Namibian Defence Force

Namibian Defence Force (NDF)
NDF Tri-Service Flag
Founded	21 March 1990 (Namibian Independence)
Service branches	Namibian Army Namibian Navy Namibian Air Force
Headquarters	Windhoek
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	President Hage Geingob
Defence Minister	Penda ya Ndakolo
Chief of Defence Force	Lieutenant General John Mutwa
Manpower
Military age	18-25 years
Active personnel	c.15,200
Expenditures
Percent of GDP	4.6% (2014 estimate)
Industry
Domestic suppliers	August 26 Holding
Foreign suppliers	Brazil  China  Germany  India  Italy  Moldova  South Africa  Ukraine  United States
Related articles
History	Caprivi Conflict Second Congo War

The Namibian Defence Force was created when South West Africa gained full independence from South Africa in 1990. The constitution of Namibia defines the role of the military as "defending the territory and national interests."

Namibia's military was born from the integration of the formerly belligerent People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), military wing of the South West African People's Organization, and the South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) - a security arm of the former South African administration. The British formulated the force integration plan and began training the NDF, which consists of five battalions and a small headquarters element. The United Nations Transitional Assistance Group (UNTAG)'s Kenyan infantry battalion remained in Namibia for three months after independence to assist in training the NDF and stabilize the north. Martin Shalli and Charles 'Ho Chi Minh' Namoloh were involved in the negotiations that allowed the Kenyan infantry battalion to remain for that period.

The main roles of the Namibian Defence Force are to ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country by guarding against external aggression, both conventional and unconventional; prevent violation of Namibia’s territorial integrity; and provide assistance to civil authorities in guarding and protecting government buildings and key installations as provided in the Defence Act.

Defence spending and percentage of GDP included $90 million in 1997/98, 2.6% of GDP. The 73.1 million figure in 2002 was 2.4% of GDP. These figures are almost certainly CIA World Factbook estimates.

Major General A W Dennis, CB, OBE (rtd), British Army, previously Director of Military Assistance Overseas, made the following comments on the initial phase in Namibia at a conference in Pretoria, South Africa on 6 August 1992: