| Eritrean Defence Forces ምክልካል ሃይልታት ኣርትራ ﺍﻟﻘﻭﺍﺖ ﺍﻟﺪﻓﺎﻉ ﺍﻹﺮﺗﺮﻱ |
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.jpg/200px-Soldiers_of_Eritrea_(women).jpg) Female soldiers of Eritrea |
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| Service branches | Eritrean Army Eritrean Air Force Eritrean Navy |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Isaias Afewerki |
| Minister of Defence | General Sebhat Ephrem |
| Military age | 18 |
| Conscription | 18 months |
| Available for military service |
1,785,023 (2005 est. The Eritrean Army is the largest branch of the Eritrean Defence Forces and is based in the Eritrean capital Asmara. The Eritrean Air Force was established shortly after Eritrean War of Independence in 1994 The Eritrean Navy is a smaller branch of the Eritrean Defence Forces. Isaias Afewerki (born 2 February 1946 is the first and current President of Eritrea. Sebhat Ephrem is the Minister of Defence for Eritrea, and former Eritrean People's Liberation Front commander during the Eritrean War of Independence. ), age 15–49 |
| Fit for military service |
1,117,979 (2005 est. ), age 15–49 |
| Active personnel | 202,000[1] |
| Expenditures | |
| Percent of GDP | 6. 3% (2006 est. ) |
The Eritrean Defence Forces military role stems from Eritrea's strategic geographical location. Eritrea () ( Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾErtrā, Arabic: إرتريا Iritriya) officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in It is located on the Red Sea with a foothold on the Straits of Bab al-Mandeb. The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. In 2001 Eritrea had the largest military in the world per capita. [2]
Contents |
History
In the 16th century the ports of Massawa were used by the Ottomans to protect sea lanes from disruption while more recently it was used by the Italians. Massawa, formerly known as Mitsiwa ( Ge'ez ምጽዋ miṣṣiwa, Arabic مصوع maṣṣawaʿ The Colony of Eritrea was founded by the Italians in 1890 shortly after the opening of the Suez Canal. The Italians expanded their possessions into Ethiopia. Eritrean 'askaris' (native soldiers), along with Italian troops occupied Ethiopia in 1936 however, this was reversed by British troops in 1941. Askari is an Arabic, Turkish, Somali, Persian, and Swahili word meaning "soldier" (عسكري ‘askarī The Eritrean infantry battalions and cavalry squadrons of the "Reale Esercito Coloniale" (Royal Colonial Army) saw extensive service in the various Italian colonial territories between 1888 and 1942.
During the war for Eritrea's independence, the rebel movements (the ELF and the EPLF) used volunteers. The Eritrean Liberation Front was the main secessionist movement in Eritrea which sought Eritrea's Independence from Ethiopia during the 1960s and 1970s The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF was an armed organization that fought for the independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. In the final years of the Struggle for independence, the EPLF ranks grew to 110,000 volunteers (some 3% of the population).
Manpower
The Eritrean Defence Forces are one of the largest in Africa alongside Ethiopia, Egypt & Morocco. The size of Eritrea's population is small, particularly when compared to its neighbours. A military composed fully of career soldiers would not be adequate to meet the nation's defence needs. During peacetime the military of Eritrea numbers approximately 45,000[3] with a reserve force approximately 250,000[4] strong and growing.
National service
Every able bodied man and woman is required to serve for 1½ years. In this time they will receive six months of military training and the balance will be spent working on national reconstruction projects. This is outlined in both the Constitution of Eritrea and Proclamation 82 issued by the National Assembly in 1995-10-23. The National Assembly ( Hagerawi Baito) has 104 members 60 members appointed and 44 members representing the members of the Central Committee of the People's Front for Democracy Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - [5] The period of enlistment may be extended during times of national crisis. This program aims to compensate for Eritrea’s lack of capital and to reduce dependence on foreign aid, while welding together an ethnically diverse society, half Christian and half Muslim, representing nine ethnic groups. [6]
Military training is given at the Sawa Defence Training Centre and Kiloma Military Training Centre. The Sawa Defence Training Centre is a school where Eritrean youth from across the country must go to attend grades 11 and 12 of high school At the end of the 1½ year national service, the serviceman can elect to stay on and become a career military officer. If the serviceman elects otherwise they return to their civilian lives but will continue to be a reservist. According to the Government of Eritrea, "The sole objective of the National Service program is thus to cultivate capable, hardworking, and alert individuals. "[1]
Current issues
As of 2006, Eritrea is embroiled in a military stalemate with its neighbour and rival, Ethiopia. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It is estimated that Eritrea maintains a force of at least 300,000 soldiers on the border with Ethiopia. While this matches the Ethiopian side, it is done so at considerably greater proportionate expense, given the far larger population from which Ethiopia is able to draw.
Branches of the EDF
The Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) are composed of three branches: Air Force, Army, and Navy. By far the Army is larger than the Air Force and Navy. The Commander-in-Chief of the EDF is the President of Eritrea. List of Heads of State of Eritrea (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office Affiliations See also
The Minister of Defence oversees the EDF on a day-to-day basis.
References
- ^ a b "Conscripts prepare to boost Eritrea's defenses". Retrieved on 2007-03-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant
- ^ Armed forces personnel (per capita) by country. Retrieved on 2007-07-31. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently
- ^ Killion, Tom (1998). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3437-5.
- ^ Asmara's Finest. Retrieved on 2006-09-04. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself
- ^ Eritrea. Retrieved on 2006-10-13. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees
- ^ Connell, Dan (September 1997). Eritrea. Retrieved on 2006-09-19. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I.
- This article incorporates public domain text from U.S. State Department Background Notes. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
External links
- ACIG
- AFVID (Mika Golf's armored vehicles) Eritrean fighting vehicles
- Hazegray World Navies Today - Eritrea
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