Military of Equatorial Guinea
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The '''[[military]] of [[Equatorial Guinea]]''' was reorganized in 1979. It consists of approximately 2,500 service members. The army has almost 1,400 soldiers, the police 400 paramilitary men, the navy 200 service members, and the air force about 120 members. There is also a [[Gendarmerie]], but the number of members is unknown. The Gendarmerie is a new branch of the service in which training and education is being supported by the French Military Cooperation in Equatorial Guinea. Overall the military is poorly trained and equipped. It has mostly small arms, [[Rocket propelled grenade|RPG]]s, and [[Mortar (weapon)|mortars]]. Almost none of its [[Soviet]]-style light-armored vehicles or trucks are operational.
In 1988, the [[United States]] donated a 68-foot patrol boat to the Equatoguinean navy to patrol its exclusive economic zone. The U.S. patrol boat "Isla de Bioko" is no longer operational. U.S. military-to-military engagement has been dormant since 1997 (the year of the last [[Joint Combined Exchange Training Exercise]]). Between 1984 and 1992, service members went regularly to the United States on the International Military Education Training program, after which funding for this program for Equatorial Guinea ceased. The government spent 6.5% of its annual budget on defense in 2000 and 4.5% of its budget on defense in 2001. It recently acquired some Chinese artillery pieces, some Ukrainian patrol boats, and some Ukrainian helicopter gunships. The number of paved airports in Equatorial Guinea can be counted on one hand, and as such the number of aeroplanes operated by the airforce is small. The Equatoguineans rely on foreigners to operate and maintain this equipment as they are not sufficiently trained to do so.
Military appointments are all reviewed by [[Teodoro Obiang|President Obiang]], and few of the native militiamen come from outside of Obiang's [[Mongomo]] based Esangui clan. Obiang was a general when he overthrew his uncle, [[Francisco Macías Nguema]].
; Military branches:
: Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force, National Police
; Military manpower - availability:
: Males age 15-49: 105,420 (2000 est.)
; Military manpower - fit for military service:
: Males age 15-49: 53,564 (2000 est.)
; Military expenditures - dollar figure:
: $3 million (FY97/98)
; Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
: 0.6% (FY97/98)
== Theft of Military Hardware ==
It has been reported that in January 2006 a [[Saint Kitts & Nevis]] flagged cargo ship loaded with vehicles and parts meant for the [[United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo]] was seized while in port within Equatorial Guinea. It is believed that the seized vehicles and parts have been used to equip the Military of Equatorial Guinea, and such seizure are considered by some as an act of piracy.<ref>[http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/2006/02/dude-wheres-my-pandur/index.php#more“ Dude, Where’s My Pandur?”]</ref>
== Aircraft inventory ==
The Air Force operates twelve aircraft.
{{Standard table|0}}
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service<ref name="awst_20070115">"World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, ''[[Aviation Week & Space Technology]]'', [[January 15]] [[2007]].</ref>
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| [[Aero L-39 Albatros]] || {{CZE}} || light attack || 2 ||
|-----
| [[Antonov An-32|Antonov An-32 Cline]] || {{UKR}} || tactical transport || 1 ||
|-----
| [[Cessna Skymaster]] || {{USA}} || liaison || 1 ||
|-----
| [[Dassault Falcon 900]] || {{FRA}} || VIP || 1 ||
|-----
| [[Mil Mi-17|Mil Mi-17 Hip-H]] || {{RUS}} || VIP || 1 ||
|-----
| [[Mil Mi-24 Hind]] || {{RUS}} || attack || 5 ||
|-----
| [[Sukhoi Su-25|Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot]] || {{RUS}} || attack || 1 ||
|}
== References ==
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<references />
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== See also ==
*[[Equatorial Guinea]]
{{Africa in topic|Military of}}
[[Category:Government of Equatorial Guinea]]
[[Category:Military by country|Equatorial Guinea]]
[[Category:Conscript militaries|Equatorial Guinea]]
[[Category:Equatoguinean people]]
[[bg:Армия на Екваториална Гвинея]]