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Namibian Army

May 20, 2023

The Namibian Army is the ground warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force.

Namibian Army
Emblem of the Namibian Army
Founded3 September 1990; 32 years ago (1990-09-03)
Country Namibia
TypeArmy
Part ofNamibian Defence Force
Garrison/HQGrootfontein, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia
Anniversaries3 September 1990[1]
EngagementsCaprivi Conflict
Second Congo War
United Nations Mission in Liberia
Commanders
Commander-In-ChiefHage Geingob
Minister of DefenceFrans Kapofi
Army CommanderMajor-General Aktofel Nambahu[2]
Insignia
Flag

History

Development of Namibia's army was fastest of the three arms of Service. The first units of the Army were deployed as early as 1990. The Army was formed when two enemies South West African Territorial Force and the People's Liberation Army of Namibia where inducted after Namibia's independence into the newly created Namibian Defence Force.

Role

 
Wer'wolf MKII on parade in downtown Windhoek on 20 March 2015 during Namibia's Independence celebrations

The Ministry of Defence has outlined the Army policy as follows:

"The Army's principal roles will continue to be as already outlined in the defence policy. The Army will strive to maximise its operational effectiveness through the recruitment of the best young men and women who wish to pursue a military career, their effective training and employment. The Army's equipment priorities are improved troop-lift capacity (road and air); engineer, artillery, anti-tank and air defence and communication systems: the aim being to create a secure, integrated, efficient and cost-effective systems." "The Army will remain a well-disciplined and accountable, professional (all volunteer) force; it will include development of a Reserve; it will continue to train along the lines of other Commonwealth armies; it will train with other Namibian forces (such as the police) to rehearse plans for aid to the civil authorities, civil ministries and civil community; and it will promote a good public image and contribute to the communities in which it is based."[3]

Organisation

The Army is a hierarchical organisation with the Army commander exercising overall command. The Army headquarters are located at Grootfontein military base,a former SADF logistics base. The Army has several thousand members. Senior Army officers also dominate staff positions at Defence Headquarters

Deployments

 
Ural Logistics Truck

Local deployments

See also: Caprivi conflict

The Namibian Army had a convoy service on Namibia's Trans Caprivi Highway which runs from Otavi, Grootfontein, Rundu, Katima Mulilo until Ngoma border post on the Namibia and Botswana border. The convoy system ran twice daily between Bagani and Kongola in the then Caprivi region. The convoy system was run from the year 2000 till 2002.[4][5]

SADC deployments

Angola (Operation Mandume ya Ndemufayo)
The Namibian Army also deployed troops to help fight UNITA insurgents active in and around the Kavango region. The operation codenamed Mandume ya Ndemufayo was a response to UNITA attacks on Namibian citizens. The Namibian cross border pursuit operations were carried out with consent of the Angolan government.[6] At least two soldiers were killed in operation Mandume ya Ndemufayo.[7] In an operation between 30 January 2001 to 14 February 2001 an estimated 19 UNITA rebels were killed while various weaponry such as Anti Tank and Anti personnel landmines assault rifle ranging from AK-47 and R-1 rifles were recovered.[8] In a joint operation with the Angolan Armed Forces, the Namibian Defence Force in May 2001 helped dislodge UNITA from Mavinga in May 2001.[9]

Democratic Republic of the Congo (Operation Atlantic)
The Namibian Army deployed a Battle group during the Second Congo War that numbered about 2000 troops and consisted of Infantry, Artillery Signals, Air Force Detachments.The first commander of the battle group was Brigadier James Auala.[10][11] About 30 Namibian Serviceman died in the DRC operations.[12] The Operation was Code named Atlantic . The SADC coalition force commander was always a Zimbabwean and deputy force commander a Namibian while the Chief of Staff was an Angolan.[13] 11 Namibian soldiers were held as prisoners of war in Rwanda, they were released in June 2000.[14] The soldiers were captured in April 1999 in the Lusambo area which is about 120 kilometers east of Mbuji-Mayi.[15] In January 2001 after Laurent-Désiré Kabila's death the Namibian army contingent was reinforced to not only provide security to Heads of States at the funeral but also to reinforce the SADC contingents in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.[16] Namibia was also the first foreign country to withdraw its troops and by September 2001 all Namibian soldiers had been withdrawn.[17] Seven soldiers who have been missing in action have since been declared dead. The seven had gone missing around the Deya River close to Kabalo, Deya-Katutu and Lusambo areas.[18] 137 soldiers that had survived the encirclement during the siege of Ikela were presented with commendation medals[19]

