Military of Senegal

Senegalese Armed Forces
Service branches	Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police (Sûreté Nationale)
Manpower
Available for military service	males age 15-49: 2,218,920 (2000 est.), age 18
Fit for military service	males age 15-49: 1,158,893 (2000 est.), age 18
Reaching military age annually	males: 109,381 (2000 est.)
Active personnel	19,000
Expenditures
Budget	$68 million (FY97)
Percent of GDP	1.4% (FY97)
Industry
Foreign suppliers	France  Russia
Related articles
History	Mauritania–Senegal Border War Casamance conflict Guinea-Bissau Civil War Insurgency in the Maghreb 2008 invasion of Anjouan

The Senegalese armed forces consist of about 19,000 well-trained and disciplined personnel in the army, air force, navy, and gendarmerie. The Senegalese military force receives most of its training, equipment, and support from France and the United States. Germany also provides support but on a smaller scale.

Military noninterference in political affairs has contributed to Senegal's stability since independence. Senegal has participated in many international and regional peacekeeping missions. Most recently, in 2000, Senegal sent a battalion to the Democratic Republic of Congo to participate in MONUC, the United Nations peacekeeping mission, and agreed to deploy a United States-trained battalion to Sierra Leone to participate in UNAMSIL, another UN peacekeeping mission. (The training operation was designated Operation Focus Relief and involved U.S. Army Special Forces from 3rd Special Forces Group training a number of West African battalions, including Nigerian ones.)

Senegal intervened in the Guinea-Bissau civil war in 1998 at the request of former President Vieira.

A Senegalese contingent deployed on a peacekeeping mission to the Central African Republic in 1997, while in 1994, a battalion-sized force was sent to Rwanda to participate in the UN peacekeeping mission there.

In 1992 1,500 men were sent to the ECOMOG peacekeeping group in Liberia.

In 1991, Senegal was the only Sub-Saharan nation to send a contingent to participate in Operation Desert Storm.

In August 1981, the Senegalese military was invited into The Gambia by President Dawda Kairaba Jawara to put down a coup attempt. In August 1989, Senegalese-Gambian military cooperation, which began with the joint Senegalese-Gambian efforts during the 1981 coup attempt, ceased with the dissolution of the Senegambian Confederation.

The Four Forces

The four forces are the army, navy, air force and gandarmerie. The Army (Armée de Terre) is the leading force within the Senegalese armed forces and provides the chief of staff and the Inspecteur général des forces armées. Only the army and gendarmerie are important enough to have general officers, although the navy has been commanded by a flag officer in the past.

Army

Since independence the army has gone through a large number of reorganisations. It currently consists of two divisions, the Operations Division and the Logistic Division. It has a strength of 9,000 soldiers. The army's heritage includes the prestigious Tirailleurs sénégalais.

Although the Senegalese air force is geared towards supporting it, the army maintains its own very small aviation branch, called the "Aviation Légère de l'Armée de Terre" (like the French army's equivalent), which consists of five light helicopters and two SA330 Puma transport helicopters.

National Gendarmerie

The Gendarmerie is a military force which provides policing and security. It includes a Territorial Gendarmerie with general policing duties, and a Mobile Gendarmerie for special tasks and serious public disorder. The Senegalese gendarmerie evolved out of a French colonial Spahi detachment sent to Senegal in 1845. This detachment (which became today's Red Guard of Senegal) was the cadre around which the "Colonial Gendarmerie" was formed. On independence this became the National Gendarmerie. The commander is General Abdoulaye Fall (a different person from the current Armed Forces Chief of Staff of the same name), whose rank is Divisional General, and whose full job title is "High Commander of the Gendarmerie and Director of Military Justice".

Navy

The navy (marine), also known as the Armée de mer, is of small size and is commanded by a Ship-of-the-Line Captain. It is responsible for securing Senegal's atlantic coastline which is strategically located on the extreme west of the African continent. The navy was created in 1961.

