Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo
Forces Armées de la République du Congo (French)
Founded	15 August 1960
Current form	16 January 1961
Service branches	Army Air Force Navy Gendarmerie
Headquarters	Brazzaville
Leadership
President of the Republic of the Congo	Denis Sassou Nguesso
Minister of National Defense	Charles Richard Mondjo
Chief of General Staff	Guy Blanchard Okoï
Personnel
Military age	20
Active personnel	10,000(2014)
Expenditure
Budget	$705 million (2015)[1]
Percent of GDP	8.4 (2015)
Industry
Foreign suppliers	France South Africa  South Africa (historical) United States United Kingdom Israel China Russia Soviet Union (historical) Spain Italy Belgium
Related articles
Ranks	Military ranks of Republic of the Congo

TheArmed Forces of the Republic of the Congo (French:Forces armées de la République du Congo), also less formally denoted as theForces armées congolaises or its acronym FAC, are the military forces of theRepublic of the Congo. They consist of the Congolese Army, theCongolese Air Force, theCongolese Navy [fr], and theCongolese National Gendarmerie [fr]. The dissolution ofFrench Equatorial Africa in 1958, and France's impending military withdrawal from the Congo in August 1960, provided the impetus for the formation of the FAC. The FAC and stateparamilitary agencies are headed by anArmed Forces Chief of General Staff, usually appointed by thePresident of the Republic of the Congo. Major GeneralGuy Blanchard Okoï has served as chief of staff since 2012.

The Congolese military was created on January 16, 1961, and reflected the nature of the colonial security forces, which recruited among the country's northern ethnic groups and were staffed by juniorBakongo officers and a handful of French senior commissioned officers. PresidentAlphonse Massamba-Débat, who seized power in 1963, expelled all the French personnel and sidelined the military in favor of independent political militias, which were trained byCuban troops. The militias and the Congo's civil defense corps were later integrated with the FAC as theArmée Nationale Populaire.

Under thePeople's Republic of the Congo, the FAC was again reorganized, withMbochi career soldiers making up the bulk of the new officer corps; its effectiveness and standards, however, were gradually eroded by draconian political purges throughout the 1970s. A second major setback occurred during the 1990s, when mass desertions led to many FAC officers and enlisted troops joining regional militias. The FAC was reformed for the third time after theSecond Congo War, incorporating many former rebels and militia combatants.

On 5 February 2012, there weremunitions explosions at a tank regiment (seemingly 'Regiment Blinde') barracks located inBrazzaville's fiftharrondissement,Ouenzé. Some 206 people were initially reported killed. There are five military barracks in the city, and after the explosion officials said the government had promised to move all munitions out of the capital.^[2]

The army Is composed of: the 10th Pointe Noir Infantry Brigade in Military Defense Zone No. 1

Which contains: the - Command and Services Battalion - Combat Engineering Company - 101° Motorized Infantry Battalion - 102° Airborne Battalion -104° Light Tank Battalion -106° Jet Artillery Group -108° Air Sol Artillery Group

Name	Image	Caliber	Type	Origin	Notes
Pistols
TT-33[3]		7.62×25mm	Semi-automatic pistol	Soviet Union
Walther PP[3]		.25 ACP	Semi-automatic pistol	Germany
MAC 50[3]		9×19mm	Semi-automatic pistol	France
Submachine guns
MAT-49[3]		9×19mm	Submachine gun	France
Franchi LF-57[3]		9×19mm	Submachine gun	Italy
Rifles
SKS[4][5]		7.62×39mm	Semi-automatic rifle	Soviet Union
AK[3]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Soviet Union
AKM[3]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	Soviet Union
Type 56[5]		7.62×39mm	Assault rifle	China
IMI Galil[3]		5.56×45mm	Assault rifle	Israel
Vektor R4[5]		5.56×45mm	Assault rifle	South Africa
FN FAL[3]		7.62×51mm	Battle rifle	Belgium
CETME Model C[6]		7.62×51mm	Battle rifle	Spain
MAS-36[7]		7.5×54mm	Bolt-action rifle	France
MAS-49/56[8]		7.5×54mm	Semi-automatic rifle	France
Machine guns
FM 24/29[9]		7.5×54mm	Light machine gun	France
RP-46[3]		7.62×54mmR	Light machine gun	Soviet Union
RPD[10]		7.62×39mm	Squad automatic weapon	Soviet Union
RPK[3]		7.62×39mm	Squad automatic weapon	Soviet Union
PKM[3]		7.62×54mmR	General-purpose machine gun	Soviet Union
KPV[11]		14.5×114mm	Heavy machine gun	Soviet Union
DShK[3]		12.7×108mm	Heavy machine gun	Soviet Union
Rocket propelled grenade launchers
RPG-7[3]		40mm	Rocket-propelled grenade	Soviet Union
RPG-18[10]		64mm	Rocket-propelled grenade	Soviet Union
RPO-A Shmel[10]		93mm	Missile launcher	Soviet Union

