Military of Eritrea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eritrean Defence Forces ምክልካል ሃይልታት ኣርትራ ﺍﻟﻘﻭﺍﺖ ﺍﻟﺪﻓﺎﻉ ﺍﻹﺮﺗﺮﻱ |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Branches of service | |
| Eritrean Army Eritrean Air Force Eritrean Navy |
|
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief: | President Isaias Afewerki |
| Civilian authority: | General Sebhat Ephrem |
| Personnel | |
| Active personnel: | 202,000[1] |
| Military age population: | 1,785,023 (2005 est.) |
| Total fit for service: | 1,117,979 (2005 est.) |
| Military age: | 18 |
| Service law: | Proclamation 82 |
| Conscript service: | 18 months |
| Industry | |
| Annual spending: | USD 220.1 million (2005 est.) |
| Percent of GDP spent on military: | 17.7% (2005 est.) |
| History | |
| Ranks and insignia | |
The Eritrean Defence Forces military role stems from its strategic geographical location. It is located on the Red Sea with a foothold on the Straits of Bab al-Mandeb. Of all African countries, Eritrea has the longest Red Sea coast line at over 1,000 km.
Contents |
[edit] History
In the 16th century the ports of Massawa were used by the Ottomans to protect sea lanes from disruption while more recently it was used by the Italians. The Colony of Eritrea was founded by the Italians in 1890 shortly after the opening of the Suez Canal. The Italians expanded their possessions into Ethiopia. Eritrean 'Askaris' (native soldiers), along with Italian troops occupied Ethiopia in 1936 however, this was reversed by British troops in 1941.
During the war for Eritrea's independence, the rebel movements (the ELF and the EPLF) used volunteers. In the final years of the Struggle for independence, the EPLF ranks grew to 110,000 volunteers (some 3% of the population).
[edit] Manpower
The size of Eritrea's population is small, particularly when compared to its neighbours. A military composed fully of career soldiers would not be adequate to meet the nation's defence needs. During peacetime the military of Eritrea numbers approximately 45,000[2] with a reserve force approximately 250,000[3] strong and growing.
[edit] National service
Every able bodied man and woman is required to serve for 1½ years. In this time they will receive six months of military training and the balance will be spent working on national reconstruction projects. This is outlined in both the Constitution of Eritrea and Proclamation 82 issued by the National Assembly in 1995-10-23.[4] The period of enlistment may be extended during times of national crisis. This program aims to compensate for Eritrea’s lack of capital and to reduce dependence on foreign aid, while welding together an ethnically diverse society, half Christian and half Muslim, representing nine ethnic groups.[5]
Military training is given at the Sawa Defence Training Centre and Kiloma Military Training Centre. At the end of the 1½ year national service, the serviceman can elect to stay on and become a career military officer. If the serviceman elects otherwise they return to their civilian lives but will continue to be a reservist. According to the Government of Eritrea, "The sole objective of the National Service program is thus to cultivate capable, hardworking, and alert individuals."[1]
[edit] Hierarchy
The Eritrean Army hierarchy is based upon the hierarchy of the former Eritrean People's Liberation Army. This structure has six levels:
| Name | No. of subordinate units |
|---|---|
| Army Corps | 1+ division(s) |
| Division | 4+ brigades |
| Brigade | 3+ battalions |
| Battalion | 4+ companies |
| Company (Haile) | 2+ Platoon |
| Platoon (Ganta) | n/a |
[edit] Tanks
[edit] IFV/APC
[edit] Reconnaissance vehicles
[edit] Anti-armor
- D-44 85 mm anti-tank/field gun
[edit] Artillery
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Conscripts prepare to boost Eritrea's defenses". Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
- ^ Killion, Tom (1998). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3437-5.
- ^ Asmara's Finest. Retrieved on September 4, 2006.
- ^ Eritrea. Retrieved on October 13, 2006.
- ^ Connell, Dan (September 1997). Eritrea. Retrieved on September 19, 2006.
- This article incorporates public domain text from U.S. State Department Background Notes.
[edit] External links
- ACIG
- AFVID (Mika Golf's armored vehicles) Eritrean fighting vehicles
- Hazegray World Navies Today - Eritrea
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Dependencies and other territories
Ceuta · Mayotte · Melilla · Puntland · Réunion · St. Helena · Somaliland · Western Sahara (SADR)
