Military of The Gambia
Index
1. Order of battle
2. Overview
3. Defence economics
4. State of military forces
5. Country threat report
6. External deployments
1. Order of Battle
| Total force strength | Army: 900 Navy: 125 Air Force: 100 Gendarmerie: 400 |
| Army | |
| Reconnaissance | Several armored cars are reported to be active with the countries presidential guard. 8: Ferret scout car 4: M-20 |
| Air Force | |
| Combat aircraft | 1: Su-25 Frogfoot (from Georgia in 2004) |
| Transport/utility aircraft | 2: AT-802A 1: Il-62M Classic 1: Skyvan 3M 1: Defender |
| Navy | |
| Patrol/Strike boat (Gun/Missile/OPV/IPV) | 4: Taipei class IPV (ex-Taiwan HAI-OU type) 1: Peterson-type patrol boat 2: ex-Spanish fast patrol boats |
2. Overview
Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces: President Yahya Jammeh
Chief of Defence Staff: Major General Ousman Badjie
Member of: UN, AU, AfDB, Commonwealth
3. Defence economics
Defence budget percentage per GDP (2000-2010)
Defence budget per US$ Mil (2000-2011)
Defence budget percentage growth (2000-2011)
4. State of military forces
The small Gambia National Army is comprised of two infantry battalions, one engineering squadron and the Presidential Guard company.
In April 2008 the government passed the “Gambia Armed Forces Bill 2008” which resulted in the establishment of the Republican National Guard, which comprises the State Guard, Special Forces and Guards Battalion.
Following the 1994 coup, the Gambian army received assistance and training from Turkey, Libya and the United States, with Turkey pledging additional support in May 2013.
Gambia has participated in a number or peacekeeping operations, including in Liberia, Bosnia, Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Eritrea, Timor-Leste, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Darfur.
Gambia has been accused of torture, arbitrary arrest and human rights violations as President Jammeh keeps a tight grip on power. In 2012 Jammeh dismissed four top military officers (including the army and navy chiefs) in what was seen as a sign of insecurity in the country.
5. Country threat report
| Threat type | Overview |
| External | • Gambia is currently facing no external military threat. However, the country borders the southern Casamance region of Senegal which has been plagued by a low scale insurgency for several years. |
| Internal | • Gambia is currently facing no internal security threat. |
| Regional | • Instability within Senegal could affect Gambia’s foreign security policy making. |
| Political | • Gambia is considered to be political stable. |
| Economic | • Gambia has no significant mineral or natural resources and 75 percent of the country’s population depends on agricultural activities for its livelihood. |
6. External deployments
| Operation | Country | Personnel/assets |
| Peace keeping | Sudan/Darfur | 210 troops |
Contact:
Department of State for Defence
State House
Banjul
The Gambia
Tel +220 224010, 228552
Armed Forces HQ
7 Col Muammar El Ghadaffi Avenue
PMB 169 – Banjul
The Gambia
Tel +220225700