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Caliber	Notes
M18[9]		Recoilless rifle	United States	57mm

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
T-54/55		Medium tank	Soviet Union	25[12]
Type 59		Main battle tank	China	15[12]
Type 62		Light tank	China	10[12]
Type 63		Light tank	China	8[12]
PT-76		AmphibiousLight tank	Soviet Union	3[12]

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
BRDM-1		Scout car	Soviet Union	25[12]
BRDM-2		Scout car	Soviet Union

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
BTR-60		AmphibiousArmored personnel carrier	Soviet Union	30[12]
AT105 Saxon		Armored personnel carrier	United Kingdom	28[12]
Panhard M3		Armoured personnel carrier	France	9[13]
Mamba		Armoured personnel carrier	South Africa	18[12]
Marauder		Armored personnel carrier	South Africa	52[12]
ZFB-05		Armored personnel carrier	China	14[13]

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
Self-propelled artillery
2S1 Gvozdika		Self-propelled artillery	Soviet Union	3[12]
Rocket artillery
RPU-14		Multiple rocket launcher	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]
BM-14		Multiple rocket launcher	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]
BM-21 Grad		Multiple rocket launcher	Soviet Union	10[12]
Mortars
PM-41		Mortar	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]
PM-43		Mortar	Soviet Union	28[12]
Field artillery
ZiS-2		Anti-tank gun	Soviet Union	5[12]
BS-3		Field gun	Soviet Union	10[12]
D-30		Howitzer	Soviet Union	10[12]
D-20		Howitzer	Soviet Union	8[13]
M-46		Field gun	Soviet Union	5[12]

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
ZPU		Anti-aircraft gun	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]
61-K		Autocannon	Soviet Union	28[12]
S-60		Autocannon	Soviet Union	Unknown[12]
KS-19		Anti-aircraft gun	Soviet Union	4[13]

Name	Image	Type	Origin	Quantity	Notes
ZSU-23-4 Shilka		SPAAG	Soviet Union	8[13]

The Navy has around 800 personnel. In October 2007, the US Navy provided some training to Congolese Navy personnel inPointe-Noire, a port city that is the second largest settlement in the country.^[14]

As of 2016 it was commanded by Rear Admiral Andre Bouagnabea-Moundanza.^[15]

As of 2019 the Navy operates a single Mil Mi-14 helicopter.^[16]

After achieving independence from France in 1960, the Congolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Congolaise) was started with equipment such as the Douglas C-47s, Broussards and Bell 47Gs, these were followed by Nord Noratlas tactical transports and Sud Alouette helicopter. In the 1970s the air force switched to Soviet equipment. This included five Ilyushin IL-14 and six turboprop Antonov An-24 transports and an An-26 in return for providing bases for Cuban MiG-17 operations over Angola. These fighters and a few MiG-15UTI combat trainers were transferred to the FAC. In 1990 these fighter were replaced by 16 USSR supplied MiG-21MF/bis Fishbeds plus a couple of MiG-21US trainers. Together with a Soviet training mission which stayed until late 1991, during that time there were numerous accidents that involved both Soviet and Congolese personnel. After the Soviets left there was only limited funding for MiG operations and they were withdrawn. Six Mi-8 helicopters were delivered from Ukraine in mid-1997 before the Cobra rebel takeover.

In 1990, the Air Force was reformed into its present state. Most fighter aircraft it possessed were scrapped in 2001.France andChina provided most training to the Air Force in recent times.

See the articleCongolese Air Force for current inventory.

•  This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook (2003 ed.).CIA.

• Military of the Republic of the Congo

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