Military of Malawi | |
---|---|
Flag of Malawi | |
Service branches |
Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (includes paramilitary Mobile Force Unit) |
Leadership | |
Commander-in-Chief | Joyce Banda |
Manpower | |
Military age | 18 |
Reaching military age annually | (2002 est.) |
Active personnel | 25,500 (ranked 140th) |
Expenditures | |
Budget | $9.5 million (FY00/01) |
Percent of GDP | 0.76% (FY00/01) |
The Malawi Defence Force[1] is the state military organisation responsible for defending Malawi. It originated from British colonial units formed before independence in 1964.
Malawi Army[]
The Malawi Rifles was a unit in the Malawi Army formed on the country's gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1964. Its first battalion was formed from the 1st Battalion, King's African Rifles. On independence the battalion became 1st Battalion, The Malawi Rifles (King's African Rifles). They were based (and elements still may be based) at Cobbe Barracks, Zomba. On 6 July 1966 Malawi became a republic and Kamuzu Banda became the first president of the new republic. After the swearing in ceremony his first duty was to present the battalion with his own presidential colour and the new regimental colour.[2] It was under the leadership of Brigadier Paul Lewis, a British expatriate.[3] In 1964, at Malawi's independence, the Malawian Army consisted of one battalion with 2,000 soldiers at Cobbe Barracks in Zomba. The Malawi Army is now made up of two rifle regiments and one parachute regiment. The military is organized under the purview of the Ministry of Defence. State Department IMET training documentation from FY 2003 indicates the United States trained army personnel from the 2nd Battalion, Malawi Rifles, 3rd Battalion, Malawi Rifles (Moyale Barracks), the Parachute Battalion, and the Combat Support Battalion (Mvera).[4]
In 1993, the army played a vital role in dismantling the dictatorship of Kamuzu Banda.[5] After Banda announced multi-party elections, the army intervened by dismantling Banda's paramilitary wing, the Malawi Young Pioneers in one night during an operation called "Bwezani" which means "taking back" or "returning". This event marked a vital point in the ideology of the Malawi Army that was to follow. The Malawi Army was shown to have no political aspirations themselves, and allowed the democratic process to ensue in Malawi as guided by civilians.[5]
On April 5, 2012 when President Bingu wa Mutharika died, there were rumours of an attempted constitutional coup intended to prevent vice-president Joyce Banda from becoming president as outlined by the constitution.[6] The military, under General Henry Odillo, stepped in and vowed to support and uphold the constitution of Malawi. They reportedly stationed security members at Banda's residence during the news of Mutharika's death.[7] This level of professionalism had a direct impact on the smooth transition of power.[6]
Air Force[]
The Malawi Air Wing was established with German help in 1976 with the delivery of six single engined Dornier Do 27s and eight Do 28 light twins in 1976-1980. Also in the same era the air force received an Alouette III, an AS 350 and an AS 355 Ecureuil, as well as three SA 330 H/L Puma Helicopters from France. A single BAe 125-800 was delivered in 1986. Four Dornier Do 228 light twin turbo props were acquired between 1986 and 1989 in part to allow disposal of the older Dornier products. In 1990 two Douglas C-47s and PT6A turboprops were delivered from the US.
Aircraft inventory[]
The Malawi Army Air Wing operates the following aircraft:[8]
Manufacturer | Model | Type | Service entry | Number | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dornier | Dornier 228 | Tactical Transport | ? | 2? | Two confirmed in service 2006, possibly two more[8] |
Dassault Aviation
Hawker Sidley |
Falcon 900
HS25 |
VIP Transport
VIP Transport |
2010 (sold 2013)
2005 (Sold) |
1
1 |
900EX registered as 7Q-ONE in 03/2010 [9]
Registered as MAAW-J1 |
Eurocopter | SA 330 Puma | Multi-purpose helicopter | 1976–1980 | 2 | |
Eurocopter | Eurocopter Dauphin | Multi-purpose helicopter | 1976–1980 | 1 | |
Basler | Basler BT-67 | Cargo aircraft | 1990 | 2 | |
Dornier | Dornier Do 228 | Light transport aircraft | 1986–1989 | 4 | |
Eurocopter | Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil | Light utility helicopter | |||
Eurocopter | Eurocopter AS355 Ecureuil 2 | Light utility helicopter | ? | 1 |
On 28 January 2013, the office of President Joyce Banda announced that the Dassault Aviation Falcon 900 would be sold to the highest bidder, as part of cost-cutting measures.[10]
Retired Aircraft[]
- Aerospatiale Alouette III
- Aerospatiale AS 332 Super Puma
- Britten-Norman Defender
- Britten-Norman Islander
- Dornier Do 27
- Hunting Percival Pembroke
[]
As a landlocked country, Malawi has a very small navy with no sizeable military craft. Malawi's naval force only operates on Lake Malawi and is based at Monkey Bay. In 2008, it had 225 personnel.
- 2 patrol boats
- 1 Landing Craft Utility
Notes[]
- ↑ http://www.sdnp.org.mw, 2011 budget document
- ↑ Trooping The Colours - Malawi African Rifles 1966
- ↑ Journal of Peace, Conflict and Military Studies
- ↑ http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/34329.pdf
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 REUBEN CHIRAMBO (University of Malawi, Malawi), “OPERATION BWEZANI”: THE ARMY, POLITICAL CHANGE, AND DR. BANDA’S HEGEMONY IN MALAWI, Nordic Journal of African Studies 13:2, 2004,
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 President Banda has her work cut out | Nyasa Times Malawi breaking news in Malawi
- ↑ Potential crisis looms in Malawi amid reports of president's death - CNN
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Malawian military aviation OrBat
- ↑ Falcon Production List
- ↑ BBC. "Malawi's Joyce Banda auctions presidential jet". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21236450. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
References[]
- World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. File 337 Sheet 02
- World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. File 340 Sheet 05
Further reading[]
- Tim Stapleton. "'Bad Boys': Infiltration and Sedition in the African Military Units of the Central African Federation (Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe) 1953-163." The Journal of Military History 73, no.4 (2009): 1167-1193.
External links[]
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The original article can be found at Malawian Defence Force and the edit history here.