Libyan National Army

Military of Libya
القوات المسلحة الليبية

Libyan National Army logo and flag
Founded 1951–1969
Current form 2011
Service branches Libyan Air Force
Libyan Navy
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief Aguila Saleh Issa
Chief of Staff Major General Abdulrazek Al Nadoori (Tobruk-based government)
Manpower
Military age 18
Available for
military service		 1,775,078[1] males, age 15–49,
1,714,194 females, age 15–49
Fit for
military service		 1,511,144 males, age 15–49,
1,458,934 females, age 15–49
Reaching military
age annually		 59,547 males,
57,070 females
Active personnel 35,000[2] (ranked 74th)
Industry
Foreign suppliers  Russia
 China
 United States
 United Kingdom
 France
 Italy
 Algeria
 Belgium
 Canada
 Germany
 Serbia
 Croatia
 Ukraine
 Egypt
 Belarus
 Bulgaria

The Libyan National Army is the national armed force of Libya, comprising the ground forces, the air force and the navy. It was established by the Libyan government after the first Libyan civil war (2011), as Libya's previous national army was defeated by the uprising and NATO and was disbanded.

In the ongoing Second Libyan Civil War (2014–present), the Libyan National Army is loyal to the legislative body in Tobruk, the Libyan House of Representatives, internationally recognised until October 2015. It therefore fights against the Islamist Libya Dawn, the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries and the Islamic State in Libya.

At the beginning of the Second Libyan Civil War, the army was split between Khalifa Haftar's "anti-terrorist" faction, which acted largely independently, and Abdulsalam al-Obaidi's "legalist" faction which relied on orders from political authorities. In 2014, the Council of Deputies appointed Haftar commander of the whole army, re-uniting the two factions. Abdulrazek Al Nadoori is chief of staff.

In the case of the many armed groups in Libya, they do not belong to the Libyan National Army unless they pledge allegiance to it. Many armed groups that exist in areas outside the control of the Council of Deputies and the Libyan National Army accept government funding and openly exert authority associated with official forces, while not have a commitment to obey the Libyan National Army hierarchy or the government. As the Second Libyan Civil War progresses, armed groups are increasingly condemned by the Council of Deputies and have been branded illegal.

Structure of the National Army

Ground Forces

Seal of the Libyan Ground Forces

Formations include:

  • 17th Thunderbolt Special Forces Brigade - Tripoli
  • 27th Brigade - Tripoli.[3]

History

The Libyan National Army was founded in 2011 by the National Transitional Council, after forces aligned to it defeated the previous Libyan Army and overthrew Muammar Gaddafi's regime. Supply depots and bases having been damaged during the civil war, the new army is faced with the challenge of having to rebuild much of the country's military infrastructure.[4] Yousef Mangoush was named as its first Chief of Staff on 2 January 2012 and the force saw its first major deployment on 23 February, when it was deployed to Kufra to intervene in a tribal conflict.[5]

In November 2011, the National Transitional Council begun the difficult process of restructuring the army, with military personnel who defected from the Gaddafi government and former rebel fighters of the National Liberation Army forming the basis of the new Libyan Army. Major General Khalifa Belgacem Haftar was chosen as the overall commander of the new Libyan Army due to his military experience and loyalty to the revolution that overthrew Gaddafi.[6]

The Libyan Army only numbered "a few thousand" trained soldiers in November 2011, and was rapidly trying to train up new fighters who could keep the peace nationwide and deter rogue militias from acting without NTC orders, and was responsible for brokering a ceasefire on at least one occasion in November between warring militas from Zawiya and Al Maya.[7]

On 1 December 2011, it was reported that the National Liberation Army was to integrate up to 50,000 former rebel fighters into the new Libyan national army and police forces, with the aid of French training, with long term aims to integrate as many as 200,000 fighters from the brigades that had fought against Gaddafi during the civil war.[8]

In December 2011, Italy agreed to provide training the Libyan Army as it attempted to reorganize in the aftermath of the civil war.[9][10]

Also in December, large numbers of former rebels were being given jobs in the new army, whilst the government also announced that they would be free to join the special forces and the navy too. According to Osama al-Juwaili, the defence minister: "The idea is to inject new blood in the army which was marginalised by the tyrant (Gaddafi)"[11]

