Armed Forces of Gabon

Armed Forces of Gabon
Forces armées gabonaises
Gabonese Coat of arms
Founded1960
Service branchesArmy[1]
Air Force
Navy
National Gendarmerie
HeadquartersLibreville
Leadership
Commander in ChiefGeneral Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema
Minister of National DefenceFélicité Ongouori Ngoubili[2]
Chief of StaffJean Claude Ella-Ekogha
Personnel
Military age20 years of age[1]
Active personnel5,000 (2017)
Expenditure
Budget$81.52 million (FY17)
Percent of GDP0.55% (FY17)
Industry
Foreign suppliersFrance
United States
Related articles
History1964 Gabonese coup d'état
Central African Republic Civil War
2019 Gabonese coup d'état attempt
2023 Gabonese coup d'état
RanksMilitary ranks of Gabon

The Armed Forces of Gabon (French: Forces armées gabonaises), officially the Gabonese Defense and Security Forces (French: forces de défense et de sécurité gabonaises), is the national professional military of Gabon, divided into the Army, Air Force, Navy, and a National Gendarmerie, consisting of about 5,000 personnel. The armed forces includes a well-trained, well-equipped 1,800-member guard that provides security for the President of Gabon.

Organizational structure

Army

Personnel of the Armed Forces stand in formation during the opening day ceremony of the Central Accord Exercise in Libreville.

The Gabonese Army (French: Armée de terre gabonaise) is the land component of the armed forces, specializing in infantry and mechanized reconnaissance. It was created on December 6, 1960, by decree of president Léon M'ba from non-commissioned officers who served in the French colonial army, mainly the 2nd company of the 21st BIMA. Following independence, Gabon signed defense agreements with France, mainly on technical assistance and training. Until June 1964, the title of Chief of Staff of the Gabonese Armed Forces was held by a senior French Army officer. In 1962 a detachment of the Auxiliary Women of the Gabonese Armed Forces (AFFAG), commanded by Lieutenant Ba Oumar at the military camp of Owendo, was created. President M'ba promoted the initiative following a visit to Tel Aviv, Israel, where he met female staff in its Defense Forces.

Order of battle

  • Republican Guard Battalion (Libreville)
      • 1 Light Armoured recon unit
    • 3 Infantry companies
      • 1 Artillery battery
    • 1 Air Defence battery
  • Airborne Regiment
    • 1 Command company
    • 1 Recon & Support company
    • 3 Airborne companies
  • 1 Light Armoured Recon Battalion
    • 2 Armoured squads
    • 1 Command & Logistics company
  • Support Command Regiment
    • 1 Artillery battery
    • 1 Mortar battery
    • 1 MRLS battery (8 Teruel MRL)
    • 1 Engineer company
    • Logistic units
  • 7 Military Regions
    • 7 Motorised infantry battalions (1 battalion for each region)

Air Force

Main article: Gabonese Air Force

Order of battle

  • Fighter Squadron 1-02 Leyou at BA02 Franceville with:
    • Mirage F-1AZ
    • MB-326M Impala I
  • Heavy Transport Squadron at BA01 Libreville with:
    • C-130 Hercules
    • CN-235
  • Ministerial Air Liaison Group (Groupe de Liaison Aérien Ministériel or GLAM) at BA01 Libreville with:
    • 1 Falcon-900EX
    • 1 Gulfstream-III

Facilities

The Gabonese Navy uses a P400-class patrol vessel similar to this one
Main article: Gabonese Navy

The Gabonese Navy (French: Marine Nationale du Gabon) is the official maritime branch of the armed forces. It was created in December 1960 as part of the army, and only became an independent entity in 1983. The navy's core purpose is to monitor the country's coastal waters, including 800 km of coastline.[3]

Other security forces

National Gendarmerie

The National Gendarmerie of Gabon (Gendarmerie nationale gabonaise) is the national police force of Gabon responsible for law enforcement in the country. It was formed on March 10, 1960, when Gabon, formerly French Equatorial Africa, gained its independence from France. It originated from Libreville Gendarmerie Detachment 1929, which was commanded by Governor General of French Equatorial Africa, Félix Eboue. The main tasks of the gendarmerie are to defend the country's borders, ensure public safety, and to enforce actions taken by judicial and government authorities. The National Gendarmerie is under the direct command of the President of Gabon.[4][5][6]

Republican Guard

The Gendarmerie is also in charge of the Republican Guard (French: Garde républicaine, GR).[7] It is viewed as the most powerful and sophisticated of the security forces. It is primarily tasked with protecting the president and ensures regime stability.