UN deployments

 
Ural fuel Truck

For the peacekeeping operation in Liberia the Namibian Army contribution was known as Namibian Battalion (NAMBATT) and about 800 infantry troops per NAMBATT contingent were mustered to form a battalion for this operation. Troops were rotated and rotations numbered up to NAMBATT V. A NAMBATT contingent commanding officer stated his unit was to comprise "two Mot Inf Coys, two rifle companies, headquarters company and fire support company while the battalion is equipped with 10 Wolf APC's, 12 Casspir APC's and 11 WER Wolf APC's".[20]

Unit structure

The standard operational units are structured according to the British commonwealth system:[21]

Type of unit Division Brigade Battalion / Regiment Company / Squadron Platoon / Troop Section
Contains 2–3 Brigades 3–5 Battalions 5–7 Companies 3 Platoons 3 Sections 2 Fire Teams
Personnel 10,000 5,000 550–900 120 30 8–10
Commanded by Maj-Gen Brig-Gen Lt Col Maj Capt, Lt or 2nd Lt Cpl

Units

 
WZ-523 IFV

Air Defence Corps

Artillery Corps

  • 4 Artillery Brigade
    • 12 Artillery Regiment
    • 44 Artillery Regiment[22]
    • 46 Artillery Regiment
    • 21 Artillery Regiment[23]
    • 26 Artillery Regiment

Infantry Corps

Based in Windhoek

Based at Walvis Bay[27]

    • 126 Battalion

Based in Gobabis.[28]

Based in Rundu.The Commanding Officer is Lt Col Liyali Given Numwa who succeeded Lt Col David Diyeve.[29]

    • 262 Motorized Infantry Battalion

Based in Katima Mulilo. Presivous Commanding officers includes Erastus Kashopola

    • 263 Motorized Infantry Battalion

Based at Oshakati[31] The current Commanding Officer is Lt Col Wesley Muruko. Previous Commanding Officers included Erastus Kashopola and Colonel Abed Mukumangeni.

Engineer Corps

Based in Otavi[27]

Logistics Formation

Provost Corps

  • Military Police Battalion

Recce Formation

Signals Corps

Training Corps

Based at the former Oshivelo SADF training base has been transformed into an army battle school. The commandant of the battle school is Colonel H. Mvula who succeeded Colonel Joel Kapala [34] as-off 6 January 2015,Colonel Kapala succeed Colonel Kashindi Eusebi Kashindi.[35]

  • Technical Training Centre (TTC)[36]

The Army TTC offers training to army soldiers covering mechanics and electrical configurations of armaments,military weapons and equipment[37]

  • School of Artillery

Based at the Oluno Military Base, the school is responsible for the training requirement of all soldiers specializing to become artillery gunners.[38] Lt Col Ambrosius Kwedhi is the Commandant of the School.

Command Structure

Army commander

The position of Army commander is held by a commissioned officer with the rank of major general. The Army Commander exercises the overall command of the Army. The current Army commander is Major General Matheus Alueendo.

Senior Appointments

Sleeve insignia Appointment Rank and Name
  Army Commander Major General Matheus Alueendo
  Deputy Army Commander Brigadier General
  General Officer Commanding 21 Motorised Infantry Brigade Brigadier General Martin Nangolo Shikomba
  General Officer Commanding 12 Motorised Infantry Brigade Brigadier General Aktofel Nambahu
  General Officer Commanding 26 Motorised Infantry Brigade Brigadier General Willem Shigwedha
  General Officer Commanding 4 Artillery Brigade Brigadier General Ambrosius Kwedhi
  General Officer Commanding Air Defence Brigade Brigadier General Lazarus Herman
  Commanding Officer Signal Regiment Colonel
  Commanding Officer Engineer Regiment Colonel
  Commanding Officer Recce Regiment Colonel
  Commandant Army Battle School Colonel H Mvula
  Army Sergeant Major

Army equipment

Individual weapons

Origin Type Notes
AK-47[39]   Soviet Union Assault rifle Likely captured by South West Africa Territorial Force
INSAS[40]   India Assault rifle Used by Namibian UN peacekeeping forces
AK-74[41]   Soviet Union Assault rifle
M4[42]   United States Assault rifle
RPG-7[43]   Soviet Union
  Russia 		Anti-tank rocket propelled grenade launcher Likely captured by South West Africa Territorial Force
M2 Browning   United States Heavy machine gun Likely inherited from South West Africa Territorial Force
Makarov   Soviet Union
  Russia 		semi-auto pistol
Ruger P series   United States Semi-auto pistol
CZ 75   Czech Republic Semi-auto pistol
9M133 Kornet[citation needed]   Russia Anti-tank guide missile system