General Yousef Mangoush said on 5 January 2012 that Libya's new army faces major obstacles such as rebuilding bases destroyed during the conflict, as well as disarming militias that were not part of the new army. National Army commander General Khalifa Haftar said later that it could take between three and five years for Libya to field a capable enough army to protect its borders.[12]

On 7 May 2013, Libya’s Defense Minister Mohammed al-Barghathi resigned on Tuesday due to a crisis caused by gunmen who have besieged two ministries for more than a week, a ministry official said. He later withdrew his resignation after Prime Minister Zeidan convinced him to stay.[13]

Under an agreement reached at the Lough Erne G8 summit in June 2013, NATO countries the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, and the United States undertook to help train up to 15,000 personnel from Libyan National Army units over a two-year period. They were to take units from newly formed brigades for 10-week stints of intensive infantry training. The 27th Brigade was due to start at Bassingbourn in eastern England in January 2014.[3] As a result of disorder and sexual assaults by some Libyan army cadets, the UK cancelled the programme in November 2014. The Libyan trainees were sent back to Libya, with the exception of five who were tried for sexual offenses.[14]

Al-Saiqa is an elite army unit, formed from a mixture of paratroopers and commandos. It numbers a few thousand and reports to the Ministry of Defence. It is popular in Benghazi, particularly in light of its opposition to Islamist Ansar al-Sharia group and because it is seen as a symbol of the reborn Libyan armed forces.[15]

Equipment

Whilst it is known to a degree what equipment the Libyan National Army uses, the exact numbers of the below equipment currently in use is not known. What is certain is that a reasonable quantity of their equipment probably came from ransacked stocks of the original Libyan Army and from defectors as well.

Small arms

Name Country of origin Type Caliber Notes
NATO Standard
FN P90[16][17] BelgiumPersonal defence weaponFN 5.7×28mm
Beretta 92FS[18] ItalyPistol9×19mm
CZ99 Serbia
Beretta M12[19] ItalySubmachine gun
Zastava M21[20] SerbiaAssault rifle5.56×45mmMost likely used by special forces.
FN F2000[21]  BelgiumMost likely used by special forces.
FN FALBattle rifle7.62×51mm NATO
Heckler & Koch G3[22] West Germany
Zastava M07 SerbiaMost likely used by special forces.
Zastava M93 Black Arrow[23]Sniper rifle12.7×99mmMost likely used by special forces.
Benelli M4[24][25] ItalyShotgun12 gaugeUsed by special forces
Soviet Standard
TT-33 Soviet UnionPistol7.62×25mm
AK-47[26][27]Assault rifle7.62×39mm
AKM
Dragunov sniper rifleSniper rifle7.62×54mmR
Zastava M91[23]  Yugoslavia
RPK Soviet UnionGeneral-purpose machine gun7.62×39mm
PK machine gun[28]7.62×54mmR
Degtyaryov machine gun
Zastava M84 Yugoslavia
DShK Soviet UnionHeavy machine gun12.7×108mm
Zastava M02 Coyote[20] Serbia

Technicals

A variety of pickup/utility vehicles, called technicals and gun trucks, often Toyota and other makes, armed with a variety of different weapons, including heavy machineguns, light MLRS' and anti-aircraft guns, most commonly used is the ZU-23-2 and the ZPU.[29][30]

Tanks

Armoured personnel carriers

Artillery

Portable Anti-Tank Weapons

Anti-Tank Guided Missiles

Self-Propelled Anti-Air Gun

Helicopters

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/.

