Tunisian Armed Forces

Tunisian Armed Forces
القوات المسلحة التونسية‎
Emblem of the Armed Forces
Founded	30 June 1956
Service branches	Army Air Force Navy
Headquarters	Tunis
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	Kais Saied
Minister of National Defense	Imed Memmich
Inspector General of the Armed Forces	GeneralAbdel Moneim Belati
Personnel
Conscription	12 months
Active personnel	89,800
Deployed personnel	96
Expenditure
Budget	$1.35 billion (2023)
Percent of GDP	2.45% (2023)
Industry
Foreign suppliers	Australia Brazil China Czech Republic France Germany India Indonesia Italy Poland Russia South Africa Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom United States
Related articles
History	Bizerte Crisis Yom Kippur War UNAMIR Battle of Wazzin ISIL insurgency in Tunisia Battle of Ben Guerdane
Ranks	Military ranks of Tunisia

TheTunisian Armed Forces(Arabic:القوات المسلحة التونسية) consist of theTunisian Army,Air Forceand Navy.

As of 2019,Tunisiahad armed forces with more than 150,000 active-duty personnel, of which 80,000 were conscripts.Paramilitary forces consisted of a 12,000-member national guard.Tunisia participates inUnited Nationspeacekeeping efforts in the DROC (MONUSCO) and Côte d'Ivoire.PreviousUnited Nationspeacekeeping deployments for the Tunisian armed forces have included Cambodia (UNTAC), Namibia (UNTAG), Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia/Eritrea (UNMEE), and the 1960s mission in the Congo,ONUC. AL-fehri AL-akermi Great Britain:FERI AKRIM 19/05/1995

History

Tunisian artillery and gunners, circa 1900

The modern Tunisian army was formed in 1831 byAl-Husayn II ibn Mahmud.During the period of theFrench Protectorate(1881–1956) Tunisians were recruited in significant numbers into theFrench Army,serving astirailleurs(infantry) andspahis(cavalry). These units saw active service in Europe during both World Wars, as well as inIndo-Chinaprior to 1954. The only exclusively Tunisian military force permitted under French rule was theBeylical Guard.

Following independence

On June 30, 1956, the Tunisian army was officially founded by decree,in the form of a combined-arms regiment. The necessary equipment was made available to the young state from French stocks.The new army initially comprised 25 Tunisian officers, 250 NCOs and 1,250 men transferred from French Army service, plus 850 former members of the Beylical Guard.Approximately 4,000 Tunisian soldiers continued in French Army service until 1958, when the majority transferred to the Tunisian Army, which reached a strength of over 6,000 that year.

Intakes of conscripts for military service, made mandatory in January 1957, plus the recall of reservists allowed the army to grow to twelve battalions numbering 20,000 men by 1961.Sixty per cent of those troops were deployed for border monitoring and defense duties.

Tunisian units first saw action in 1958 after French intrusions into the south in pursuit ofNational Liberation Army (Algeria)fighters. In 1960 Tunisian troops served with the United National Peacekeeping Force in the Congo. 1,020 troops from the Tunisian Armed Forces were amongst the first UN troops to arrive in the Congo, by 20 July 1960.In 1961clashesoccurred with French forces based atBizerte.More than 600 men fell in battle against the French forces. The French evacuated the base after subsequent negotiations with the Tunisian Government.

The Tunisian Navy, founded in 1958, received its first ship in the fall of 1959. TheAir Forceacquired its first combat aircraft in 1960. While the Tunisian armed forces obtain equipment from several sources, theUnited Statesremains the largest single supplier.Officer and specialist training for Tunisian personnel was formerly undertaken in French and American military academies. Tunisian trainees are now gradually being assigned to newly established military schools within the country.

The January 10, 1957, a law prohibits any military officer to be a member of a group or apolitical party.However, after 7 November 1987 when the formerPrime Minister,GeneralZine el-Abidine Ben Alitook power senior officers such asAbdelhamid EscheikhandMustapha Bouaziztook up ministerial appointments.

On 30 April 2002, at around 18.15, the direction of the Army - Brigadier General Abdelaziz Skik who led the Tunisian contingent toCambodia,two colonels - majors, three colonels, four majors, two lieutenants and a sergeant-major - disappeared in a helicopter crash near the town ofMedjez el-Bab.

Tunisia has contributed military forces toUnited Nationspeacekeeping missions, including an army company to theUnited Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda(UNAMIR) during theRwandan genocide.In his bookShake Hands with the Devil,Canadian force commanderRoméo Dallairegave the Tunisian soldiers high credit for their skills and effort in the conflict and referred to them as his "ace in the hole".