Vehicles

Vehicles of the Namibian Army are made up of a variety of suppliers including those from the former Soviet Union, Russia, Brazil, & South Africa. Some vehicles were donated by SWAPO, formerly a liberation movement which later became the ruling party of the country at independence, and SWATF, the security force of the then South West Africa administration. The army has received WZ523 Infantry Fighting Vehicles from China which serve with mechanized infantry units. These vehicles are supplemented by the Namibian made Wolf series of MRAPs. South African made Casspirs are also in service which were inherited from the South-West Africa Territorial Force. To enhance mobility it was announced that the Army will receive the Agrale Marruá which appeared at the 25th Independence celebration parade in 2015 and are primarily used by the Namibian Special Forces.[44]

Name Image Origin Type Acquired In service Notes
T-54/55     Soviet Union Main battle tank 20[45] 7[46] Serviceability doubtful.[47]
BTR-60     Soviet Union Armoured personnel carrier 10[47] Serviceability doubtful
BTR-152   Soviet Union Armoured personnel carrier 20[43] 6[47] Formerly SWAPO;[43] serviceability doubtful
WZ523     China Infantry fighting vehicle 21[48] Armed with 2A28 Grom.[49]
WZ523-Type-05   China Infantry fighting vehicle 10[48]
Wer’wolf MKII     Namibia Multipurpose armoured vehicle 400[50] 400[50]
Wolf Turbo II   Namibia Armoured personnel carrier
Casspir     South Africa MRAP 20[46] 20[51]
BRDM-2     Soviet Union Scout car 12[47] 12[51] Serviceability doubtful
SAMIL     South Africa Utility vehicle 160[12] Donated by South Africa in the late 1990s.
Ural-375 Trucks     Russia Utility truck
Ural-4320 Trucks     Russia Utility truck 183[52] Delivered in October 2015.
Steyr Trucks     Austria Utility vehicle
MAN KAT1     Germany Utility vehicle
Agrale Marruá     Brazil Utility vehicle 141 - Being assembled locally.[44]
Toyota Hilux     Japan Utility vehicle -
Toyota Land Cruiser   Japan Utility vehicle -
Wer'wolf MKII Ambulance     Namibia Mine protected Ambulance -
Wolf 6x6 Recovery Vehicle     Namibia Recovery vehicle -

Artillery

Artillery is also dominated by Soviet-era weapons, also donated by SWAPO. They have been supplemented by 24 G2 artillery donated by South Africa.[53]

Name Image Origin Type Acquired In service Notes
BL 5.5     United Kingdom Howitzer 24[48] South African variant G2.
Ordnance QF 25 pounder   United Kingdom Howitzer 8[46]
152 mm howitzer-gun M1937 (ML-20)   Soviet Union Howitzer
BM-21 Grad   Soviet Union Multiple rocket launcher 5[46] 4[47]
Type 81 (rocket launcher)     China Multiple rocket launcher 2 2
ZIS-3   Soviet Union Antitank gun 12[47]
ZIS-2   Soviet Union Antitank gun 6[43]

Anti aircraft weapons

Air defence equipment of the Army is also made up of Soviet-era weaponry.

Origin Type Acquired In service Notes
ZPU-4   Soviet Union Anti-aircraft gun 50[47]
37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)   Soviet Union Anti-aircraft gun
ZU-23-2   Soviet Union Anti-aircraft gun 15[46] 12[47]
9K32 Strela-2   Soviet Union MANPAD

Special Forces

The Army commandos and airborne paratroopers are part of the Namibian Special Forces.

Ranks and insignia

Army ranks are based on Commonwealth ranks. The highest rank in peace time a commissioned officer can attain in the army is major general. There may, however, be an exception when an army officer is appointed as Chief of the Defence Force, for which the individual will ascend to the lieutenant general. The highest rank an enlisted member can attain is warrant officer class 1.