The Navy is divided into three branches known as "groupings":

• The Operational Naval Grouping (Groupement Naval Opérationnel), which is divided into three flotillas and one group: the High Seas Patrol Boats (Patrouilleurs de Haute Mer), the Coastal Surveillance Vessels (Bâtiments de Surveillance Côtière), the Fast Coastal Boats (Vedettes Côtières Rapides) and the Transport Group (groupe de transport).
• The Naval Support Grouping (Groupement de Soutien de la Marine) responsible for ports, repairs, training, and logistics
• The Fluvial-Maritime Surveillance Grouping

Air Force

Main article: Senegalese Air Force

The air force (Armée de l'Air) is orientated towards providing support for ground forces and resembles an army aviation corps. It has no air-to-air combat aircraft, but possesses Mil Mi-24 gunship helicopters, transport helicopters and aeroplanes, and reconnaissance helicopters and aeroplanes. This small force is commanded by a colonel.

Military zones

At the present time, there are seven military zones:^[1]

• Zone n°1 - Dakar
• Zone n°2 - Saint-Louis
• Zone n°3 - Kaolack
• Zone n°4 - Ziguinchor
• Zone n°5 - Tambacounda
• Zone n°6 - Kolda
• Zone n°7 - Thiès

Each zone comprises a garrison office which caters to military issues and a social service office. The IISS Military Balance listed four zones in 2007.

Equipment

• 14 Greyhound M-8 with 37mm gun(10)\ M-20 (4) 6x6 ARVs United States
  
• 12 Ratel-20 6x6 20mm gun AIFV  South Africa
• 28 Panhard AML-60 60mm mortar 4x4 ARVs France
• 24 Panhard AML-90 90mm gun 4x4 ARVs France
• 47 Armscor Eland-90 90mm 4x4 ARVs France\ South Africa
• 12 VBX-170 APCs France
• 12 Panhard M3 4x4 APCs France
• 10 Half-truck M-3 APCs United States
• Ford M-151 Jeep 4x4 United States
• Reo M-35 6x6 trucks United States
• Reo M-44 6x6 trucks United States
• ACMAT trucks France
• M-809 6x6 trucks United States
• 12 M-50 155mm Howitzers France
• 6 M-101 105mm Howitzers United States
• 6 M116 Howitzer 75mm United States
• 8 Brandt 120mm heavy mortar France
• 8 Brandt 81mm medium mortar France
• 4-10 MBDA Milan ATGM Launchers France\ Germany
• 36 Larc-89\Strim 89mm Light ATRLs France
• 12 Bofors L-60 40mm Sweden AAGs
• 21 53-T-2 20mm AAGs France

Aircraft

Main article: Senegalese Air Force

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service[2]	Notes
Aérospatiale SA 341 Gazelle	France	scout helicopter	SA 341	1
Aérospatiale AS 355Ecureuil	France	trainer helicopter	AS 355F1	2
Mil Mi-24	Russia	attack helicopter	Mi-35 Hind	2
Mil Mi-17	Russia	transport helicopter	Mi-17 Hip	2
Mil Mi-2	Soviet Union	utility helicopter	Mi-2	2
Fokker F-27 Friendship	Netherlands	transport	F-27-400M	6
Casa C-212 MPA[3]	Spain	Maritime Patrol Aircraft	C-212-200MPA	1
Boeing 727	United States	VIP	727-200	1
CASA/IPTN CN-235	Indonesia	VIP and troop transport	CN-235-220	2
Britten-Norman Islander	United Kingdom	utility	BN-2T	1
Aérospatiale Magister	France	trainer	CM 170	4
Aérospatiale Epsilon	France	trainer	TB30 Epsilon	2

References

1. ^ État Major des Armees, Zones militaires, accessed August 2009
2. ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
3. ^ "infodefensa.com (Spanish)". http://infodefensa.com/esp/noticias/noticias.asp?cod=335&n=Defensa-cede-aviones-C-212/200-SAR-a-Cabo-Verde,-Senegal-y-Mauritania-e-intensifica-relaciones-militares-para-la-vigilancia-de-espacios-mar%EDtimos. 

• Website of the Armed Forces of Senegal.