Zambian Defence Force

The Zambian Defence Force consists of the Zambia Army, the Zambia Air Force and Zambia National Service, a training and public works organisation.^{[lower-alpha 1]} The Zambian Defence Force is established for the defence of Zambia. Being a landlocked country Zambia has no navy, although a small Marine Unit was formed in Zambia Army during 2015 to patrol inland waterbodies.^[1]

Command

During 1970 Zambia adopted a unified command system, in which the three Service Chiefs reported to a Commander of the 'Zambian National Defence Force' (ZNDF). The Commander of Zambia Air Force at the time, Air Commodore Peter Zuze, was promoted to Lieutenant-General and appointed as Deputy Commander of the ZNDF.^[2] However, the Zambia Air Force and Zambia National Service resented this system because Army officers filled most senior appointments in the ZNDF and the system was ended in 1980. The country then reverted to the command system inherited at independence where Service Chiefs report to the Head of State.^[3]

The current (2017) Command is:

- President and Commander-in-Chief: Edgar Lungu (from January 2015)

- Defence Minister: Davies Chama (from September 2016)

- Permanent Secretary for Defence: Stardy Mwale^[4]

- Commander Zambia Army: Lieutenant-General Paul Mihova (from October 2011)

- Deputy Commander Zambia Army: Major-General Jackson Miti (from September 2016)

- Commander Zambia Air Force: Lieutenant-General Eric M. Chimese

- Deputy Commander Zambia Air Force: Major-General David Muma (from January 2015; a predecessor, Major-General Muliokela Muliokela, was killed in an aircraft accident during May 2014).

- Commandant Zambia National Service: Lieutenant-General Nathan Mulenga

Zambia Army

Organisation

The current Army organisation is:^[5][6][7]

Three infantry brigades -

1 Brigade, Lusaka^[8]

2 Brigade, Kabwe (during July 2016 the Brigade Commander was Brigadier Martin Banda)

3 Brigade, Ndola (during March 2017 the Brigade Commander was Brigadier Laston Chabinga)

With the following units:

• 64 Armoured Regiment (tank). U.S. State Department International Military Education and Training records from FY-2006 indicate a Zambian officer attended from 64 Armoured Regiment at Mikongo Barracks, east Lusaka.^[9]
• 17 Cavalry Regiment (armoured reconnaissance)
• 10 Medium Regiment, Kalewa Barracks, Ndola (also given as an artillery regiment/brigade of two Fire Direction Artillery Battalions and one Multiple Rocket Launchers battalion)
• 1 Engineer Regiment, Mufulira
• 6 Construction Regiment, raised March 2017?^[10]
• one mechanised battalion
• six light infantry battalions, titled 1 to 6 Battalions Zambia Regiment
• 1 Commando Battalion (special forces), Ndola
• 48 Marine Unit, Kawambwa, raised July 2015.^[11][12]
• three reserve infantry battalions (7 to 9 Battalions Zambia Regiment^[13])
• Support units (logistics, transport, medical, ordnance, electrical and mechanical engineering)
• Specialist schools (armour, artillery, engineers and signals)

Equipment

Small Arms

• RPG-7^[14]
• FN FAL^[14]
• Heckler & Koch G3^[14]
• AKM^[14]
• AK-47^[14]
• Sterling submachine gun^[14]
• DShK^[14]
• PK machine gun^[14]

Vehicles and Towed Artillery

	Origin	Type	Versions	In service	Notes
T-54/55	Soviet Union	Main Battle Tank		25[15]	Deliveries in 1976 and 1981.
PT-76	Soviet Union	Light tank		50[15]
BTR-70	Soviet Union	Armoured Personnel Carrier		20[15]
BTR-60	Soviet Union	Armoured Personnel Carrier		13[15]
WZ551	China	Armoured Personnel Carrier	6X6 WZ551B variant.[15]	20
Buffel	South Africa	Armoured Personnel Carrier	Rhino variant.	1[15]
Ratel	South Africa	Infantry Fighting Vehicle		14[16]
Ferret	United Kingdom	Armoured car		28	Inherited from Northern Rhodesian security forces.[15]
BRDM-2	Soviet Union	Scout car		44	Acquired in 1981.[15]
BRDM-1	Soviet Union	Scout car		44	Acquired in 1980.[15]
D-30	Soviet Union	Howitzer		24[15]
M-46	China	Howitzer	Type 59.	18[15]
BM-21	Soviet Union	MLRS		50[15]