Equipment

Small arms

Name Origin Type Variant Notes
M16 rifle[8] United States Assault rifle
FN FAL[8] Belgium Battle rifle
FN CAL[8] Belgium Assault rifle
FN MAG[8] Belgium General-purpose machine gun
AK-47[8] Soviet Union Assault rifle
AKM[8] Soviet Union Assault rifle
RPD[8] Soviet Union Light machine gun
FAMAS[8] France Assault rifle Bullpup design
MILAN[9] France Anti-tank guided missile
M40[9] United States Recoilless rifle M40A1

Armour

Name Origin Type In Service Notes
Armored fighting vehicles
AML-60/AML-90 France/South Africa Reconnaissance vehicle 24[9] Including the South African Eland derivative.[10]
EE-3 Jararaca Brazil Reconnaissance vehicle 12[9]
EE-9 Cascavel Brazil Reconnaissance vehicle 14[9]
ERC-90F4 Sagaie France Reconnaissance vehicle 6[9]
RAM MK3 Israel Reconnaissance vehicle 7[9]
Véhicule Blindé Léger France Reconnaissance vehicle 14[9]
EE-11 Urutu Brazil Infantry fighting vehicle 12[9] Armed with 20 mm gun.[9]
VN-1 China Infantry fighting vehicle 5[9]
Type 07P China Infantry fighting vehicle 14[11]
V-150 Command United States Armoured personnel carrier 9[9]
Bastion France Armoured personnel carrier 5[9]
WZ-523 China Armoured personnel carrier 3[9]
Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé France Armoured personnel carrier 5[9]
VXB-170 France Armoured personnel carrier 12[9]
Pandur I Austria Armoured personnel carrier 1[12][9]
ZFB-05 China Armoured personnel carrier 3[11]
Aravis France Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected 8[9]
Matador South Africa Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected 24[11]
Ashok Leyland MPV India Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected 34[9]

Artillery

Name Origin Type In Service Notes
M101 United States 105 mm towed howitzer 4[9]
Type 63 China 107 mm multiple rocket launcher 16[9]
Type 90 China 122 mm multiple rocket launcher 4[11]
Teruel Spain 140 mm multiple rocket launcher 8[9]
MO-120-RT France 120 mm mortar 4[9][11]

Air defense

Name Origin Type In Service Notes
ERC-20 France 20mm self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon 4[9]
ZPU-4 Soviet Union 14.5mm towed anti-aircraft gun Unknown[9]
ZU-23-2 Soviet Union 23 mm towed anti-aircraft gun 24[9]
M1939 Soviet Union 37 mm towed anti-aircraft gun 10[9]
L/70 Sweden 40 mm towed anti-aircraft gun 3[9]

Current inventory

Main article: Gabonese Air Force § Current inventory

Retired aircraft

Previous aircraft operated were the CM.170 Magister, Embraer EMB 110, Fokker F28, Aérospatiale N 262, Reims C.337, and the Alouette II helicopter.[13][14]

Vessel Origin Type In service Notes
Kership France Offshore patrol 1 on order[15]
P400 France Coastal patrol 3[16]
BATRAL France Landing craft 1[16] 2 ordered, only one received

Ceremonial traditions

  • In April 2001, then-Defense Minister Bongo visited China, during which he reviewed the PLA honor guard upon arrival, and proposed to his Chinese counterpart Chi Haotian that members of the battalion will go to Gabon to help set up and train professional ceremonial units in the Gabonese military. In March 2003, after just under three years, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense sent four officers led by Lieutenant Colonel Wang Yuanjing to Libreville by the end of November of that year, after which they stayed to train the Gabonese guard of honour for more than six months.[17][18]
  • The Principal Music Band of the Gabonese Defense Forces was created in 2010. It brings together elements of the Band of the National Gendarmerie, the Armed Forces and the Prytanée militaire de Libreville. It has a staff of 50 professional currently directed by Captain Jean-Baptiste Rabimbinongo. Its conductor, Lieutenant Léa Nzoufa Nze, was the first woman to conduct a military band to the Saumur International Festival of Military Bands. It takes part in many official ceremonies such as National Flag Day and the military parade marking the country's independence.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b "CIA World Fact 2015". cia.gov. 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  2. ^ Mounombou, Stevie (2021-03-09). "Gabon:Qui est Félicité Ongouori Ngoubili, nouvelle ministre de la Défense nationale?". Gabon Review. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  3. ^ "Calaméo - Marine nationale GABON". Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  4. ^ "La Gendarmerie Nationale || Ministère de la Défense Nationale". Archived from the original on 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  5. ^ "Gabon - Gendarmerie Nationale". Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  6. ^ "JournalDuGabon.com: La sécurité gabonaise change de visage". Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  7. ^ "Gabon, une "garde républicaine" préposée aux basses oeuvres - Mondafrique". Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab International Institute for Strategic Studies (2021). The Military Balance. Taylor & Francis. p. 466. ISBN 9781032012278.
  10. ^ Steenkamp, Willem; Helmoed-Römer, Heitman (September 2016). Mobility Conquers: The Story Of 61 Mechanised Battalion Group 1978-2005. Solihull: Helion & Company. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-911096-52-8.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org.
  12. ^ "Pandur 6×6 Wheeled Armoured Vehicles". Army Technology.
  13. ^ "World Air Forces 1987 pg. 56". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  14. ^ "World Military Helicopter Markey 1971 pg. 577". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  15. ^ "Kership to deliver two offshore patrol vessels to Gabonese Navy - Naval Technology". 3 November 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-11-07. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  16. ^ a b Trade Registers Archived 2010-04-14 at the Wayback Machine. Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved on 29 May 2015
  17. ^ "People's Daily Online -- PLA helps traing [sic] honor guard for Gabon". en.people.cn. Archived from the original on 2022-03-26. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  18. ^ "Gabon's Communication minister appreciates good Gabono-Chinese relations". Archived from the original on 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  19. ^ "Festival international de Musiques militaires Saumur 2019; Musiques et artistes invités 2019". www.comitedesfetes-saumur.fr. Archived from the original on 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2021-09-17.