| Namibian Army | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | Ministry of Defence |
| Type | Army |
| Part of | Ministry of Defence |
| Garrison/HQ | Grootfontein, Namibia |
| Engagements |
Caprivi Conflict Second Congo War United Nations Mission in Liberia |
| Commanders | |
| Commander In Chief | President Hifikepunye Pohamba |
| Ceremonial chief | Nahas Angula |
| Army Commander | Major-General Tomas Nopoudyuu Hamunyela |
| Insignia | |
| n | F |
The Namibian Army is the Army of the Republic of Namibia and is part of the Namibian Defence Force.
History[]
Development of Namibia's army was faster than the other two arms of Service.The first units of the Army were deployed as early as 1990.The Army was formed when two enemies South West African Territorial Force and the People's Liberation Army of Namibia where inducted after Namibia's independence into the newly created Namibian Defence Force.
Role[]
The Ministry of Defence has outlined the Army policy as follows" The Army's principal roles will continue to be as already outlined in the defence policy. The Army will strive to maximise its operational effectiveness through the recruitment of the best young men and women who wish to pursue a military career, their effective training and employment. The Army's equipment priorities are improved troop-lift capacity (road and air); engineer, artillery, anti-tank and air defence and communication systems: the aim being to create a secure, integrated, efficient and cost-effective systems.
The Army will remain a well-disciplined and accountable, professional (all volunteer) force; it will include development of a Reserve; it will continue to train along the lines of other Commonwealth armies; it will train with other Namibian forces (such as the police) to rehearse plans for aid to the civil authorities, civil ministries and civil community; and it will promote a good public image and contribute to the communities in which it is based."[1]
Organisation[]
The Army is a hierarchical organisation with the Army commander exercising overall command. The Army has several thousand members.The majority of whom are former combatants of Peoples Liberational Army of Namibia(PLAN).And a significant minority former members of SWATF
Deployments[]
Local Operations[]
SADC deployments[]
UN deployments[]
UNAMIC
UNAVEM II
UNMIL
For the peacekeeping operation in Liberia the Namibian Army mustered about 800 infantry troops to form a battalion for this operation.
The Namibian Battalion Commanding Officer stated his Unit to comprise of "two Mot Inf Coys, two rifle companies, headquarters company and fire support company while the battalion is equipped with 10 Wolf APC's, 12 Casspir APC's and 11 WER Wolf APC's".[2]
Unit Structure[]
The standard operational units are structured as according to the Brittish commonwealth system.:[3]
| Type of Unit | Division | Brigade | Battalion / Regiment | Company / Squadron | Platoon / Troop | Section | Fire Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contains | 2–3 Brigades | 3–5 Battalions | 5–7 Companies | 3 Platoons | 3 Sections | 2 Fire Teams | 4 Individuals |
| Personnel | 10,000 | 5,000 | 550–900 | 120 | 30 | 8–10 | 4 |
| Commanded by | Maj-Gen | Brig | Lt Col | Maj | Capt, Lt or 2nd Lt | Cpl | LCpl |
Army Commander[]
The position of Army commander is held by an individual with the rank of Major General. The Army Commander exercises the overall command of the Army.The current Army commander is Major General Tomas Nopoudyuu Hamunyela
- 1990-2000 Maj-Gen Solomon Huwala
- 2000-2005 Maj-Gen Martin Shalli
- 2005-2011 Maj-Gen Peter Nambundunga
- 2011-2013 Maj-Gen John Mutwa
- 2013-Current Maj-Gen Tomas Hamunyela
As of April 2014 the Deputy Army Commander is Brigadier-General Frederick Siluzungila. [4]
Army equipment[]
Small arms
Vehicles and Towed Artillery[]
| Origin | Type | Acquired | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-54/55 |  USSR
|
Main Battle Tank | 20[9] | 7[10] | Serviceability doubtful.[11] |
| T-34 | USSR
|
Medium Tank | 4[10] | Serviceability doubtful.[11] | |
| WZ551 |  China
|
Armoured Personnel Carrier | 21[12] | ||
| BTR-60 | Soviet Union
|
Armoured Personnel Carrier | 10[11] | ||
| BTR-152 | Soviet Union
|
Armoured Personnel Carrier | 20[8] | 6[11] | Formerly SWAPO.[8] |
| WZ523 | China
|
Infantry Fighting Vehicle | -- | Armed with 2A28 Grom.[13] | |
| Wolf Turbo |  Namibia
|
Multipurpose Armoured Vehicle | 10[8] | 30[10] | Wolf Mk 2.[11] |
| Casspir |  South Africa
|
MRAP | 20[10] | 20[14] | |
| BRDM-2 | Soviet Union
|
Scout Car | 12[11] | 12[14] | |
| BL 5.5 |  United Kingdom
|
Howitzer | 24[12] | South African variant G2. | |
| Ordnance QF 25 pounder | United Kingdom
|
Howitzer | 8[10] | ||
| BM-21 Grad | Soviet Union
|
Multiple Rocket Launcher | 5[10] | 4[11] | |
| ZIS-3 | Soviet Union
|
Antitank Gun | 12[11] | ||
| ZIS-2 | Soviet Union
|
Antitank Gun | 6[8] | ||
| ZPU-4 | Soviet Union
|
Anti-aircraft Gun | 50[11] | ||
| ZU-23-2 | Soviet Union
|
Anti-aircraft Gun | 15[10] | 12[11] |
Ranks and Insignia[]
Army ranks are based on Commonwealth ranks. The highest rank in peace time a commissioned officer can attain in the Army is Major General. There may however be an exception when a Army officer is appointed as Chief of the Defence Force for which the individual which ascend to the Lieutenant General.The highest rank an enlisted member can attain is Warrant Officer Class 1.
Commissioned officers[]
General Officer Ranks[]
- General
- Lieutenant General
- Major General
- Brigadier General
Senior Officers[]
- Colonel
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Major
Junior Officers[]
- Captain
- 1st Lieutenant
- 2nd Lieutenant
Non-commissioned officers/Other ranks[]
Warrant Officers[]
- Warrant Officer Class 1
- Warrant Officer Class 2
Senior NCO's[]
- Staff Sergeant
- Sergeant
Junior NCO's[]
- Corporal
- Lance Corporal
- Private
References[]
- ↑ http://www.mod.gov.na/pages/policy_army.html
- ↑ http://www.theperspective.org/2004/june/namibianpeacekeepers.html
- ↑ "British Army Formation & Structure". WhoDaresWins.com. 2011. http://www.whodareswins.com/british-army-formation-structure-setup.html. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.nampa.org/index.php?model=categories&function=display&id=8764489
- ↑ Soldier Claims Ignorance About AK-47 Used to Murder Farmer
- ↑ Elena Torreguitar. National Liberation Movements in Office: Forging Democracy with African Adjectives in Namibia (2009 ed.). Peter Lang GMBH. p. 159. ISBN 978-3-631-57995-4.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Copley, Gregory. Defense & Foreign Affairs Handbook 1994. pp. 1207.
- ↑ Армии стран мира : Вооруженные силы иностранных государств на 2001 год : N
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 "Scramble for the Congo - Anatomy of an Ugly War". ICG Africa. 2000-12-20. http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/central-africa/dr-congo/Scramble%20for%20the%20Congo%20Anatomy%20of%20an%20Ugly%20War.pdf. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 11.9 Namibia Defence Force
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Hussein Solomon. Towards a Common Defence And Security Policy in the Southern African Development Community (2004 ed.). Africa Institute of South Africa. p. 91. ISBN 978-0798301749.
Further reading[]
The original article can be found at Namibian Army and the edit history here.