Royal Moroccan Armed Forces

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
flag Royal Moroccan Armed
Forces Forces armées royales
القوات المسلحة الملكية المغربية
Flag of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.svg
guide
Commander in Chief : King of Morocco Mohammed VI
Defense Minister: Abdellatif Loudiyi
Military Commander: General Abdelaziz Bennani
Headquarters: Rabat
Military strength
Active soldiers: 185,800 (2010)
Conscription: introduced since 08/21/2018
Eligibility for military service: 20th
Share of gross domestic product : 4.3%
history
Founding: 1956

The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces ( French Forces armées royales , Arabic القوات المسلحة الملكية المغربية, DMG al-Quwwāt al-musallaḥa al-malakīya al-maghribīya ) are the armed forces of the Kingdom of Morocco . The King of Morocco holds the title of Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces .

history

The Moroccan Armed Forces were established on May 14, 1956 after the end of the French protectorate . The Royal Navy was established in 1960.

However, Moroccan soldiers served in the French armed forces even before their own army was founded . So they fought on the French side in the First and Second World Wars . For their tenacity on the battlefield, the Moroccan units were nicknamed the death swallows by the German Wehrmacht . Afterwards, Moroccan soldiers also took part in the First Indochina War .

As an independent army, they fought in the Algerian-Moroccan border war of 1963, then on the Golan Heights in the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and, together with the armies of France and Belgium, put down the Katanga uprising against the government in Zaire in 1977 .

They are also in the peacekeeping missions of the United Nations in Somalia in 1992 and in Kosovo occurred 1999th On July 14, 1999, at the invitation of the then French President , Jacques Chirac , the Moroccan armed forces held a military parade on the Champs-Elysées as the first non-French army since 1939 .

Today they take part in other peace missions ( MONUC ( Congo ), ONUCI ( Ivory Coast ), EUFOR , KFOR ).

structure

M109A5 self-propelled howitzer of the 15th Royal Artillery Group
The frigates Muhammed V (FFGHM 611) and Hassan II (FFGHM 612) of the French Floréal class

The Moroccan army consists of five branches . This is made up of:

This makes a total of 242,000 soldiers, plus 150,000 reservists.

Royal Moroccan Army

The Royal Moroccan Army ( Armée royale ) was founded after independence in 1956 by the then King Mohammed V , grandfather of the current King, Mohammed VI. , founded.

Royal Moroccan Air Force

F-16D Block 52 of the Moroccan Air Force

The Royal Moroccan Air Force was established on May 14, 1956. She mainly uses the models:

Royal Moroccan Navy

A Moroccan Royal Navy lifeguard is winched up from an HH-65 A Dolphin helicopter

The Royal Moroccan Navy was on 1 April 1956 by the then King Mohammed V. founded. Its purpose is to secure the coasts of Morocco (the coast guard is part of the navy), to ensure the security of the Strait of Gibraltar and to protect the exclusive economic zone of Morocco.

Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie

The Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie was founded on April 29, 1957, replacing the French gendarmerie in Morocco. It is separated from the Moroccan police , but has similar tasks; including:

  • Executing legal orders
  • Protecting Foreign Residents ( Settlers )
  • Ensure public safety
  • Assist with the planning

The Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie consists of 5  companies or 103  brigades , each assigned to an area in Morocco. The gendarmerie supports the local police at major national events, such as the celebration of the succession of the current king.

Royal Moroccan Guard

The Royal Moroccan Guard was founded in 1956 and is part of the Moroccan armed forces as a military corps. It serves to protect the king and his family and succeeds the prestigious Black Guard founded in 1088 .

Royal Moroccan Special Forces

The Forces Spéciales Marocaine (FSM) are the elite and special units of the Moroccan army. These units are assigned to the various branches of the armed forces.

Royal Moroccan Army:

Royal Moroccan Guard:

  • Command unit of the Royal Guard

Royal Moroccan Navy:

Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie:

  • GSIGR (Groupe de Securité et d'intervention de la Gendarmerie Royale)
  • Gendarmerie paratrooper squadron
  • Rapid Reaction Force (DGSN)

Known missions

A well-known deployment of Moroccan special forces is that in the Houthi conflict . The Moroccan commitment became known in December 2009. It has been estimated that hundreds of elite Moroccan troops, mostly paratroopers and commandos trained in counterinsurgency operations, have been sent to Yemen to support the Yemeni-Saudi offensive against the Houthis.

equipment

Ground vehicles

Recent upgrades

In 2008 and 2011, the Moroccan armed forces have each heavily upgraded:

budget

The 2009 national budget provided for a budget of MAD 34.63 billion :

  • Department of Defense : 1.39 billion MAD (4%)
  • Army: 13.16 billion MAD (38%)
  • Air Force: 7.62 billion MAD (22%)
  • Marine: 5.54 billion MAD (16%)
  • Gendarmerie: 4.24 billion MAD (7%)
  • Guard: 1.39 billion MAD (4%)
  • Sanitary expenditure: 1.03 billion MAD (3%)
  • Social spending: MAD 1.03 billion (3%)
  • other expenses: 1.03 billion MAD (3%)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 55ème anniversaire des Forces Armées Royales  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.maroc.ma  
  2. ↑ Ministry of Equipment and Transport  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.mtpnet.gov.ma  

Web links

Commons : Royal Moroccan Armed Forces  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files