Military of Djibouti - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Military of Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...

consists of the Djibouti National Army. It is located on the Gulf of Aden

Gulf of Aden

The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....

and Bab al-Mandab with a foothold on the Red Sea

Red Sea

The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...

History

The Military of Djibouti is officially referred to as the Djibouti Armed Forces (Forces Armees Djiboutiennes, FAD). It includes the Djibouti National Army, which consists of the Coastal Navy, the Djiboutian Air Force (Force Aerienne Djiboutienne, FAD), and the National Gendarmerie (GN).

The first war which involved the Djiboutian armed forces, was the Djiboutian Civil War

Djiboutian Civil War

The Djiboutian Civil War was a conflict in Djibouti between the People's Rally for Progress government and the predominantly Afar rebel group, the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy...

between the Djiboutian government, supported by France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, and the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy

Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy

The Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy , is a political party in Djibouti. It is aligned with the interests of the Afar people who live in that country, although it has supporters residing outside of Djibouti....

(FRUD). The war lasted from 1991 to 2001, although most of the hostilities ended when the moderate factions of FRUD signed a peace treaty with the government after suffering an extensive military setback when the government forces captured most of the rebel-held territory. A radical group continued to fight the government, but signed its own peace treaty in 2001. The war ended in a government victory, and FRUD became a political party.

Djibouti has fought in clashes against Eritrea

Eritrea

Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...

over the Ras Doumeira peninsula, which both countries claim to be under their sovereignty. The first clash occurred in 1996 after a nearly two-months stand-off. In 1999, a political crisis occurred when both sides accused each other for supporting its enemies. In 2008, the countries clashed again when Djibouti refused to return Eritrean deserters and Eritrea responded by firing at the Djiboutian forces. In the following battles, some 44 Djiboutian troops and some estimated 100 Eritreans were killed.

France

France's 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade

13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade

The 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade is a mechanized infantry demi-brigade in the French Foreign Legion. It is the only permanent demi-brigade in the French Army, and is a unit of particular notoriety and reputation within the Legion...

and 5e RIAOM

5th Overseas Interarms Regiment

The 5th Overseas Interarm Regiment is a troupes de marine regiment stationed in Djibouti...

are currently stationed in Djibouti.

United States of America

There is also Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, a U.S. force of more than 3,500, currently deployed in the country at Camp Lemonnier.

Japan

Currently, approximately 170 soldiers of the JGSDF and the JMSDF are currently stationed in Djibouti, with their base and naval port recently opening in July 2011. JSDF soldiers are based in the "Japanese Facility for Counter-Piracy Mission in Djibouti." and are planned to be based in Djibouti for 10 years as a relay station for any JSDF deployment in East Africa.

Armoured vehicles

Name	Type	Origins	Notes
T-72 T-72 The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...	Main battle tank	\	some 42 on order.
Ratel IFV Ratel IFV The Ratel is the basic Infantry Fighting Vehicle of the South African National Defence Force's mechanized infantry battalions. Ratel is the Afrikaans name for the honey badger, which has a reputation as a ferocious fighter.-History:...	Infantry fighting vehicle	South Africa
Panhard AML Panhard AML -Former Operators:: unknown number of AML-60s and AML-90s in service between 1960-1975.: 34 Eland 90s and Eland 60s in service with the Rhodesian Security Forces in 1979, passed on to successor state.-Trivia:...	Light armoured car	Early Modern France
BTR-80 BTR-80 BTR-80 is an 8x8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed in the Soviet Union. Production started in 1986 and replaced the previous versions, BTR-60 and BTR-70 in the Soviet army. -Description:The Soviets based the BTR-80 on the BTR-70 APC...	Armoured personnel carrier
BTR-70 BTR-70 The BTR-70 is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier , originally developed during the late 1960s under the industrial designator GAZ-4905. On August 21, 1972, it was accepted into service and would later be exported to the Warsaw Pact and other allies...	Armoured personnel carrier
BTR-60 BTR-60 The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers. It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen first time in public in 1961...	Armoured personnel carrier
Humvee	Light Armored Car	United States
ACMAT ACMAT ACMAT , is a French producer of cross-country and tactical military vehicles since 1958...	None	Early Modern France
Véhicule Blindé Léger	all-terrain vehicle	Early Modern France
Casspir Casspir The Casspir is a landmine-protected personnel carrier that has been in use in South Africa for over 20 years. It is a four wheeled armoured vehicle, used for transport of troops. It can hold a crew of two, plus 12 additional soldiers and associated gear. The Casspir was unique in design when...	Armored personnel carrier	South Africa

