Military of the Ivory Coast

Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire
Ivory Coast Coat of arms
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	President Alassane Ouattara
Minister of Defense	Alain-Richard Donwahi
Chief of Staff	Maj. Gen. Sekou Touré
Manpower
Active personnel	9,000 (estimate as of 2005)
Expenditures
Budget	$94 million (fiscal year 1996) $541 million (fiscal year 2009)
Percent of GDP	1.5% (fiscal year 2009)
Related articles
History	First Ivorian Civil War Second Ivorian Civil War

The Republican Forces of Côte d'Ivoire (French: Forces Republicaines de Cote d'Ivoire; "FRCI") is the current name of the armed forces of Ivory Coast.

The Ivorian military has its roots in the colonial armed forces of French West Africa, which were headquartered in Dakar, Senegal but possessed bases in several distinct military regions. Most Ivorian recruits who joined the colonial army were assigned to Senegalese units during this period. They served with distinction during both world wars, with 20,000 Ivorian soldiers fighting for the French during World War I and another 30,000 during World War II. In 1950, the French government began the process of setting up a specific defence force for the colony, consisting of four infantry companies and a light armoured unit.

The Ivory Coast became independent on 7 August 1960. In April 1961, the new government signed the Franco-Ivorian Technical Military Assistance Accord with France, which compelled the latter to assist with the formation of a new national military. It also authorised the continued presence of French troops based in Port-Bouët, and permitted the government to call on French military assistance in the event of external aggression or major internal unrest. By the end of 1962, the fledgling Ivorian armed forces had expanded rapidly into 5,000 soldiers attached to four battalions. Most of the initial recruits were drawn from the defunct colonial military establishment and had served in various French units, particularly the marine regiments. They were armed with old equipment donated by France, including two Max Holste Broussard monoplanes, a single Douglas DC-3 cargo aircraft, fifteen M8 Greyhound armoured cars, and even a SC-497-class submarine chaser. Conscription was instituted, although the large number of volunteers and low manpower requirements ensured it was only applied selectively. Some of the senior positions in the officer corps and Ministry of Defence continued to be held by French nationals.