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group General/flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
  Namibian Army[54]
                      
General Lieutenant general Major general Brigadier general Colonel Lieutenant colonel Major Captain Lieutenant Second lieutenant Officer cadet

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
  Namibian Army[54]
             No insignia
Warrant officer class 1 Warrant officer class 2 Staff sergeant Sergeant Corporal Lance corporal Private
(or equivalent)

Citations

  1. ^ a b (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "Archived copy". from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ . Archived from the original on 25 January 2017.
  4. ^ . www.mod.gov.na. Archived from the original on 5 October 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Convoy system suspended in Caprivi". IRIN. 17 June 2002. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Namibian troops pursue bandits in southern Angola". IRIN. 23 May 2001. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Defence ministry admits to deaths against UNITA". IRIN. 6 August 2001. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  8. ^ "NDF hails Angolan operations as a success". IRIN. 21 February 2001. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  9. ^ "NDF claims major victory against UNITA". IRIN. 17 May 2001. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  10. ^ "Hard Stone Processing Namibia: James V. Auala". www.namibia-seber-diamonds.com. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Converted from "CON9.TXT"".
  12. ^ a b "Troops home from DRC". IRIN. 4 September 2001. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  13. ^ (PDF). digital.unam.na. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "NDF captives may be released on Friday". IRIN. 16 June 2000. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  15. ^ "ICRC visits NDF prisoners". IRIN. 30 September 1999. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  16. ^ "More troops sent to DRC". IRIN. 25 January 2001. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  17. ^ "Namibia to withdraw all troops by end of August". IRIN. 13 July 2001. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  18. ^ Newspaper, The Namibian. "Seven soldiers missing in DRC declared dead". www.namibian.com.na. from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  19. ^ "President remains hopeful on DRC". www.namibian.com.na. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  20. ^ "UN Mission In Liberia Decorates Namibian Peacekeepers". from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  21. ^ "British Army Formation & Structure". WhoDaresWins.com. 2011. from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  22. ^ Tomas, M (July 2011). "Inauguration of 21 Inf Bde Commander". NDF Journal. 41: 4.
  23. ^ a b c http://www.mod.gov.na/pdfs/oct-dec%202013.pdf[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ "Archived copy". from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. ^ "Trigger-happy soldier in court". New Era Newspaper Namibia. 22 July 2014. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  26. ^ Dumeni, R (September 2011). "12 Mot int Bde Hosted computer course for trainers". NDF Journal. 49: 7.
  27. ^ a b . www.informante.web.na. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  28. ^ Tomas, M (December 2013). "Mighty Scorpions Sport tournament". NDF Journal. 46: 10.
  29. ^ a b Tomas, M (December 2014). "Maj Numwa takes over 261 Mot Inf Bn reign". NDF Journal. 54: 16.
  30. ^ loop (30 August 2007). "US Assists NDF Training". New Era Newspaper Namibia. from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  31. ^ "Pandeni given a hero's farewell". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  32. ^ "Civil supremacy of the military | Namibia". www.namibweb.com. from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  33. ^ www.omalaetiit.com, Omalaeti Technologies, Namibia. "Third Defence Force Foundation annual sport tourney concludes". from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  34. ^ . Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  35. ^ Shino, G (December 2013). "Army Battle School Commandant retires". NDF Journal. 46: 10.
  36. ^ "Army training centres open at Grootfontein". The Namibian. from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  37. ^ www.omalaetiit.com, Omalaeti Technologies, Namibia. "Army and Airforce Technical Training Centres open at Grootfontei". from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  38. ^ Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (31 July 2016), Artillery School-NBC, from the original on 18 August 2017, retrieved 13 July 2017
  39. ^ Menges, Werner (18 December 2002). "Namibia: Soldier Claims Ignorance About AK-47 Used to Murder Farmer". The Namibian (Windhoek). from the original on 1 January 2003. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  40. ^ Iikela, Sakeus (8 May 2019). "Defence suspends 'military exercises'". The Namibian.
  41. ^ . Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
  42. ^ "NAMPA: WHK NDF parade 20 March 2015 hd". Youtube. from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  43. ^ a b c d Copley, Gregory. Defense & Foreign Affairs Handbook 1994. p. 1207.
  44. ^ a b Martin, Guy. "Namibia Defence Force orders Marrua vehicles | defenceWeb". www.defenceweb.co.za. from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  45. ^ "Армии стран мира : Вооруженные силы иностранных государств на 2001 год : N". from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  46. ^ a b c d e (PDF). ICG Africa. 20 December 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  47. ^ a b c d e f g h Guy Martin. "Namibia Defence Force". from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  48. ^ a b c "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  49. ^ . Archived from the original on 31 October 2014.
  50. ^ a b Mechanical Demining Equipment Catalogue 2003 (PDF). Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  51. ^ a b Hussein Solomon (2004). Towards a Common Defence And Security Policy in the Southern African Development Community (2004 ed.). Africa Institute of South Africa. p. 91. ISBN 978-0798301749.
  52. ^ "Army tight-lipped about Russian trucks". 28 October 2015.
  53. ^ Leon Engelbrecht. "South African Arms Exports". from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  54. ^ a b "Government Notice" (PDF). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. Vol. 4547. 20 August 2010. pp. 99–102. Retrieved 20 December 2021.

