Military of Chad

Military of Chad
National flag of Chad
Founded	1960
Service branches	Ground Forces Air Force Gendarmerie
Headquarters	N'Djamena
Manpower
Military age	18 years of age for voluntary service, 20 years of age for conscripts
Conscription	yes
Available for military service	1,906,545 males, age 16-49 (2008), 2,258,758 females, age 16-49 (2008)
Fit for military service	1,066,565 males, age 16-49 (2008), 1,279,318 females, age 16-49 (2008)
Reaching military age annually	116,824 males (2008), 117,831 females (2008)
Active personnel	30,350[1] (ranked 88)
Reserve personnel	0
Expenditures
Percent of GDP	4,2
Industry
Foreign suppliers	United States  China  France  Russia
Related articles
History	Chadian-Libyan conflict Civil war in Chad (2005–present)

The Military of Chad consists of the Armed Forces (includes Ground Force, Air Force, and Gendarmerie), Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force, Police, and National and Nomadic Guard (GNNT). Currently the main task of the Chadian military is to combat the various rebel forces inside the country.

History

Main article: History of the military of Chad

Chadian soldiers in a Technical

From independence through the period of the presidency of Félix Malloum (1975–79), the official national army was known as the Chadian Armed Forces (Forces Armées Tchadiennes—FAT). Composed mainly of soldiers from southern Chad, FAT had its roots in the army recruited by France and had military traditions dating back to World War I. FAT lost its status as the legal state army when Malloum's civil and military administration disintegrated in 1979. Although it remained a distinct military body for several years, FAT was eventually reduced to the status of a regional army representing the south.

After Habré consolidated his authority and assumed the presidency in 1982, his victorious army, the Armed Forces of the North (Forces Armées du Nord—FAN), became the nucleus of a new national army. The force was officially constituted in January 1983, when the various pro-Habré contingents were merged and renamed FANT.

The Military of Chad was dominated by members of Toubou, Zaghawa, Kanembou, Hadjerai, and Massa ethnic groups during the presidency of Hissène Habré. Current Chadian president Idriss Déby, revolted and fled to the Sudan, taking with him many Zaghawa and Hadjerai soldiers in 1989.

Chad's armed forces numbered about 36,000 at the end of the Habré regime, but swelled to an estimated 50,000 in the early days of Déby's rule. With French support, a reorganization of the armed forces was initiated early in 1991 with the goal of reducing its numbers and making its ethnic composition reflective of the country as a whole. Neither of these goals was achieved, and the military is still dominated by the Zaghawa.

In 2004, the government discovered that many of the soldiers it was paying did not exist and that there were only about 19,000 soldiers in the army, as opposed to the 24,000 that had been previously believed. Government crackdowns against the practice are thought to have been a factor in a failed military mutiny in May 2004.

The current conflict, in which the Chadian military is involved, is the civil war against Sudanese-backed rebels. Chad successfully manages to repel the rebel movements, but recently, with some losses (see Battle of N'Djamena (2008)). The army uses its artillery systems and tanks, but well-equipped insurgents have probably managed to destroy over 20 of Chad's 60 tanks, and probably shot down a Mi-24 Hind gunship, which has bombed enemy positions near the border with Sudan.^[2] In November 2006 Libya supplied Chad with four Aermacchi SF.260W light attack planes. They are used to strike enemy positions by the Chadian Air Force, but one has been shot down by rebels.^[3] During the last battle of N'Djamena gunships and tanks have been put to good use, pushing armed militia forces back from the Presidential palace.^[4] The battle impacted the highest levels of the army leadership, as Daoud Soumain, its Chief of Staff, was killed.^[5]

Spending

The CIA World Factbook estimates the military budget of Chad to be 4,2% of GDP as of 2006.[2]. Given the current GDP ($7.095 bln) of the country, military spending is roughly estimated to be $297,990,000.