Zambia Air Force

Zambia Air Force is a small air force that developed from the rump of the former Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Air Force. In recent years the aircraft inventory has largely been updated with Chinese aircraft reflecting the increasing closeness between the Zambian Defence Force and China. During 1999 eight Karakorum-8 jet trainers were delivered and in 2006 Zambia Air Force received two Xian MA60 and five Yakovlev Yak-12 transport aircraft from China. During March 2012 a further eight K-8 were received.^[17] Four Harbin Z-9 helicopters were delivered during June 2012, with a further four delivered by March 2013 (when one of the new aircraft was lost in an accident, see below).^[18]

During April 2014 six Hongdu L-15 Falcon supersonic lead-in fighter/trainer jets were ordered from China, the first arriving in December 2015. Around the same time orders were placed for six SIAI-Marchetti SF.260TW trainer aircraft, one Alenia C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, and a number of Russian-made Mil Mi-17 helicopters.^[19] These orders were expected to be delivered during 2016.^[20]

Recent aircraft losses

• On 13 March 2013 a Harbin Z-9 helicopter crashed while attempting to land at Lusaka City Airport. The pilot, Major Misapa Mukupa, was killed and the co-pilot, Lieutenant Kenneth Chilala, injured. The helicopter was taking part in Youth Day celebrations and it was suggested the accident was caused by a national flag attached to the aircraft coming loose and then entangled in the tail rotor.^[21]

• On 15 January 2014 a Saab MFI.17 Supporter trainer crashed some 40 km from Livingstone. Both crew were killed.^{[22] [23]}

• On 19 May 2014 a Saab MFI.15 crashed in Lusaka West. Both crew were killed. The crew were the Deputy Commander ZAF, Major-General Muliokela Muliokela, and Colonel Brian Mweene.^{[24] [25]}

• On 14 September 2015 an Agusta-Bell AB.205 helicopter crashed near Sinazongwe, apparently while returning from taking Defence Minister Richwell Siamunene on a private trip.^[26] Five people were injured.^[27]

Zambia National Service

Zambia National Service (ZNS) personnel have been included in peacekeeping contingents deployed by Zambia to the United Nation's MINUSCA mission in the Central African Republic.^[28]

Six months of training for 400 youths was planned for 2016. This was to include 200 males to be trained at Chiwoko ZNS Training Centre, Katete, Eastern Province, and 200 females to be trained at the Kitwe ZNS training camp.^{[29] [30]}

United Nations Peacekeeping Missions

Zambia has been an active participant in several UN peacekeeping operations, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Zambian personnel have been fated to be caught up in some of the more dramatic incidents of recent UN Peacekeeping in Africa: witnessing the Kibeho Massacre in Rwanda during April 1995; having large numbers of Zambian peacekeepers taken hostage by rebels in Sierra Leone during 2000; ^[31] and with troops caught up in fighting between Sudanese and South Sudanese forces in the contested Abyei area during May 2011.^[32] Despite these crises Zambian forces have generally performed well and earned a reputation as effective peacekeepers.^[33][34]

UN missions which have seen the deployment of battalions of Zambian troops, or other significant contingents, include the following.

UNAMIR (United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda)

Three Zambian fatalities.^[35]

UNAMSIL (United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone)

Thirty-four Zambian fatalities.^[36]

• Zambatt 1, deployed April 2000. Shortly after deployment some 200 Zambian peacekeepers were taken hostage by rebels and some were later murdered.^[37]
• Zambatt 2.
• Zambatt 3 (Lt. Col. MS Sitwala). On 5 January 2002 six personnel were killed and another 12 injured in an accidental explosion while transferring surrendered mortar bombs to storage.^[38]
• Zambatt 4, deployed mid-2002, 830 strong.^[39]
• Zambatt 5.
• Zambatt 6.
• Zambatt 7 (Col. John Siame) – 821 personnel; deployed February 2004 to …^[40] (Note: Sgt [Ms] Megani Forry died of natural causes during deployment, early 2004.^[41])

UNMIS (United Nations Mission in the Sudan)

Three Zambian fatalities. ^[42] Four Zambian peacekeepers were wounded on 10 May 2011,^[43] shortly before the independence of South Sudan and before an outbreak of fighting when the Zambians were criticised for not better protecting civilians.^[44]

MINUSCA (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic)

• Zambatt 1, 750 personnel, including 50 Special Forces, deployed 30 April 2015 to April 2016.^[45]

• Zambatt 2, deployed 22 April 2016.^[46]

• Zambatt 3 (Lt. Col. John Banda), 750 personnel. Undertaking pre-deployment training under Zambian, United States and British instructors during March 2017.^[47]

See also

• Zambia
• Zambia Air Force
• Zambia Army

Notes

References