| Defence Force of Zambia | |
|---|---|
| Service branches | Zambian Army Zambian Air Force Zambia National Service |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-chief | Hakainde Hichilema |
| Minister of Defence | Ambrose Lufuma |
| Personnel | |
| Available for military service | 2,477,494, age 15–49 (2004 est.) |
| Fit for military service | 1,310,814, age 15–49 (2004 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | (2004 est.) |
| Active personnel | 15,150 (2022)[1] |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | $283 million (2023) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.3 (2023) |
| Related articles | |
| History | Rhodesian Bush War South African Border War Mozambican Civil War Capture of Lubumbashi |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Zambia |
The Zambian Defence Force is the military of Zambia. It consists of the Zambian Army, the Zambian Air Force, and the Zambia National Service.[2] The defence forces were formed at Zambian independence on 24 October 1964, from constituent units of the dissolved Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Armed Forces.[3] During the 1970s and 1980s, it played a key role in a number of regional conflicts, namely the South African Border War and Rhodesian Bush War.[4] Being a landlocked country Zambia has no navy, although the Zambian Army maintains a maritime patrol unit for maintaining security on inland bodies of water.[5]
- ^ The Military Balance 2022
- ^ Abrahams, Diane; Cawthra, Gavin; Williams, Rocklyn (2003). Ourselves To Know: Civil-military Relations and Defence Transformation in Southern Africa. Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies South Africa. pp. 3–6. ISBN 978-0812216202.
- ^ Wele, Patrick (1995). Zambia's most famous dissidents: from Mushala to Luchembe. Solwezi, Zambia: PMW. pp. 150–159. OCLC 37615501.
- ^ Stiff, P. (2000). The Covert War: Koevoet Operations in Namibia 1979-1989. Galago Publishihg Pty Ltd. pp. 43–49. ISBN 978-1-919854-03-8.
- ^ 'Zambia Army Commando Unit splits, forms Marine Unit', Lusaka Voice, 18 February 2015, accessed 5 February 2017, <http://lusakavoice.com/2015/02/18/zambia-army-commando-unit-splits-forms-marine-unit/ Archived 2017-03-23 at the Wayback Machine>