Zambian Defence Force

Defence Force of Zambia
Service branchesZambian Army
Zambian Air Force
Zambia National Service
Leadership
Commander-in-chiefHakainde Hichilema
Minister of DefenceAmbrose 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 personnel15,150 (2022)[1]
Expenditure
Budget$283 million (2023)
Percent of GDP1.3 (2023)
Related articles
HistoryRhodesian Bush War
South African Border War
Mozambican Civil War
Capture of Lubumbashi
RanksMilitary ranks of Zambia
Rank insignia of Warrant Officer Class 2 for the army 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]

  1. ^ The Military Balance 2022
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Wele, Patrick (1995). Zambia's most famous dissidents: from Mushala to Luchembe. Solwezi, Zambia: PMW. pp. 150–159. OCLC 37615501.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ '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>