Further reading

May 20, 2023
namibian, army, ground, warfare, branch, namibian, defence, force, emblem, founded3, september, 1990, years, 1990, country, namibiatypearmypart, ofnamibian, defence, forcegarrison, hqgrootfontein, otjozondjupa, region, namibiaanniversaries3, september, 1990, e. The Namibian Army is the ground warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force Namibian ArmyEmblem of the Namibian ArmyFounded3 September 1990 32 years ago 1990 09 03 Country NamibiaTypeArmyPart ofNamibian Defence ForceGarrison HQGrootfontein Otjozondjupa Region NamibiaAnniversaries3 September 1990 1 EngagementsCaprivi ConflictSecond Congo WarUnited Nations Mission in LiberiaCommandersCommander In ChiefHage GeingobMinister of DefenceFrans KapofiArmy CommanderMajor General Aktofel Nambahu 2 InsigniaFlag Contents 1 History 2 Role 3 Organisation 4 Deployments 4 1 Local deployments 4 2 SADC deployments 4 3 UN deployments 5 Unit structure 6 Units 7 Command Structure 7 1 Army commander 7 2 Senior Appointments 8 Army equipment 8 1 Individual weapons 8 2 Vehicles 8 3 Artillery 8 4 Anti aircraft weapons 9 Special Forces 10 Ranks and insignia 10 1 Commissioned officer ranks 10 2 Other ranks 11 Citations 12 Further readingHistory EditDevelopment of Namibia s army was fastest of the three arms of Service The first units of the Army were deployed as early as 1990 The Army was formed when two enemies South West African Territorial Force and the People s Liberation Army of Namibia where inducted after Namibia s independence into the newly created Namibian Defence Force Role Edit Wer wolf MKII on parade in downtown Windhoek on 20 March 2015 during Namibia s Independence celebrations The Ministry of Defence has outlined the Army policy as follows The Army s principal roles will continue to be as already outlined in the defence policy The Army will strive to maximise its operational effectiveness through the recruitment of the best young men and women who wish to pursue a military career their effective training and employment The Army s equipment priorities are improved troop lift capacity road and air engineer artillery anti tank and air defence and communication systems the aim being to create a secure integrated efficient and cost effective systems The Army will remain a well disciplined and accountable professional all volunteer force it will include development of a Reserve it will continue to train along the lines of other Commonwealth armies it will train with other Namibian forces such as the police to rehearse plans for aid to the civil authorities civil ministries and civil community and it will promote a good public image and contribute to the communities in which it is based 3 Organisation EditThe Army is a hierarchical organisation with the Army commander exercising overall command The Army headquarters are located at Grootfontein military base a former SADF logistics base The Army has several thousand members Senior Army officers also dominate staff positions at Defence HeadquartersDeployments Edit Ural Logistics Truck Local deployments Edit See also Caprivi conflict The Namibian Army had a convoy service on Namibia s Trans Caprivi Highway which runs from Otavi Grootfontein Rundu Katima Mulilo until Ngoma border post on the Namibia and Botswana border The convoy system ran twice daily between Bagani and Kongola in the then Caprivi region The convoy system was run from the year 2000 till 2002 4 5 SADC deployments Edit Angola Operation Mandume ya Ndemufayo The Namibian Army also deployed troops to help fight UNITA insurgents active in and around the Kavango region The operation codenamed Mandume ya Ndemufayo was a response to UNITA attacks on Namibian citizens The Namibian cross border pursuit operations were carried out with consent of the Angolan government 6 At least two soldiers were killed in operation Mandume ya Ndemufayo 7 In an operation between 30 January 2001 to 14 February 2001 an estimated 19 UNITA rebels were killed while various weaponry such as Anti Tank and Anti personnel landmines assault rifle ranging from AK 47 and R 1 rifles were recovered 8 In a joint operation with the Angolan Armed Forces the Namibian Defence Force in May 2001 helped dislodge UNITA from Mavinga in May 2001 9 Democratic Republic of the Congo Operation Atlantic The Namibian Army deployed a Battle group during the Second Congo War that numbered about 2000 troops and consisted of Infantry Artillery Signals Air Force Detachments The first commander of the battle group was Brigadier James Auala 10 11 About 30 Namibian Serviceman died in the DRC operations 12 The Operation was Code named Atlantic