| His Majesty's Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of His Majesty's Armed Forces | |
 Flag of the Armed Forces | |
| Motto | Terra Marique (Latin) ("Land and Sea") |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Current form | 2013 |
| Service branches | Land Force Maritime Force Air Wing |
| Headquarters | Vilai Barracks, Nuku'alofa |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | HM KingTupou VI |
| Minister for HMAF | Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala |
| Chief of Defense Staff | Brigadier GeneralLord Fielakepa |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Conscription | None |
| Active personnel | 750[1] |
| Expenditure | |
| Percent of GDP | 0.9% GDP (2006 est.) |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Tonga |
His Majesty's Armed Forces (HMAF) is the military ofTonga. It is composed of three operational components and two support elements (logistics and training ).
The mission of HMAF is to: "Defend the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Tonga".
The HMAF is partially supported by defence co-operation agreements with Australia, the United States, China, India, New Zealand and Fiji. The co-operation aims at capacity development through training of HMAF personnel in leadership, academic and trades while support for infrastructure development is another part of the security co-operation.
Since 2001, members of HMAF have supported thecoalition of the willing inOperation Iraqi Freedom, theInternational Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and theRegional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.
The military history of Tonga extends from before European contact to the present day, with Tonga participating in World War I,World War II, and theAfghan war, among other conflicts.[2]
The main elements of *His Majesty's Armed Forces are:[3][4]
The Tongan Royal Guards are a company size infantry unit that are responsible for the security of His Majesty. and was established in 1860 under the Reign ofKing George Tupou I, The Royal Guard provides Royal Security for the monarch, Royal Palaces and members of the Royal Family of Tonga, Royal Guard participates in Ceremonial duties along with the Tonga Royal Corps of Musicians that serves as amilitary band for different occasions.
The Royal Tongan Marine Infantry is organized as a Company size group with a HQ and three Infantry Platoons, based at Fua'amotu.[5]
_-_RAN-IFR_2013_D3_74.jpg)
The Maritime Force is equipped with twoGuardian-class patrol boats, provided by Australia under thePacific Maritime Security Program, aLanding Craft and a motor boat, that is theroyal yacht.[6] Tongan Maritime Force performs patrol missions, occasionally dealing with border violations, at theMinerva Reef and Tonga's restricted fishing zones.[2]
On 4 May 1996 the Air Wing was created. ABeech 18 was taken into service. In 1999 aCitabria was obtained to help with training of the Beech 18.[7]
Territorial Force is a component of HMAF alongside the Regular Force and active reserve, its duties are outlined in the HMAF act 1992 and HMAF regulations 1994, The Prime mission of the Territorial Force is to maintain internal order, and provide support to civil authorities including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief
The HMAF is a member of the following international defence organisations:
Tonga has an agreement to share "disaster response knowledge" with the United StatesNevada National Guard.[8]
The ranks used by His Majesty's Armed Forces are similar to those used in otherCommonwealth armed forces.[9]
Until 2013, commanders were called Commander of the Tongan Defence Services. After 2013, they are now called Chief of the Defence Staff of the HMAF.[10]
| Model | Image | Origin | Type | Calibre | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handguns | ||||||
| Glock 17 | _%25D0%25B1%25D0%25B5%25D0%25B7_%25D1%2584%25D0%25BE%25D0%25BD%25D0%25B0.jpg) |  AUT | Pistol | 9×19mm Parabellum | Standard Pistol of HMAF | |
| Submachine guns | ||||||
| Uzi |  |  ISR | Sub-machine gun | 9×19mm Parabellum | Donated by Israel in 1988.[11] Used by Tongan Royal Guard and Tongan Maritime Force | |
| Assault rifles | ||||||
| IMI Galil |  | ISR | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm | Donated by Israel in 1988.[11] Version with all Plastic furniture and minus bipod fixture | |
| M4A1 |  |  USA | Carbine rifle | 5.56×45mm | Standard service rifle of HMAF | |
| Grenade Launcher Attachment | ||||||
| M203 grenade launcher |  | USA | Grenade launcher | 40 mm grenade | 20 | Used by Tongan Land Force |
| Sniper Rifle | ||||||
| M24 Sniper Weapon System |  | USA | Intermediate range sniper rifle. | 7.62×51mm NATO | 10 | Standard sniper rifle of HMAF |
| Machine guns | ||||||
| M249 |  | USA | Squad automatic weapon | 5.56×45mm NATO | 20 | Used by Tongan Land Force |
| M2 Browning | .jpg) | USA | Heavy machine gun | 12.7x99mm NATO | 6 | Used byTongan Maritime Force onGuardian-class patrol boat |
| Zastava M55 |  Serbia/ Tonga | 20mm Cannon with Local Pattern Mount for Patrol Boat use | 20 x 110mm Hispano | 2 x Triple Barrel | Purchased by Tongan Government in 1990, Used byTongan Maritime Force for adaptation as required to Patrol Boats. | |
| Model | Image | Origin | Type | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeled vehicles | |||||
| Unimog U1700 |  |  Australia | Military truck | 5 | Five donated by Australia in 2018.[12] |