Artillery

Name	Type	Origins
BM-21 Grad	Multiple rocket launcher
Type 63 multiple rocket launcher Type 63 multiple rocket launcher The Type 63 multiple rocket launcher is a towed, 12-tube, 107mm rocket launcher produced by the People's Republic of China in the early 1960s, based on the Soviet BM-12 MRS and using similar rockets...	Multiple rocket launcher	People's Republic of China
122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30)	Howitzer
OTO Melara Mod 56 OTO Melara Mod 56 The OTO-Melara Mod 56 is an Italian-made 105 mm pack howitzer built and developed by OTO-Melara. It fires the standard US type M1 ammunition.-History:...	Pack Howitzer
Mortier 120mm Rayé Tracté Modèle F1 Mortier 120mm Rayé Tracté Modèle F1 The MO-120 RT-61 or MO-120-RT is a heavy mortar of French origin. It was designed by Thomson-Brandt as the successor for the MO-120 AM-50...	Heavy mortar
Brandt MO-81 81mm	medium mortar
Brandt M0-60 60mm	light mortar

Light weapons

Name	Type	Origins	Notes
Mk 19 grenade launcher Mk 19 grenade launcher The Mk 19 Grenade Launcher is a 40 mm belt-fed automatic grenade launcher or grenade machine gun that entered U.S. military service during the Cold War, first seeing action during the Vietnam War and remaining in service today.-Overview:...	Automatic grenade launcher
APILAS APILAS APILAS is a portable one-shot 112 mm recoilless anti-tank weapon, designed in France by GIAT Industries...	Anti-tank weapon
LARC-89	Anti-tank weapon
RPG-7 RPG-7 The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...	Rocket-propelled grenade
M40 recoilless rifle M40 recoilless rifle The M40 recoilless rifle was a lightweight, portable, crew-served 105 mm weapon intended primarily as an anti-tank weapon made in the United States...	Recoilless rifle

Air Defense

Name	Type	Origins	Notes
M-693\53-T-2 20mm	Anti-Aircraft Twin Autocannon
ZU-23-2 ZU-23-2 The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23 mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for Zenitnaya Ustanovka - anti-aircraft mount.-Development history:...	Anti-Aircraft Twin Autocannon
Bofors 40 mm	Autocannon

Unarmoured vehicles

2 M997 Ambulance (USA)

13 Landrover Defender (UK)

4 Mercedes Benz G-Wagen (Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

)

14 Toyota Land Cruiser (Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

)

4 Unimog (Germany

Germany

)

10 Reo M-35A-2 (USA)

4 TRM-150 (USSR)

3 Ural trucks (Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

)

Small arms

24x Bereta Mod92FS (Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

)

Mle 50\D (France

France

)

PA-15S (France

France

)

MAC-50 (France

France

)

MAT-49 (France

France

)

FN FAL (Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

)

400x FAMAS F-1 (France

France

)

50x Colt M4A1\R-979 (USA)

2,300x Colt M16A4 (USA)

4 xM-700\M24SW (USA) S

AKM\MPI-KM (USSR)

AKMS\MPI-KSM (USSR)

AK-47 Kalashnikov (USSR)

Type-56 (China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

)

SG-540 (Swiss)

Model-58 (Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

)

H&K G-3A-3 (Germany

Germany

)

IMI Galil AR (Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

)

Aug AI Steyr (Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

)

AA-52\AAT-NF-1 Char No1\AA-52FM (France

France

)

FN-MAG T-2 60-20 (Belgium

Belgium

)

15x PKTM 7.62mm (USSR)

15x KPV 14.5mm (USSR)

RPD (USSR)

RPK (USSR)

14x Browning M2HB 12.7mm (USA)

NSV 12.7mm (USSR)

6 Type 85 HMG (China

China

)

Colt M203 (USA)

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