Mali's armed forces number some 7,000 and are under the control of the Minister of Armed Forces and Veterans. The Gendarmerie and local police forces (under the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Security) maintain internal security. In the sixties and seventies, Mali's army and air force relied primarily on the Soviet Union for materiel and training. A few Malians receive military training in the United States, France, and Germany. Military expenditures total about 13% of the national budget. The Malian armed forces intervened in politics in 1991, but were overcoming an autocratic president, and initiated a process that led to democratic elections.^[1] Malians express great pride in their ancestry. ...

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Tuareg Rebellion, the Army has struggled to maintain its size, despite recent military aid from the United States. It is organized into a single brigade consisting of four motorized infantry battalions, an MBT battalion operating 33 T-55 and T-54 and T-34/85, tanks, and a light armoured battalion of PT-76's and Type 62 light tanks. An airborne battalion and two companies of commandos comprise the nation's special forces. Manpower is provided by two-year selective conscription. The Tuareg Rebellion was an uprising of the 1990s by various Tuareg groups in Niger and Mali with the aim of achieving autonomy or forming their own nation. ... The T-54 and T-55 tank series was the Soviet Unions front-line main battle tank from 1947 until 1962, and remains in service throughout the world to this day, especially by former client states of the Soviet Union. ... The T-55 and T-54 main battle tanks were the Soviet Unions replacements for the World War II era T-34 tank. ... The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank first produced in 1940. ... The PT-76 is a Soviet amphibious tank which was introduced in early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armies. ... The Chinese Type 62 Light Tanks were developments of the Type 59, which was based on the T-54/55 series of tanks. ...

The Mali Airforce operates 16 MiG-21MF ʼFishbed-Jʼ, MiG-17F Fresco fighters, Antonov An-24, Antonov An-26, Aero L-29 Delfin, two Yak-18A Max, one MiG-15UTI Midget' trainer aircraft, 1 Ecureuil, 2 Z-9 (AS-365N) Dauphin 2, and Mi-8 Hip helicopters.^[2] The Army controls the small navy (approx. 130 sailors and 3 river patrol boats). Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO reporting name Fishbed) is a fighter aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan and Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. ... MiG-17 at the Central Texas Airshow, USA, May 2003. ... The Antonov An-24 is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport manufactured in USSR (now Ukraine) by the Antonov Design Bureau. ... Romanian Air Force Antonov An-26 The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl) is a 2-engined light prop transport aircraft and is a development of the An-24 passenger aircraft, with particular attention made to the potential military use. ... Aero L-29 Delfin The Aero L-29 Delfin (Czech: Dolphin, NATO reporting name: Maya) was a military jet trainer aircraft that became the standard jet trainer for the air forces Warsaw Pact nations in the 1960s. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (NATO reporting name Fagot) was a jet fighter developed for the USSR. History Design began under the bureau designation I-310, which first flew in 1947. ... A trainer is a training aircraft used to develop piloting, navigational or weapon-aiming skills in flight crew. ... “AStar” redirects here. ... Russian Mi-8 Hip The Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name Hip) is a large transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. ...

CIA WFB Data Amelia branches: Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard, National Police (Surete Nationale)

Amelia manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,369,578 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,358,646 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $68 million (FY03)

Military expenditures - procurement: $5 million (FY03)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY01)

References

1. ^ Herbert Howe, Ambiguous Order: Military Forces in African States, Lynne Rienner, 2005, p.277
2. ^ IISS Military Balance 2007, p.283

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2003 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. The World Factbook (ISSN 1553-8133; also known as the CIA World Factbook)[2] is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

• World Desk Reference Mali Defense
• Mike Golf's armored vehicles database - Mali
• Janes - Mali Airforce
• US military training efforts in Mali