| Lao People's Army |
|
|---|---|
The Flag of Laos |
|
| Founded | 1975 |
| Service branches | *Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force |
| Headquarters | Vientiane |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Choummaly Sayasone |
| Minister for Defence | Lieutenant General Doungchay Phichit |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 15 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - minimum 18 months (2004) |
| Available for military service |
1,500,625 males, age 15–49 (2005 est.), 1,521,116 females, age 15–49 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service |
954,816 males, age 15–49 (2005 est.), 1,006,082 females, age 15–49 (2005 est.) |
| Active personnel | 29,100 (ranked 89) |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $55 million (1996-97) |
| Percent of GDP | 0.5% (2006) |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | Vietnam China |
| Related articles | |
| History | First Indochinese War Laotian Civil War |
The Lao People's Army is the name of the armed forces of Laos, who are charged with protecting the country. Until 1975, the Royal Laos Army were the armed forces of the Laos, along with the Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force and the Lao People's Navy.
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Serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; its mission focus is border and internal security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups; together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies, but the LPA also has upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks; there is no perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2008).[1]
The army of 130,000 was equipped with 25 main battle tanks. The army marine section, equipped with 16 patrol crafts, had 600 personnel. The air force, with 3,500 personnel, was equipped with anti-aircraft missiles and 24 combat aircraft. Militia self-defense forces numbered approximately 100,000 organized for local defense.
| Name | Type | Origin | Quality | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PT-76 | light amphibious tank | Soviet Union | 25 operational | |
| Type 59 | main battle tank | China | 30 operational | |
| BTR-60P | Wheeled Amphibious Armored Personnel Carrier | Soviet Union | 70 operational | |
| BTR-152 | Armored personnel carrier | Soviet Union | 45 | |
| ZSU-23-4 | Light Armored anti-aircraft | Soviet Union | 10 |
| Name | Type | Origin | Quality | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-30 122 mm howitzer | field howitzer | Soviet Union | 24 | |
| 57 mm AZP S-60 | Automatic anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | 18 | |
| 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) | Air defense gun | Soviet Union | 18 | |
| ZU-23-2 | anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | 48 | |
| ZPU-1/2/4 | auto anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | 100+ | |
| 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46) | field gun | Soviet Union | 16 | |
| 122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30) | Howitzer | Soviet Union | 48 | |
| Strela 2 | Surface to air missile | Soviet Union | 120 | |
| M114 155 mm howitzer | howitzer | United States | 10 | |
| M101 howitzer | 105mm (towed): M-101 | United States | 25 | |
| M116 howitzer | 75mm (towed): M-116 pack | United States | 10 |
Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force