Cameroon Armed Forces
Index
1. Order of battle
2. Defence economics
3. State of military forces
4. Threat report
5. External deployments
1. Order of Battle
| Total force strength | Army: 23 000 Navy: 1 500 Air Force: 1 800 Gendarmerie: 9 000 Total: 35 300 |
| Army (L’Armee de Terre) | |
| Reconnaissance | 31: AML-90 6: AMX-10RC 15: Ferret 8: M-8 5: VBL |
| AIFV | 22: LAV-150 Commando (8 with 20 mm cannon, 14 with 90 mm gun) |
| APC | 12: M-3 half track 21: LAV-150 Commando |
| Self-propelled artillery | 18: ATMOS 2000 |
| Towed artillery | 5: M-116 75 mm 16: M-101 105 mm 12: Model 1982 130 mm 12: Type 59 (M-46) 130 mm 8: I1 155 mm 4: Soltam 155 mm |
| Multiple Rocket Launcher | 20: BM-21 122 mm |
| Mortar | 16: 81 mm 16: 120 mm Brandt |
| Anti-armour | 24: TOW (Deployed on jeeps) 25: Milan HOT |
| Recoilless rifle | 40: M-40A2 106 mm 13: Type-52 (M-20) 75 mm |
| Rocket launcher | ?: LRAC 89 mm |
| Air defence gun | 16: Type-58 (ZPU-2) 14.5 mm 1:8 Type 63 37 mm 18: GDF-002 35 mm 18: Type-58 37 mm |
| Structure | 4 infantry battalions 1 Rapid Intervention battalion with five detachments and a Delta region detachment (total 6 900 personnel) 1 armoured car battalion 1 artillery battalion 1 anti-aircraft battalion 1 commando battalion Engineer and supporting units Presidential Guard |
| Air Force (Armee de l’Air du Cameroun) | |
| Combat aircraft | Â 5: Impala Mk 1/2 (MB-326K) (Said to be non operational) |
| Trainer aircraft | 4: Alpha Jet 5: CM-170 Majister ? |
| Transport aircraft | 1: CN235 2: C-130H Hercules 1: C-130H-30 1: DHC-4 Caribou 2: PA-23 Aztec 1: B-707 (Passenger) 1: Gulfstream 3 (Passenger) 2: Do-128-2 2: Do-28 2: IAI Arava 1: MA60 |
| Combat helicopter | 3: Mi-24 Hind |
| Transport helicopter | 1: AS-365 Dauphin 2: Bell 412 2: SA-313B Alouette 2 1: SA-313 Alouette 2 2: SA-319 Alouette 3 4: SA-342 Gazelle (Equipped with HOT Anti tank missiles) 1: AS-332 Super Puma 3: Bell 206 Jet Ranger 2: Bell 206L-3 Long Ranger |
| Navy (Marine Nationale Republique) | |
| Patrol/Strike boat (Gun/Missile/OPV/IPV) | 2: FRA P-48 (Gun) 6: Rodman 101/46 (Gun) 1: Quartier class (Gun) 3: Boston Whalter patrol boats 1: Bakassi class patrol boat (P48S type) 1: L’Audacieux class missile FAC (P48 type) 1: Alfred Motto class patrol craft 20: Swiftship type river boats 2: Yunnan class landing craft 8: Simoneau 2: Aresa 2400 CPV Defender patroal boats 1: Aresa 2300 landing craft 6: Aresa 750 Commandos RIBs 5: 1200 Stealth RIBs 1: 1200 Defcon RIB |
| Structure | There are major naval bases in douala, Kribi and Limbe. |
2. Overview
Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence: Alain Mebe Ngo’o
Chief of Joint Chiefs of Staff: General Rene-Claude Meka
Member of: UN, AU, ICAO, IAEA, AfDB
3. Cameroon defence economics
Defence budget percentage per GDP (2000-2010)
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| DB% per GDP | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.6 |
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Defence budget per US$ Mil (2000-2011)
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| DB per US$ Mil | 228 | 227 | 246 | 264 | 281 | 277 | 301 | 316 | 327 | 331 | 354 | 347 |
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Defence budget percentage growth (2000-2008)
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| DB% growth | -0.4 | 8.4 | 7.3 | 6.4 | -1.4 | 8.7 | 5.0 | 3.5 | Â 1.2 | 6.9 | -2.0 |
4. State of military forces
Cameroon’s military is relatively well funded and professional compared to others in the region. Ground forces have been deployed to the Bakassi Peninsula to safeguard against threats from neighbouring Nigeria. As part of its drive to create a military capable of peacekeeping operations, Cameroon has sent personnel to train in Africa and abroad.
Cameroon’s military faces a lack of modern equipment, compounded by an overall drop in military funding over the last decade. The air force in particular suffers from a low serviceability rate, leaving it with few combat capable aircraft.
Cameroon’s navy is optimised for coastal and river patrol, especially in light of rising levels of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. It has around 40 coastal, inshore and river patrol craft as well as several combat patrol vessels. It is relatively well equipped in order to secure Cameroon’s oil installations and prevent maritime crime.
5. Cameroon threat report
| Threat typ | Overview |
| External | • Cameroon is currently facing no external military threat. • Reports have highlighted an increase in Islamic extremist presence in northern Cameroon originating from northern Nigeria. • Incidence of maritime piracy has dramatically increased over the last 2 years in the Gulf of Guinea. |
| Internal |  • Cameroon is facing no internal security threat. |
| Regional |  • Instability within northern Nigeria and the Central African Republic may affect Cameroons foreign security policy making. |
| Political | • Cameroon is currently facing no internal political instability. |
| Economic | • There is no prominent economic threat to Cameroon. |
6. External deployments
| Operation | Country | Personnel/assets |
| Peace building | CAR | 280 (Reported, 120 recently) |
Address:
Minister of Defence
Yaounde
Cameroon
Tel +237 23 2200/23 4055/22 2002/22 1524
Armed Forces HQ
c/o Ministry of Defence
Tel +237 23 3500/23 2200
PO Box 1162
Yaoundé
Cameroon
Tel: +237 22 226920
+237 2 22 21931
+237 22 234045
Fax: +237 22 235971