The SADC coalition force commander was always a Zimbabwean and deputy force commander a Namibian while the Chief of Staff was an Angolan 13 11 Namibian soldiers were held as prisoners of war in Rwanda they were released in June 2000 14 The soldiers were captured in April 1999 in the Lusambo area which is about 120 kilometers east of Mbuji Mayi 15 In January 2001 after Laurent Desire Kabila s death the Namibian army contingent was reinforced to not only provide security to Heads of States at the funeral but also to reinforce the SADC contingents in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi 16 Namibia was also the first foreign country to withdraw its troops and by September 2001 all Namibian soldiers had been withdrawn 17 Seven soldiers who have been missing in action have since been declared dead The seven had gone missing around the Deya River close to Kabalo Deya Katutu and Lusambo areas 18 137 soldiers that had survived the encirclement during the siege of Ikela were presented with commendation medals 19 UN deployments Edit Ural fuel Truck UNAMIC The army deployed a Company sized unit to UNAMIC 1 United Nations Angola Verification Mission III UNAVEM III MONUA United Nations Mission in Liberia UNMIL For the peacekeeping operation in Liberia the Namibian Army contribution was known as Namibian Battalion NAMBATT and about 800 infantry troops per NAMBATT contingent were mustered to form a battalion for this operation Troops were rotated and rotations numbered up to NAMBATT V A NAMBATT contingent commanding officer stated his unit was to comprise two Mot Inf Coys two rifle companies headquarters company and fire support company while the battalion is equipped with 10 Wolf APC s 12 Casspir APC s and 11 WER Wolf APC s 20 Unit structure EditThe standard operational units are structured according to the British commonwealth system 21 Type of unit Division Brigade Battalion Regiment Company Squadron Platoon Troop SectionContains 2 3 Brigades 3 5 Battalions 5 7 Companies 3 Platoons 3 Sections 2 Fire TeamsPersonnel 10 000 5 000 550 900 120 30 8 10Commanded by Maj Gen Brig Gen Lt Col Maj Capt Lt or 2nd Lt CplUnits Edit WZ 523 IFV Air Defence Corps Air Defence BrigadeArtillery Corps 4 Artillery Brigade 12 Artillery Regiment 44 Artillery Regiment 22 46 Artillery Regiment 21 Artillery Regiment 23 26 Artillery RegimentInfantry Corps 21 Motorised Infantry Brigade 23 21 Guard Battalion 24 211 Battalion 25 212 Battalion 23 213 Mechanized Infantry BattalionBased in Windhoek 12 Motorised Infantry Brigade 26 124 Battalion 125 BattalionBased at Walvis Bay 27 126 BattalionBased in Gobabis 28 26 Motorised Infantry Brigade 29 261 Motorized Infantry Battalion 30 Based in Rundu The Commanding Officer is Lt Col Liyali Given Numwa who succeeded Lt Col David Diyeve 29 262 Motorized Infantry BattalionBased in Katima Mulilo Presivous Commanding officers includes Erastus Kashopola 263 Motorized Infantry BattalionBased at Oshakati 31 The current Commanding Officer is Lt Col Wesley Muruko Previous Commanding Officers included Erastus Kashopola and Colonel Abed Mukumangeni Engineer Corps Engineer RegimentBased in Otavi 27 Logistics Formation Logistic Support Battalion Namibia 32 Provost Corps Military Police BattalionRecce Formation Recce Regiment 33 Signals Corps Signal RegimentTraining Corps Army Battle School Namibia OshiveloBased at the former Oshivelo SADF training base has been transformed into an army battle school The commandant of the battle school is Colonel H Mvula who succeeded Colonel Joel Kapala 34 as off 6 January 2015 Colonel Kapala succeed Colonel Kashindi Eusebi Kashindi 35 Technical Training Centre TTC 36 The Army TTC offers training to army soldiers covering mechanics and electrical configurations of armaments military weapons and equipment 37 School of ArtilleryBased at the Oluno Military Base the school is responsible for the training requirement of all soldiers specializing to become artillery gunners 38 Lt Col Ambrosius Kwedhi is the Commandant of the School Command Structure EditArmy commander Edit The position of Army commander is held by a commissioned officer with the rank of major general The Army Commander exercises the overall command of the Army The current Army commander is Major General Matheus Alueendo 1990 2000 Maj Gen Solomon Huwala 2000 2005 Maj Gen Martin Shalli 2005 2011 Maj Gen Peter Nambundunga 2011 2013 Maj Gen John Mutwa 2013 2017 Maj Gen Tomas Hamunyela 2017 2019 Maj Gen Nestor Shali Shalauda 2019 2022 Maj Gen Matheus Alueendo 2022 present Maj Gen Aktofel NambahuSenior Appointments Edit Sleeve insignia Appointment Rank and Name Army Commander Major