Infobox National Military
country=Zimbabwe
name=Zimbabwe Defence Forces
native_name=


caption=Flag of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces


caption2=
founded=
current_form=1980
disbanded=
branches=Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police
headquarters=Harare
commander-in-chief=
commander-in-chief_title=
minister=
minister_title=
commander=
commander_title=
age=
conscription=18-24 years of age
manpower_data=2005 est.
manpower_age=18-49
available=2,778,404
available_f=2,681,531
fit=1,304,424
fit_f=1,115,096
reaching=
reaching_f=
active=29,000 military, 21,800 paramilitary
ranked=83rd
reserve=
deployed=
amount=US$60 million (2006)
percent_GDP=3.8% (2006)
domestic_suppliers=
foreign_suppliers=
imports=
exports=
history=Military history of Zimbabwe
ranks=The armed forces of Zimbabwe are composed of an army (ZNA) and an air force (AFZ). Being a landlocked country, Zimbabwe has no navy.

The ZNA currently has an active duty strength of 30,000. The air force has about 5,000 men assigned. In July 1994 the combined Zimbabwe Defence Forces Headquarters was created. The branches are Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police (includes Police Support Unit,Paramilitary Police).

The main service rifle is the AKM assault rifle.

It has been alleged by opposition leaders that the military has gained control of political life in Zimbabwe following the 2008 elections that saw the MDC become the majority party in the Parliament.

History

At the time of independence, the then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe declared that integrating Zimbabwe's three armed forces would be one of Zimbabwe's top priorities. The existing Rhodesian forces were combined with the two guerilla armies;the 20,000-strong ZANLA forces of ZANU-PF and the 15,000-strong ZIPRA forces of PF-ZAPU.

In 1999, the Government of Zimbabwe sent a sizeable military force into the Democratic Republic of Congo to support the government of President Laurent Kabila during the Second Congo War. Those forces were largely withdrawn in 2002.

References

* Central Intelligence Agency [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html The World Factbook - Zimbabwe]
* Page 299.

External links

* [http://www.mod.gov.zw/ Zimbabwe Ministry of Defence]

* [http://www.zimbabwedefence.com/ Zimbabwe Defence Forces Unofficial Website]