Military of Sierra Leone
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| Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces |
|
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 |
| Current form | 2002 |
| Service branches | Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air Wing, Navy (Maritime Wing)) (CIA 2007) |
| Headquarters | Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Ernest Bai Koroma |
| Chief of the Defence Staff | Major General Edward Sam M’boma |
| Military age | 17 |
| Available for military service |
1,228,664 (2003 est.), age 17–49 |
| Fit for military service |
596,617 (2003 est.), age 17–49 |
| Reaching military age annually |
unknown |
| Active personnel | 13,500 |
| Reserve personnel | 500 |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $10.6 million (2006 est) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.5% (2002) |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers |  United Kingdom China United States |
| Related articles | |
| History | Sierra Leone Civil War Second Liberian Civil War World War II (former British Imperial units only) |
The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces is the armed forces of Sierra Leone responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone's border and defence the country against external attack and aggression. The armed forces were formed after independence in 1961, on the basis of elements of the former British Royal West African Frontier Force present in the country. Sierra Leone's Armed Forces is completely voluntary.
Before Sierra Leone gained independence in 1961 the military was known as the Royal Sierra Leone Military Force. On 19 April 1971, when Sierra Leone became a republic, the Royal Sierra Leone Military Forces were renamed the Republic of Sierra Leone Military Force (RSLMF).[1]
Following the long Sierra Leone civil war which the Sierra Leonian government fought against the Revolutionary United Front from 1991 - 2002, in which over 15,000 perished, new armed forces are being formed. The Armed Forces currently consist of around 13,500 personnel, according to the IISS Military Balance 2007. The British military, in the shape of a roughly 100-strong training team, is assisting in the formation of the new armed forces.
Major General Edward Sam M’boma is currently the Chief of the Defence Staff of the Republic of the Armed Forces, the professional head of Sierra Leone Armed Forces. He is responsible for the administration and the operational control of the Sierra Leonean military. It is the highest rank military position in the country. However, the power of the Chief of the Defense Staff does not confer command over the military, this power belongs exclusively to the President of Sierra Leone as being the Commander in Chief.
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[edit] Peace support operations
As stability and peace continue to be consolidated in Sierra Leone, the RSLAF is poised to participate and contribute to wider and international peace support operations. To this end the RSLAF has targeted 2007 as the base year to initiate a Company for Peace Support Operations in ECOWAS, AU and the UN. This would be gradually increased to a battalion strength by 2010. As a demonstration of this desire, a Peace Support Operations Course has been introduced into the curriculum of the Horton Military Academy in Freetown. The course is intended to enhance capacity building, and to train and prepare officers of the RSLAF for their future role and participation in the international peace support operations, and especially for the proposed West African Peace Keeping Force.
[edit] RSLAF HIV/AIDS programme
The RSLAF has been very active in complementing the efforts of government in the campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS.[2]
The RSLAF HIV/AIDS programme has been very proactive and successful in its campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS within and among soldiers, their spouses and dependents, and the general public.
At the height of the civil war there was an increase in the number of combatants admitted with HIV/AIDS related symptoms, like profuse diarrhea, persistent fever, chest pains and tuberculosis.
Since then a massive campaign launched has reduced the incidence of HIV/AIDS.
[edit] Branches
[edit] The Republic of Sierra Leone Army (RSLA)
By far the largest branch of The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, and is mainly responsible for protection of the state borders, the security of administered territories and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone within the framework of its international obligations.
The Army is modelled on the United Kingdom armed forces and came into existence after independence in 1961. It has an active force of about of 13,300 personnel. military service age eligibility is from 18-49 years.
[edit] The Republic of Sierra Leone Navy (RSLN)
The RSLN is an arm of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces. The navy has about 500 personnel and operates several small patrol craft and barges. Their primary responsiblilities is to protect and safeguard the territorial integrity of Sierra Leone's sea. Sierra Leone naval officers are trained by British forces. They received financial support from Britain and China. On April 24, 2006, Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong held talks with Sierra Leone's Vice President Solomon Berewa in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Both sides exchanged views on further developing bilateral ties, as well as international and regional issues of common interest, and reached broad consensus.
On September 25, 2007, Eight Guineans Naval officers arrested by Sierra Leone Navy for an act of piracy against locally-licensed fishermen inside Sierra Leonean waters.[3] British-trained Sierra Leone naval officers interrupted the high-seas hold-up by armed men in two launches on Sunday, 18 nautical miles off the capital Freetown inside the country's 200-mile (320-km) economic exclusion zone. One of the attacking speedboats escaped north towards Guinea, while the other was seized. The eight men arrested were found with AK-47 automatic rifles and bags of fish, including high-value snapper, taken off the Sierra Leone-licensed vessels.
[edit] Sources and links
- ^ Partners: Sierra Leone Armed Forces
- ^ Partners: Sierra Leone Armed Forces
- ^ BBC, S Leone Captures Guinea 'Pirates', accessed March 2008
- IISS Military Balance 2007, p.290-91
- http://www.rslaf.org/ - official site
- http://www.army.mod.uk/deployments/sierra_leone/index.htm - British led IMATT SL
This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2003 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
