Royal Cambodian Armed Forces

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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 RCAF was created in 1993 by the merger of the Cambodian People's Armed Forces and the two noncommunist resistance armies. There are also resistance forces opposing the Government comprised of the Khmer Rouge (also known as the National United Army or NUA) and a separate royalist resistance movement.

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.

1 Regions
2 Strength and Demobilisation
3 General information
4 Aircraft inventory
5 Sources and References

[edit] Regions

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.

[edit] Strength and Demobilisation

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.

[edit] General information

General statistics on Cambodia's national military situation per the Central Intelligence Agency based on 2005 estimates^[1]:

Branches of service: Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, with three branches: Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer Navy, and Royal Cambodian Air Force.
Military service age and obligation: All males age 18 to 30 to be registered for service. Obligatory service period of 18 months. (2006 law)
Military manpower available: 3,002,718 males and 3,108,254 females age 18 to 49.
Military manpower fit for service: 1,955,141 males and 2,048,611 females age 18 to 49.
Military manpower reaching age annually: 175,497 males and 172,788 females age 18 to 49.
Military expenditures as a percent of GDP: 3.0% (2001 estimate)

[edit] Aircraft inventory

All military aircraft in Cambodia are operated by the Royal Cambodian Air Force branch of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. A total of 27 aircraft are in operation, including 9 combat jets and 8 helicopters.

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service^[2]
Aero L-39	Czech Republic	trainer/light attack		5
Britten Norman Islander	United Kingdom	utility transport	BN-2A	3
Harbin Y-12	China	utility transport		2
Mikoyan MiG-21	Soviet Union	fighter		4
Mil Mi-8	Soviet Union	transport helicopter	Mi-8 Mi-17	4 2
Mil Mi-26	Soviet Union	transport helicopter		2
Tecnam P92	Italy	liaison		5