Equipment

Small arms

• FAMAS assault rifle
• Type 56 assault rifle
•  Soviet Union AK-47/AKM AR
•  United States M16 Rifle AR
•  Belgium FN MAGLMG
•  United StatesBrowning machine gun M2HB HMG
• RPK light machine gun
• RPG-7
•  France APILAS 112mm light ATRL
•  USA M72 LAW light ATRL
•  France M-61 81mm Medium-Mortar
•  France 60mm Light Mortar

Vehicles

•  Soviet Union T-62M main battle tank (12 captured from Libya- status unknown)
• T-55 main battle tank (~40)(a total of 113 T-55 MBTs+3 T-54 MBTs captured from Libya)
• Technical (fighting vehicle)
•  Russia BTR-80UM APC (24)
  
•  Ukraine BTR-3U APC (12)
  
•  France Panhard VABVTT (25) APC
• BRDM-2 APC (10)
• Humvee
• ERC 90 Sagaie armored car (4)
•  France VBC-90 armored car (40)
•  France Belgium South Africa Improved AML-90\Eland-90(improved in Belgium) armored car-(82)
• Panhard AML-90\60 armored car (95)
•  USA Cadillac Gage LAV V-150 Commando with 90mm Gun (11)
•  Brazil Engesa EE-9 Cascavel ARV (20)
•  Soviet Union BMP-1 AIFV (265)
•  Soviet Union BTR-60PB APC (20)
  
•  Israel RAM-2000 APC (37)
•  China WZ-551B APC (10)
•  China ZFB-05 Xinxing APC (10)
•  France Panhard M3 APC (15)
•  United Kingdom Land-Rover 4x4 (24)
•  United States Ford M-151A-1 4x4 with M-40A-1 106mm RCL (30)
•  Japan Toyota 4x4 (60 with 14.5mm HMGs) (400)
•  Germany Mercedes-Benz Unimog(228)
•  Germany Mercedes-Benz L-2426 Recovery Truck (12)
•  Germany Mercedes-Benz AFV Transporter (43)
•  France Sovamag
•  France ACMAT VLAR 2.5ton trucks
•  United States M-35A-1 trucks

Artillery

• BM-21 - 4^[6]
  
•  Soviet Union Bulgaria 2S21 122mm SPH (10)
• M-46 howitzer -( 6), from Bulgaria Bulgaria^[7]
• 105 mm M101 howitzer -(10)^[8]
•  Soviet UnionD-30(ZA-18)122mm Towed-Howitzer-(22)
•  France Brandt AM-50 120mm Heavy-Mortar (10)

Air defence

• ZPU-41\2\4 14.5mm
•  Soviet UnionZSU-23-4 4x23mm GunDish\Shilka SP-AAG (4)
•  France Panhard AML-20 2x20mm SP-AAG (6)
•  Soviet Union ZU-23x2 2x23mm Towed AAG (16)
•  France 30mm Towed AAG
•  France 20mm Towed AAG
•  Soviet UnionSA-6 Gainful\9K-12 SP-SAM Launcher(captured from Libya) (12)
•  Soviet UnionSA-13 Gopher\9K-35 Strela-10 SP-SAM Launchrer(captured from Libya) (4)
• FIM-92 Stinger (30)
•  United States FIM-43B Redeye MANPAD (130)
•  Soviet Union SA-7B Grail\9K-32 Strela-2

Antitank Weapons

•  Germany MBDA MILAN ATGM Launcher (50 launchers\400 missiles)
• BGM-71C TOW ATGM Launcher (5 launchers\50 missiles)
•  France ERYX ATGM Launcher
•  Soviet Union B-11 107mm RCL
•  United States M-40A1-C-1 106mm RCL

See also

• Chad Air Force
• Chadian Armed Forces
• Chadian National Armed Forces
• Nomad and National Guard

References

1. ^ Chadian armed forces, CSIS, 2006
2. ^ Reuters - Rebels down a Chadian gunship
3. ^ siai-marchetti.nl - SF.260 military customers
4. ^ Chadian Army Helicopters, Tanks Battle Rebels Besieging Presidential Palace
5. ^ Radio Netherlands Worldwide: Chad rebels kill army chief of staff
6. ^ Deagel.com - BM-21
7. ^ Deagel.com - M-46
8. ^ [1]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.