Military of Libya |
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Libyan National Army logo
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Founded | 1951–1969 |
Current form | 2011 |
Service branches |
Libyan Air Force Libyan Air Defense Forces Libyan Navy |
Leadership | |
Chief of Staff | Major General Abdulrazek Al Nadoori (Tobruk-based government) |
Manpower | |
Available for military service |
1,775,078 males, age 15–49, 1,714,194 females, age 15–49 |
Fit for military service |
1,511,144 males, age 15–49, 1,458,934 females, age 15–49 |
Reaching military age annually |
59,547 males, 57,070 females |
Active personnel | 35,000 |
The Libyan National Army is the national armed force of Libya, comprising the ground army, the air force and the navy. It was established by the Libyan government after the first Libyan civil war, as Libya's previous national army was defeated by the uprising and disbanded.
In the ongoing Second Libyan Civil War, the Libyan National Army is loyal to the internationally recognized legislative body in Tobruk, the Libyan House of Representatives. It therefore fights against the Islamist Libya Dawn, the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries and the Islamic State in Libya.
At the beginning of the Second Libyan Civil War, the army was split between Khalifa Haftar's "anti-terrorist" faction, which acted largely independently, and Abdulsalam al-Obaidi's "legalist" faction which relied on orders from political authorities. In 2014, the Council of Deputies appointed Khalifa Haftar commander of the whole army, re-uniting the two factions. Abdulrazek Al Nadoori is chief of staff.
In the case of the many armed groups in Libya, they do not belong to the Libyan National Army unless they pledge allegiance to it. Many armed groups that exist in areas outside the control of the Council of Deputies and the Libyan National Army accept government funding and openly exert authority associated with official forces, while not have a commitment to obey the Libyan National Army hierarchy or the government. As the Second Libyan Civil War progresses, armed groups are increasingly condemned by the Council of Deputies and have been branded illegal.