| Army of the Republic of Macedonia Армија на Република Македонија |
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Emblem of the Army of the Republic of Macedonia |
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| Current form | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Skopje |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Gjorge Ivanov |
| Minister of Defense | Fatmir Besimi |
| Chief of staff | BG [[]] |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 18[1] |
| Available for military service |
532,856 males, age 16-49[1], 513,684 females, age 16-49[1] |
| Fit for military service |
444,247 males, age 16-49[1], 427,556 females, age 16-49[1] |
| Reaching military age annually |
16,144[1] males, 14,920[1] females |
| Active personnel | 10,000 |
| Reserve personnel | 20,000 |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | 230,000,000 $ (2010 est.)[2] |
| Percent of GDP | 2,5% (2010 est.) [1] |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | Ukraine Serbia Bulgaria United States |
| Related articles | |
| History | Military history of Macedonia |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Macedonia |
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The Army of the Republic of Macedonia (Macedonian: Армија на Република Македонија, Armija na Republika Makedonija) is the name of the unified armed forces of the Republic of Macedonia. The Macedonian military is a defence force consisting of an army (Армија, Armija); an air force (Воено Воздухопловство, Voeno vozduhoplovstvo); and a professional military unit, the Macedonian Special Forces (Волци, Volci).
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The national defence policy aims to guarantee:
Its main interests remain the development and maintenance of a credible capability to defend the nation's vital interests and development of the Macedonia Army in such a way that ensures their interoperability with the armed forces of NATO and the European Union member states and their capability to participate in the full range of Alliance missions.[3]
The Republic of Macedonia abolished the compulsory military service as of October 2006. The Macedonian Army is the first in the region to consist fully of professional soldiers.[4]
The Army was heavily involved in trying to maintain order when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group attacked the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the beginning of January 2001. The conflict lasted throughout most of the year, although overall casualties remained limited to several dozen for either side, according to the sources from both of the sides in the conflict. The conflict was resolved by the adoption of the Ohrid Framework agreement in August 2001.
Macedonia has deployed 244 troops to Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.[5] On 13 September 2011, Macedonian forces were filmed fighting alongside U.S troops as they successfully repelled a Taliban attack on the ISAF headquarters in Kabul.[6]
The primary arm of the military in Macedonia is the Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM). The ARM is commanded by the Minister of Defense through the Chief of the General Staff (CGS) of the ARM. Two Deputy CGS positions include the Deputy CGS for planning, operations and readiness, under whom operates the General Staff of the ARM, and the Deputy CGS for civil-military cooperation.
The army is the main arm of the Macedonian ground forces. It plays the key role in securing the safety and unity of the territory of the Macedonian republic. The army is divided into the rapid reaction forces, strategic reserve forces and support forces. The rapid reaction forces represent the main active combat capability of the military and consist of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Brigade and the Armour Battalion. The strategic reserve forces provide reserve brigades that can be called up in times of emergency. The 3rd Brigade and 4th Brigade are considered priority reserve units, while a further six units, numbered five through ten, also are maintained. The support forces include a number of units to support the rapid reaction and reserve forces in operation.
The Macedonian Air Force is the main arm of the Macedonian aviation forces. It has an important role in enhancing flight safety of the Macedonian airspace. One of the main goals of the air force is to build up an air surveillance system, which will be the cornerstone of the air traffic safety and airspace control. The air component is made up by the Aviation Force and the Air Defense Forces.
The Aviation Force is located in Petrovec (near Skopje) and has a combat squadron of Mi-24 attack helicopters, a transport squadron and an Air Defense Battalion along with the Securing and Logistics Support Company.
| Army of Macedonia |
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| Timeline |
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History |
| Personnel |
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Notable officers | Senior officers |
| Equipment |
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Equipment of the Army of Macedonia |
Special Forces Command controls operations of Ranger Battalion, as well as the Special Force Battalions – Wolves.
Training Command consists of the educational centers in RM, and is responsible for ensuring training and readiness standards, in particular for meeting NATO requirements.
Formed in 2001, the Logistics Command oversees all combat service support operations, and controls the Land Forces Logistic Base, the Military Hospital, and the Facility for Building and Maintenance.