  1. ↑ "The World Factbook". CIA. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  2. ↑ Worth, Robert F. (13 May 2012). "In Libya, the Captors Have Become the Captive". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 "UK trains Libyan army in fight against al-Qaida and warlords". The Observer. Retrieved 29 Dec 2013.
  4. ↑ "Libya's new military chief to disarm former rebels". USA Today. 2012-01-04. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "New Libya army flexes muscles to halt tribal fight". Reuters. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Libya: New Chief for Revamped National Army". AllAfrica.com. 2011-11-17. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  7. ↑ Krauss, Clifford (2011-11-21). "Libyas toughest test may be building an army". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  8. ↑ "Libya to integrate 50,000 anti kadhafi fighters". France24.com. 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  9. ↑ "Turkey to Train Libya's Army". Turkishweekly.net. Archived from the original on 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  10. ↑ "Turkey to Train Libya's Army « Shabab Libya". Shabablibya.org. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  11. ↑ "Former Libyan rebels offered military jobs". The Daily Telegraph. London. 26 December 2011.
  12. ↑ "Libya army chief of staff wants to disarm fighters". Zeenews.india.com. 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
  13. ↑ "Libyan defence chief reverses move to quit, gunmen press siege". English.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  14. ↑ "Libyan troops sent home after sexual assault allegations". The Guardian. 5 November 2014.
  15. ↑ "Guide to key Libyan militias and other armed groups". BBC. 28 November 2013.
  16. ↑ Fux, Eric (April 21, 2011). "Bericht van het front in Libië" (in Dutch). De Redactie. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  17. ↑ "FN-Libye: Demotte Justifie l'Autorisation Wallonne" (in French). La Libre Belgique. 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
  18. ↑ Diez, Octavio (2000). Armament and Technology. Lema Publications, S.L. ISBN 84-8463-013-7.
  19. ↑ Gander, Jerry (2002). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002–2003. Jane's Information Group. pp. 214, 899–906. ISBN 0-7106-2434-4.
  20. 1 2 http://www.zastava-arms.rs/
  21. ↑ "Libyan rebels show a FN F2000 assault rifle with grenade launcher they found…". Uk.news.yahoo.com. 2011-09-05. Archived from the original on 2014-09-08. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  22. ↑ Jones, Richard D.; Ness, Leland S., eds. (2009-01-27). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 (35th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
  23. 1 2 3 http://www.danas.rs/danasrs/ekonomija/krenuo_izvoz_pesadijskog_naoruzanja_za_libiju.4.html?news_id=279435
  24. ↑ "Benelli M4 Super 90 / M1014 JSCS Semi-Automatic Combat Shotgun (1999)". Military Factory. February 5, 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
  25. ↑ Giorgio Beretta Mercoledì, 09 Marzo 2011 (2011-02-27). "L'Italia ha inviato 11mila Beretta semiautomatici al regime di Gheddafi / Notizie / Home" (in Italian). Unimondo. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  26. ↑ "Brit held with SAS in Libya was spy". London: The Sun. 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  27. ↑ "The Libyan Revolution One Year On: Carla's Story". Shabab Libya. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  28. ↑ http://operatorchan.org/v/res/1343+50.html. Retrieved 2012-06-19. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ↑ "A rebel fighter celebrates as his comrades fire a rocket barrage toward Gaddafi forces west of Ajdabiyah, Libya, April 14, 2011". Atlantic Council. 2011-04-14. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  30. 1 2 3 4 "Libya: How the opposing sides are armed". BBC News. 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  31. ↑ "Libya rebels make gains towards Tripoli". Channel 4 News. 2011-08-18. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  32. ↑ Jonathan Marcus (10 March 2011). "Gaddafi loyalists mount onslaught". BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  33. ↑ "Libya: Rebels fight street battles in Zawiya". BBC News. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  34. ↑ "Libyan Interim Forces Await Decision to Attack". English.alarabiya.net. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  35. ↑ David Zucchino (2011-03-31). "Libya fighting: Libya rebels flee eastward by the hundreds". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  36. ↑ "Citizens of Benghazi Parade On A Captured Btr Apc". Wn.com. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  37. ↑ "Who Are the Rebels Fighting Libyan Government Forces?". Voanews.com. 2011-03-29. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  38. 1 2 "Libyan Conflict - Photos and Videos - Page 264". Militaryphotos.net. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  39. ↑ "Russians deliver armoured fighting vehicles". Libya Herald. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  40. ↑ "Libya has taken delivery of 49 NIMR 4x4 light tactical armoured vehicles from Jordan 2502133 - Army Recognition". Armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  41. ↑ "Libya has received 20 Italian-made Puma wheeled armoured vehicles personnel carrier Italy 0303131 - Army Recognition". Armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  42. ↑ "Libyan army has taken delivery of 200 HMMWV Humvees from United States 3007131 - Army Recognition". Armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  43. ↑ "Libya uprising: The battle on the road to Sirte". BBC News. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  44. ↑
  45. ↑
  46. ↑ "قائد الطائره الذي رفض قصف بنغازي". YouTube. 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  47. ↑ "US mission in Libya's Benghazi attacked: embassy". Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  48. ↑ "Libya unrest: Benghazi revels in freedom from Gaddafi". BBC News. 2011-02-26. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
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