Republic of Guinea Armed Forces
Index
1. Order of battle
2. Overview
3. State of military forces
4. Country threat report
5. External deployments
1. Order of Battle
| Total force strength | Army: 8 500 Navy: 400 Air: 800 Gendarmerie: 1 000 Republican Guard: 1 600 |
| Army | |
| Armour | 38: T-54 30: T-34 15: PT-76 |
| Reconnaissance | 2: AML-90 22: BRDM-1/2 |
| APC | 16: BTR-40 10: BTR-50 8: BTR-60 6: BTR-152 4: Tigr 10: Mamba |
| Towed artillery | 10: M-1931/37 122 mm 12: M-46 130 mm 8: M1942 76 mm |
| Mortar | M-43 82 mm 20: M-1943/M-38 120 mm |
| Anti-tank | AT-3 9K11 Sagger AT-5 9M113 Spandrel B-10 82 mm RPG-7 Knout 73 mm |
| Multiple rocket launcher | BM-27/9P140 Uragan 220 mm 4: Type 63 107 mm |
| Anti-tank gun | ZIS-2 M-1943 57 mm 6: D-44 85 mm |
| Air defence gun | M-53 30 mm 8: M-1939 37 mm 12: Type-59 (S-60) 57 mm 4: KS-19 100 mm |
| Air defence missile | SA-7 Grail SA-8 |
| Structure | 1 armoured battalion 5 infantry battalions 1 special forces battalion 1 ranger battalion 1 commado battalion 1 artillery battalion 1 engineering battalion 1 air defence battalion |
| Air Force | |
| Combat aircraft | 3: MiG-21 (unserviceable) 4: MiG-17F (unserviceable) |
| Trainer aircraft | 2: MiG-15UTI 5: Yak-18 3: L-29 |
| Transport aircraft | 1: An-24 4: An-14 |
| Transport helicopter | 1: SA 330 Puma 2: Mi-8 1: Alouette III 1: AS 350 Ecureuil 4: Mi-4 2: MD500D |
| Attack helicopter | 4: Mi-24 1: SA 342K Gazelle |
| Navy | |
| Patrol/Strike boat (Gun/Missile/OPV/IPV) | 1: Intrepide patrol boat (Swiftship type) 1: Vigilante patrol boat (Swiftship type) 2: Stinger class fast launches |
2. Overview
President and titular Defence Minister: Alpha Conde
Defence minister: Abdoul Kabale Camara
Member of: UN, AU, AfDB, ICAO, IMF, World Bank, WTO
Conscription: 24 months
3. State of military forces
Guinea’s military has a reputation for resisting democratic civilian rule. The military is notorious for indiscipline, human rights abuse, insubordination and criminality, which was notably evident in 2008 when new military hardware was used to suppress violent anti-government protests, resulting in hundreds of deaths. As a result, ECOWAS and the European Union imposed arms embargoes on the country in October 2009. However, after elections in 2010 the country has become more stable and discipline amongst the armed forces has improved. In October 2012 President Conde removed three members of the armed forces from his cabinet, making it Guinea’s first all-civilian government.
Guinea’s military was scaled down by President Conde, with some 4 000 troops reassigned as forest and game wardens or sent to join the fire brigade or prison services, or made to retire.
The serviceability of much of the equipment in Guinea’s military is questionable – the majority of air force assets are stored or unserviceable due to a lack of spares and maintenance.
The defence budget for 2005 was an estimated $119 million, or 2.9% of GDP, although the 2006 defence budget was an estimated $30 million.
4. Country threat report
| Threat type | Overview |
| External | • Conflicts among rebel groups, warlords and youth gangs in neighbouring countries have spilled over into Guinea, causing domestic instability. Internal |
| Internal | • While Guinea held its first free and fair elections in 2010 since independence, some political tension remains – in July 2011 President Conde survived an attack on his residence allegedly carried out by the military. |
| Regional | • Neighbouring Sierra Leone has protested Guinea’s claim on the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers and has challenged Guinea’s continued occupation of these lands since 1998. |
| Political | • Guinea was one of the least free countries in Africa, but has improved its human rights standing over the last several years. However, the threat of political instability and autocracy remains high as President Conde has postponed elections several times and political violence has erupted occasionally, notably in February 2013. |
| Economic | • Guinea’s economy is largely dependent on agriculture and minerals, with bauxite accounting for the vast majority of its foreign exchange. In spite of vast mineral reserves, the country remains poor. |
5. External deployments
| Operation | Mission/Country | Personnel/assets |
| Peacekeeping | MINURSO/Western Sahara | 5 |
| Peacekeeping | MINUSTAH/Haiti | 14 |
| Peacekeeping | MONUSCO/DRC | 32 |
| Peacekeeping | UNISFA/Abyei | 2 |
Contact:
Armed Forces HQ
Conakry
Guinea
Tel +224445078
