Dependent territories (such as Bermuda, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands) whose defence is the responsibility of another country or an army alternative are excluded.
The term armed forces refers to any government-sponsored defense used to further the domestic and foreign policies of their respective government.
Some of the countries listed, such as Iceland and Monaco, have no standing armies but still have a non-police military force.
They ensure their national security concerns are addressed through annual Joint Committee Meetings to discuss defence matters with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
[10][11][12] Other countries were formed without armed forces, such as Samoa over 60 years ago;[13] the primary reason being that they were, or still are, under protection from another nation at their point of independence.