Royal Cambodian Armed Forces
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) consists of the Supreme Command Headquarters (SCHQ) located in Phnom Penh, three distinct forces, the army, navy, air force and the military police. The army is the largest force with troops stationed in each province of the country. The Navy is the second largest force and operates at sea, along the Mekong and Bassac rivers and in the Tonle Sap Lake. The military police force numbers around 2,200 employees and runs parallel to the civilian police force. The military police have posts in every province and municipality across the country. The air force is the smallest of the forces and has around 1,000 employees. The air force operates in every province with an airport.
The RCAF command is divided geographically into five military regions and one special region. Each region includes several sub regions that correlate to civilian municipal and provincial boundaries:
Region One: Headquarters are in Stung Treng and the region covers the provinces of Stung Treng, Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri.
Region Two: Headquarters are in Kampong Cham and the region covers the provinces of Kampong Cham, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng and Kampong Thom.
Region Three: Headquarters are in Kampong Speu and the region covers the provinces of Kampong Speu, Takéo, Kampot, Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong and the municipality of Kep.
Region Four: Headquarters are in Siem Reap and the region covers the provinces of Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear.
Region Five: Headquarters are in Battambang and the region covers the provinces of Battambang, Pursat, Banteay Meanchey and the municipality of Pailin.
Special Region: Headquarters are in the capital, Phnom Penh and the region covers the provinces of Kampong Chhnang, Kandal and the greater municipality of Phnom Penh.
In 2002, Prince Sisowath Sirirath, then Co-Minister of Defense stated that the total Cambodian military strength stood at 111,232 persons (Cambodia Daily 3/9/02). With the end of fighting and the surrender of the last of the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian military has been undergoing substantial changes as it shifts to become a peacetime force.
Since 1999, the government has been working to demobilize large numbers of servicemen with support from the World Bank. Demobilization efforts began in February 2000 and the first 1,500 soldiers were demobilized in a pilot project later that year. In 2001, the first phase of demobilization got underway and 15,000 soldiers returned to civilian life in large ceremonies around the country. A second phase of demobilization was planned for 2003 where an additional 30,000 servicemen would leave the armed forces. However, the process has been stalled by allegations of corruption and procurement irregularities.
