Military of Mauritania

Mauritanian Armed Forces الجيش الوطني الموريتاني
Emblem of the Mauritanian Armed Forces.
Service branches	Mauritanian National Army Mauritanian National Navy Islamic Air Force of Mauritania
Headquarters	Nouakchott
Leadership
President	General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
Minister of National Defense	Diallo Mamadou Bathia
Chief of General Staff	General Mohamed Cheikh Mohamed Lemine
Manpower
Conscription	2 years
Available for military service	718,713 males, age 15–49, 804,622 females, age 15–49
Fit for military service	480,042 males, age 15–49, 581,473 females, age 15–49
Reaching military age annually	36,116 males, 36,826 females
Active personnel	15,870 personnel, 5,000 para-military
Expenditures
Budget	$37.1 million (FY2001)
Percent of GDP	5.5% (FY2010)
Industry
Foreign suppliers	China  Egypt  Brazil  Venezuela  Russia  Argentina  United States  Belarus  Morocco  United Arab Emirates  South Africa  Nigeria  Ukraine  Kenya  Canada  Turkey  India  Algeria  Saudi Arabia  North Korea  Iran  France  Uruguay  Botswana  Cameroon
Related articles
History	Western Sahara War Mauritania–Senegal Border War 2003 Mauritanian coup d'état 2005 Mauritanian coup d'état 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état

The Armed Forces of Mauritania (Arabic: الجيش الوطني الموريتاني‎‎) is the defence force of Mauritania, having an army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and presidential guard. Other services include the national guard and national police, though they both are subordinated to the Ministry of the Interior. As of 2010, the Mauritanian armed forces budget was 5.5% of the country's GDP.

The military forces of Mauritania are listed by the IISS Military Balance 2007 as comprising 15,870 personnel with an additional 5,000 paramilitaries, in the national gendarmerie. The Navy (Marine Mauritanienne) has 620 personnel and 10 patrol and coastal combatants, with bases at Nouadhibou and Nouakchott. The CIA reports that the navy includes naval infantry. The small Air Force (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) has 250 personnel, 2 FTB-337 aircraft, 15 transport aircraft of various types, and 4 SF-260E trainers. The 5,000 paramilitaries are divided in the National Gendarmerie (3,000), and the National Guard (2,000) who both report to the Ministry of the Interior. Other paramilitary services reported by the CIA in 2001 include the National Police, Presidential Guard.

Saleh Ould Hanenna, a former army major, led the attempted 2003 Mauritanian coup d'état in June 2003. It aimed to overthrow President Maaouya Ould Taya. He commanded a rebel section of the Army during two days of heavy fighting in Nouakchott. With the failure of the coup Hanenna initially escaped capture, and formed a group called the Knights of Change with Mohamed Ould Cheikhna, but he was arrested on October 9, 2004.

General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, a career soldier and high-ranking officer, was a leading figure in the 2005 Mauritanian coup d'état that deposed President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. In August 2008 General Ould Abdel Aziz led the 2008 Mauritanian coup d'état that toppled President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. Following the latter coup, Abdel Aziz became President of the High Council of State as part of what was described as a political transition leading to a new election. He resigned from that post in April 2009 in order to stand as a candidate in the July 2009 presidential election, which he won. He was sworn in on 5 August 2009.