Other commands under the CGS include an electronic warfare unit, the Honor Guard Unit, the Lake Service and an engineer regiment and signal regiment.
| Name | Type | Quantity | Origin | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logistics and Utility Vehicles | |||||
| HMMWV[7] | Light Utility Vehicle | 56 | United States | 15 civilian versions purchased 41 received as military aid from USA in 1998 |
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| TAM-110[7] [8] | Light utility truck | 75 | Yugoslavia/ Slovenia | Left by JNA | |
| TAM-150[7] | Medium utility truck | 80 | Yugoslavia/ Slovenia | Left by JNA | |
| Iveco[7] | Medium utility truck | 44 | Italy | Military aid from Italy | |
| M35/44 truck[7] | Medium utility truck | 150 | United States | Received as part of US as military aid | |
| Armoured Fighting Vehicles | |||||
| BRDM-2[7] | Armoured amphibious scout car | 10 | Soviet Union | ||
| BTR-70[7] | Armoured personnel carrier | 58 | Soviet Union | Military aid from Germany, GDR stock 1998 | |
| BTR-80[7] | Armoured personnel carrier | 12 | Soviet Union | Acquired from Kazakhstan for Special Forces 1998 | |
| M113A1[7] | Armoured personnel carrier | 28 | United States | Military aid from Italy 1999 | |
| TM-170[7] | Armoured personnel carrier | 114 | Germany | ||
| Leonidas 1[7] | Armoured personnel carrier | 10 | Greece | Greek copy of the Saurer 4K 4FA produced by ELBO | |
| MT-LB[7] | Armoured personnel carrier | 10 | Soviet Union | ||
| BMP-2[7] | Infantry fighting vehicle | 11 | Soviet Union | ||
| T-72M1[7][9] | Main battle tank | 31 | Soviet Union | Acquired from Ukraine 2001 | |
| Boats | |||||
| Botica class (Type 16) | Patrol boat | 5 | Yugoslavia | 5 Ex-Yugoslavian patrol boats, 2 reported operational.[10] | |
| Name | Type | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
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| 120mm | Mortar | 143 | Yugoslavia | Inherited from JNA |
| M2A1[11] | Howitzer | 36 | United States | 105 mm US Military aid 1998-1999 |
| M-30[11] | Howitzer | 108 | Soviet Union | 122 mm military aid from Bulgaria 1999 |
| M-63 "Plamen"[11] | Multiple rocket launcher | 12 | Yugoslavia | 128 mm rocket |
| BM-21 Grad[11] | Multiple rocket launcher | 12 | Soviet Union | 122mm |
| Name | Type | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
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| SA-7 Grail[12] | MANPADS | 54 | Soviet Union | Inherited from JNA |
| SA-18 Grouse[12] | MANPADS | 10 | Soviet Union | |
| SA-13 Gopher[12][13] | SAM | 8 | Soviet Union |
| Name | Type | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
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| Makarov pistol | Pistol | Soviet Union | ||
| Heckler & Koch MP5 | Submachine gun | Germany | ||
| M4 | Assault rifle | United States | M4s sold by the USA as a 2008 Foreign Military Sales package. | |
| Zastava M21 | Assault rifle | Serbia | ||
| M60 | Assault rifle | Yugoslavia | Yugoslavian made AK-47 clone | |
| Zastava M70 | Assault rifle | Yugoslavia | ||
| Zastava M93 | Sniper rifle | Serbia | ||
| Zastava M84 | General purpose machine gun | Yugoslavia | ||
| NSV | Heavy machine gun | Soviet Union | ||
| M80 Zolja | Shoulder-launched missile weapon | 400+ | Yugoslavia/ Macedonia | |
| M79 Osa | Shoulder-launched missile weapon | Yugoslavia/ Serbia | ||
| M90 Stršljen | Shoulder-launched missile weapon | Serbia / Macedonia | ||
| M57 | Shoulder-launched missile weapon | 1,800 | Yugoslavia | In reserve |
T-34/85 x4 Inherited from JNA turned into museum pieces
T-55 x31 Inherited from JNA, all scarped
T-55A x94 Military aid from Bulgaria all retired
BTR-60P x31 Retired
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