Timor-Leste — Military Capability Assessment
Force structure, readiness, power projection, and deterrence: the Bureau’s strategic assessment of Timor-Leste’s military capability — scored 0–100 across 24 causal dimensions.
Last updated: October 2026
Stronger than 27% of the 195 ranked countries.
Nearest neighbors
| Rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| #140 | Peru | 30.4/100 |
| #141 | Sri Lanka | 30.3/100 |
| #142 | Timor-Leste (you) | 30.3/100 |
| #143 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 30.1/100 |
| #144 | Djibouti | 30.1/100 |
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Why this score — the assessment, decomposed
The 30.26/100 rests first on Command & control (65.00), Force mass (62.00), Land warfare (62.00). 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.
- Extreme defense burden applies an economic-strain penalty of −4.00.
- Force mass is capped by what equipment, training and sustainment can actually support — headcount alone scores nothing.
10 of 24 dimensions could not be observed (Equipment quality, ISR & intelligence, Missile forces, Air defense, Cyber & space, Strategic lift…); missing data caps the score — it never inflates it.
The six sub-scores
All 24 causal dimensions
Assessment coverage: 60.9% — 14 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 62.00/100 (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 (NPT party)
Force structure — record
Timor-Leste Defense Force (Falintil-Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este, Falintil (F-FDTL)): Land Component, Air Force Component, Naval Component Ministry of Interior: National Police of Timor-Leste (Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste, PNTL) (2025)
approximately 2,000 Defense Forces (2025)
the military is lightly armed with a limited inventory consisting mostly of donated equipment from countries such as Australia, China, Portugal, South Korea, and the US (2025)
18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; according to Timorese law on military service, all citizens 18-30 must contribute to the defense of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the country and render their contribution through defense and security institutions (2025)
the Timor-Leste Defense Force (F-FDTL) has both external defense and internal security roles; it also engages in national development missions, international peacekeeping, and regional security cooperation; the F-FDTL has ties with a variety of partners, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, the UN, and the US (2025)
MILITARY POWER 30.26/100 — 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).
The quarter passed without decisive turns. Governance continued, markets functioned, and the score reflects that uneventfulness.
For countries like this, the real story is always the slow one — and this quarter added no new chapter to it.
What is Timor-Leste's military power score?
Timor-Leste's military power score is 30.26/100, measuring causal military capability across 24 dimensions.
Where does Timor-Leste rank in military power?
Timor-Leste ranks #142 of 195 countries in military power in Magna Bureau military rankings.