General Matheus Alueendo Deputy Army Commander Brigadier General General Officer Commanding 21 Motorised Infantry Brigade Brigadier General Martin Nangolo Shikomba General Officer Commanding 12 Motorised Infantry Brigade Brigadier General Aktofel Nambahu General Officer Commanding 26 Motorised Infantry Brigade Brigadier General Willem Shigwedha General Officer Commanding 4 Artillery Brigade Brigadier General Ambrosius Kwedhi General Officer Commanding Air Defence Brigade Brigadier General Lazarus Herman Commanding Officer Signal Regiment Colonel Commanding Officer Engineer Regiment Colonel Commanding Officer Recce Regiment Colonel Commandant Army Battle School Colonel H Mvula Army Sergeant MajorArmy equipment EditIndividual weapons Edit Origin Type NotesAK 47 39 Soviet Union Assault rifle Likely captured by South West Africa Territorial ForceINSAS 40 India Assault rifle Used by Namibian UN peacekeeping forcesAK 74 41 Soviet Union Assault rifleM4 42 United States Assault rifleRPG 7 43 Soviet Union Russia Anti tank rocket propelled grenade launcher Likely captured by South West Africa Territorial ForceM2 Browning United States Heavy machine gun Likely inherited from South West Africa Territorial ForceMakarov Soviet Union Russia semi auto pistolRuger P series United States Semi auto pistolCZ 75 Czech Republic Semi auto pistol9M133 Kornet citation needed Russia Anti tank guide missile systemVehicles Edit Vehicles of the Namibian Army are made up of a variety of suppliers including those from the former Soviet Union Russia Brazil amp South Africa Some vehicles were donated by SWAPO formerly a liberation movement which later became the ruling party of the country at independence and SWATF the security force of the then South West Africa administration The army has received WZ523 Infantry Fighting Vehicles from China which serve with mechanized infantry units These vehicles are supplemented by the Namibian made Wolf series of MRAPs South African made Casspirs are also in service which were inherited from the South West Africa Territorial Force To enhance mobility it was announced that the Army will receive the Agrale Marrua which appeared at the 25th Independence celebration parade in 2015 and are primarily used by the Namibian Special Forces 44 Name Image Origin Type Acquired In service NotesT 54 55 Soviet Union Main battle tank 20 45 7 46 Serviceability doubtful 47 BTR 60 Soviet Union Armoured personnel carrier 10 47 Serviceability doubtfulBTR 152 Soviet Union Armoured personnel carrier 20 43 6 47 Formerly SWAPO 43 serviceability doubtfulWZ523 China Infantry fighting vehicle 21 48 Armed with 2A28 Grom 49 WZ523 Type 05 China Infantry fighting vehicle 10 48 Wer wolf MKII Namibia Multipurpose armoured vehicle 400 50 400 50 Wolf Turbo II Namibia Armoured personnel carrierCasspir South Africa MRAP 20 46 20 51 BRDM 2 Soviet Union Scout car 12 47 12 51 Serviceability doubtfulSAMIL South Africa Utility vehicle 160 12 Donated by South Africa in the late 1990s Ural 375 Trucks Russia Utility truckUral 4320 Trucks Russia Utility truck 183 52 Delivered in October 2015 Steyr Trucks Austria Utility vehicleMAN KAT1 Germany Utility vehicleAgrale Marrua Brazil Utility vehicle 141 Being assembled locally 44 Toyota Hilux Japan Utility vehicle Toyota Land Cruiser Japan Utility vehicle Wer wolf MKII Ambulance Namibia Mine protected Ambulance Wolf 6x6 Recovery Vehicle Namibia Recovery vehicle Artillery Edit Artillery is also dominated by Soviet era weapons also donated by SWAPO They have been supplemented by 24 G2 artillery donated by South Africa 53 Name Image Origin Type Acquired In service NotesBL 5 5 United Kingdom Howitzer 24 48 South African variant G2 Ordnance QF 25 pounder United Kingdom Howitzer 8 46 152 mm howitzer gun M1937 ML 20 Soviet Union HowitzerBM 21 Grad Soviet Union Multiple rocket launcher 5 46 4 47 Type 81 rocket launcher China Multiple rocket launcher 2 2ZIS 3 Soviet Union Antitank gun 12 47 ZIS 2 Soviet Union Antitank gun 6 43 Anti aircraft weapons Edit Air defence equipment of the Army is also made up of Soviet era weaponry Origin Type Acquired In service NotesZPU 4 Soviet Union Anti aircraft gun 50 47 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 61 K Soviet Union Anti aircraft gunZU 23 2 Soviet Union Anti aircraft gun 15 46 12 47 9K32 Strela 2 Soviet Union MANPADSpecial Forces EditThe Army commandos and airborne paratroopers are part of the Namibian Special Forces Ranks and insignia EditArmy ranks are based on Commonwealth ranks The highest rank in peace time a commissioned officer can attain in the army is major general There may however be an exception when an army