry, nuclear deterrence), aggregated through a dependency graph, never by simple addition.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
An uneventful quarter, recorded without embellishment: no breakthrough to celebrate, no setback to mourn.
The longer forces — demographics, trade routes, regional balances — kept doing what they do, and the country rode them steadily.
What is Samoa's military power score?
Samoa's military power score is 34.24/100, measuring causal military capability across 24 dimensions.
Where does Samoa rank in military power?
Samoa ranks #95 of 195 countries in military power in Magna Bureau military rankings.