The Zambian Army is the land military branch of the Zambian Defence Force. Like all branches of the Zambian military, citizens of the nation are required to register at 16 years old, and citizens can join at 16 years old with parental consent or at 18 years old when they are classified as adults by Zambia. There is currently no conscription. (There was a Zambia National Defence Force conscription from 1975 to 1980.) Applicants must be Zambian citizens and must have a school Grade 12 certification. Applicants must also undergo a test for HIV on enlistment. Personnel can serve until age 55, when there is a mandatory retirement. Its first Commander Major General was Michael Grigg, appointed by Kenneth Kaunda. The first local Commander was Gen Kingsley Chinkuli. According to the 2014 CIA World Factbook:
There are 3,041,069 men between 16-49 who are classified as manpower (this does not mean that all of them are fit for duty), and 2,948,291 women between 16–49 who are classified as manpower. This makes a total of 5,989,360 people classified as manpower.
There are 1,745,656 men who are classified as fit for military service between the ages of 16–49. There are 1,688,670 women who are classified as fit for military service between the ages of 16–49. Therefore, Zambia has 3,434,326 people fit for military service between the ages of 16–49.
1.55% of the GDP of Zambia is spent on the military, ranked 70th in the world.[1]
Organisation
The current Army organisation is as follows:[2][3]
^Lungu H. & Ngoma, N. (2005) The Zambian military—trials, tribulations and hope. In: Rupiya, M. (ed.) Evolutions and Revolutions: A Contemporary History of Militaries in Southern Africa. Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria: 331-329. ISBN1-919913-82-3
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v wJones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN978-0-7106-2869-5.
^Jones & Ness 2009, p. 514.
^ a b c d e"Zambian military parades new equipment". Janes. 2021-05-22. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
^Zambia Watchdog (2017-06-09). "Zambia dented, instability to continue up to 2021 – Economist Group". Zambia Watchdog. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
^ a b c d e f g h i j"Arms Trade Register". SIPRI. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
^"Analysis: Zambia Defence Forces unveil new armored vehicles and military equipment | weapons defence industry military technology UK | analysis focus army defence military industry army". www.armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
^"The head of the military-industrial complex Alexander Krasovitsky: Russia delivered 35 armored vehicles "Tiger" to Zambia". ЦАМТО / Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
^SA Ratels in Libya spur DA to call for investigation
^"Zambia showcases new military hardware during military parade". defenceWeb. 2021-05-22. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
^Gander, Terry J.; Cutshaw, Charles Q., eds. (2001). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2001/2002 (27th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. ISBN9780710623171.