officer is appointed as Chief of the Defence Force for which the individual will ascend to the lieutenant general The highest rank an enlisted member can attain is warrant officer class 1 Commissioned officer ranks Edit The rank insignia of commissioned officers Rank group General flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet Namibian Army 54 vte General Lieutenant general Major general Brigadier general Colonel Lieutenant colonel Major Captain Lieutenant Second lieutenant Officer cadetOther ranks Edit The rank insignia of non commissioned officers and enlisted personnel Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted Namibian Army 54 vte No insigniaWarrant officer class 1 Warrant officer class 2 Staff sergeant Sergeant Corporal Lance corporal Private or equivalent Citations Edit a b Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2 July 2015 Retrieved 28 June 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Archived copy Archived from the original on 11 December 2017 Retrieved 10 December 2017 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Ministry of Defence Archived from the original on 25 January 2017 News www mod gov na Archived from the original on 5 October 2006 Retrieved 12 January 2022 Convoy system 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com 2011 Archived from the original on 29 April 2011 Retrieved 15 April 2011 Tomas M July 2011 Inauguration of 21 Inf Bde Commander NDF Journal 41 4 a b c http www mod gov na pdfs oct dec 202013 pdf permanent dead link Archived copy Archived from the original on 21 September 2016 Retrieved 7 March 2016 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Trigger happy soldier in court New Era Newspaper Namibia 22 July 2014 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 13 July 2017 Dumeni R September 2011 12 Mot int Bde Hosted computer course for trainers NDF Journal 49 7 a b NDF Majors rapped over illegal use of truck Informante www informante web na Archived from the original on 20 November 2015 Retrieved 13 July 2017 Tomas M December 2013 Mighty Scorpions Sport tournament NDF Journal 46 10 a b Tomas M December 2014 Maj Numwa takes over 261 Mot Inf Bn reign NDF Journal 54 16 loop 30 August 2007 US Assists NDF Training New Era 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Namibian Broadcasting Corporation 31 July 2016 Artillery School NBC archived from the original on 18 August 2017 retrieved 13 July 2017 Menges Werner 18 December 2002 Namibia Soldier Claims Ignorance About AK 47 Used to Murder Farmer The Namibian Windhoek Archived from the original on 1 January 2003 Retrieved 13 July 2017 Iikela Sakeus 8 May 2019 Defence suspends military exercises The Namibian SALW Guide Country Detail Namibia Archived from the original on 7 April 2014 NAMPA WHK NDF parade 20 March 2015 hd Youtube Archived from the original on 18 August 2016 Retrieved 6 February 2016 a b c d Copley Gregory Defense amp Foreign Affairs Handbook 1994 p 1207 a b Martin Guy Namibia Defence Force orders Marrua vehicles defenceWeb www defenceweb co za Archived from the original on 5 January 2015 Retrieved 13 July 2017 Armii stran mira Vooruzhennye sily inostrannyh gosudarstv na 2001 god N Archived from the original on 29 March 2014 Retrieved 3 April 2014 a b c d e Scramble for the Congo Anatomy of an Ugly War PDF ICG Africa 20 December 2000 Archived from the original PDF on 29 October 2013 Retrieved 18 June 2013 a b c d e f g h Guy Martin Namibia Defence Force Archived from the original on 27 February 2014 Retrieved 3 April 2014 a b c Trade Registers Armstrade sipri org Archived from the original on 14 April 2010 Retrieved 20 June 2013 Namiba fields a new Chinese APCs Archived from the original on 31 October 2014 a b Mechanical Demining Equipment Catalogue 2003 PDF Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining Retrieved 11 April 2023 a b Hussein Solomon 2004 Towards a Common Defence And Security Policy in the Southern African Development Community 2004 ed Africa Institute of South Africa p 91 ISBN 978 0798301749 Army tight lipped about Russian trucks 28 October 2015 Leon Engelbrecht South African Arms Exports Archived from the original on 22 January 2016 Retrieved 26 November 2015 a b Government Notice PDF Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia Vol 4547 20 August 2010 pp 99 102 Retrieved 20 December 2021 Further reading EditPeople s Liberation Army of Namibia South West African Territorial Force Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Namibian Army amp oldid 1155185711, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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