Chadian military
| Chad National Army Armée nationale tchadienne |
|
|---|---|
National flag of Chad
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| Founded | 1960 |
| Service branches |
Ground Forces Air Force Gendarmerie |
| Headquarters | N'Djamena |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Idriss Déby |
| Minister of Defence | Bichara Issa Djadallah |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 18 years of age for voluntary service, 20 years of age for conscripts |
| Conscription | yes |
| Available for military service |
1,906,545 males, age 16-49 (2008), 2,258,758 females, age 16-49 (2008) |
| Fit for military service |
1,066,565 males, age 16-49 (2008), 1,279,318 females, age 16-49 (2008) |
| Reaching military age annually |
116,824 males (2008), 117,831 females (2008) |
| Active personnel | 30,350 (ranked 88) |
| Reserve personnel | 0 |
| Expenditures | |
| Percent of GDP | 2.0% |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers |
 United States France Russia China
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| Related articles | |
| History | |
The military of Chad consists of the National Army (includes Ground Forces, Air Force, and Gendarmerie), Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force, Police, and National and Nomadic Guard (GNNT). Currently the main task of the Chadian military is to combat the various rebel forces inside the country.
From independence through the period of the presidency of Félix Malloum (1975–79), the official national army was known as the Chadian Armed Forces (Forces Armées Tchadiennes—FAT). Composed mainly of soldiers from southern Chad, FAT had its roots in the army recruited by France and had military traditions dating back to World War I. FAT lost its status as the legal state army when Malloum's civil and military administration disintegrated in 1979. Although it remained a distinct military body for several years, FAT was eventually reduced to the status of a regional army representing the south.
After Habré consolidated his authority and assumed the presidency in 1982, his victorious army, the Armed Forces of the North (Forces Armées du Nord—FAN), became the nucleus of a new national army. The force was officially constituted in January 1983, when the various pro-Habré contingents were merged and renamed the Chadian National Armed Forces (Forces Armées Nationales Tchadiennes—FANT).
The Military of Chad was dominated by members of Toubou, Zaghawa, Kanembou, Hadjerai, and Massa ethnic groups during the presidency of Hissène Habré. Current Chadian president Idriss Déby, revolted and fled to the Sudan, taking with him many Zaghawa and Hadjerai soldiers in 1989.
Chad's armed forces numbered about 36,000 at the end of the Habré regime, but swelled to an estimated 50,000 in the early days of Déby's rule. With French support, a reorganization of the armed forces was initiated early in 1991 with the goal of reducing its numbers and making its ethnic composition reflective of the country as a whole. Neither of these goals was achieved, and the military is still dominated by the Zaghawa.
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