During the2011 Libyan civil war,Tunisian forces, mostly border guards, saw some limited action when fighting between Libyan rebels and loyalist soldiers spilled over the border.

The military and politics

The Library of Congress Country Study says:

His exclusive power to promote military officers has been among the strongest components of Bourguiba's control over the armed forces. From independence, high-ranking officers—general staff and senior commanders in particular—have been carefully selected for their party loyalty more than for their professional experience and competence. This began in the late 1950s when the president dismissed those officers who had trained in the Middle East and who might therefore have been expected to sympathize with the militant Pan-Arab policies of Egypt's Nasser. The hand-picked senior officers, in turn, carefully screened all officers who were considered for positions of authority in line units to ensure that antiregime elements did not pose potential threats at any level of the military establishment. As a result of these promotion policies, the Tunisian officer corps took on a very homogeneous character that only began to break down in the 1970s. Senior officers have been generally representative of Tunisia's economically and politically dominant families from the north, the coastal areas, and the major cities. Although military men have been kept from operating major business ventures or holding political office while in uniform, it has been common for family members to be prominent in business or in the Destourian political movement. Generally Western and Francophile in outlook, tied by kinship to the country's upper socioeconomic stratum, and personally familiar with leading figures in the PSD, high-ranking Tunisian officers must be classed as part of the national elite.

In 2021, Tunisia boosted the role of military in their fight to curb the pandemic's spread. On Monday 5th, theTunisian presidencyannounced that medical and paramedical university graduates of the last three years will be drafted by the army. The intent was to remedy to a shortage of medical staff in public and private hospitals because hundreds of unhappy health professionals have left the country in recent years. Among other decisions, a vaccination campaign will be waged by joint civilian-military teams around the country under the supervision of the army.

General Staff

The supreme commander of the armed forces is thePresident of the Republic of Tunisia.

In December 2010, the staff is composed as follows: Chief of Staff of the Army corps is the Field Marshall Mohamed el ghoul, one of the Air Force is Brigadier General Taieb Lajimi and that the navy is Rear Admiral Mohamed Khamassi. In April 2011, Ammar became chief of staff inter-armed.

The Inspector General of the armed forces is Rear Admiral Tarek Faouzi Larbi, the Director of Military Engineering is Brigadier General Mohammed Hedi Abdelkafi and the director of military security Brigadier General Ahmed Chabir.

Tunisian Army

TheTunisian Armyis 80,000 strong and is composed essentially of:

• three mechanised brigades baséd atKairouan(3rd),Gabès(1st) andBéja(2nd). Each is composed of:
  • one armoured régiment (M60 Patton tanks)
  • two regiments of mechanised infantry (M113armoured personnel carriers) (11th-17th Mechanised Infantry Regiments have been reported)
  • one artillery regiment (M198 howitzer)
  • one reconnaissance company (AML 90)
• one Saharan territorial group atBorj el-KhadraandRemada,consisting of two light infantry regiments
• one special forces group (Groupe des Forces Spéciales)
• one military police régiment

The army was also enlisted to help in curbing the spread of Covid in the country in July 2021 when the Tunisian presidency announced that medical and paramedical university graduates of the last three years would be drafted by the army.

Air Force

AdmiralEdmund P. Giambastiani(right),Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,meets Brigadier GeneralMahmoud Ben M'hamed,Tunisian Air Force Chief of Staff, at the Carthage Airport in Tunis, Tunisia, May 4, 2007.

TheTunisian Air Forceis equipped with 10Northrop F-5E Tiger IIand twoNorthrop F-5F Tiger II.These form 15 Squadron atBizerte-Sidi Ahmed Air Base.It also includes 12Aero L-59T,as well as threeAermacchi MB-326K (combat capable) as well as 4 MB-326B, and 3 MB326L.Previously up to 8Aermacchi MB-326B,7-16Aermacchi MB-326KT,and 4Aermacchi MB-326LTwere in service.

The IISS Military Balance 2013 lists sixLockheed C-130B Hercules,oneLockheed C-130H Hercules,five G-222s, threeLet L-410UVP Turbolet(all assigned to one transport squadron) plus a liaison unit with two S-208A.Other reported transport aircraft include oneBoeing 737-700/BBJ,twoDassault Falcon 20,and twoLockheed C-130J-30 Super Hercules.

Reported attack helicopters include fourHughesMD 500 Defenders,and 7-8 SNIAS SA-342 Gazelle.

Reported training/COIN and liaison aircraft include 12SIAI Marchetti SF.260WC Warriorsand 9SIAI-Marchetti SF-260C,as well as 4SIAI-Marchetti S.208A/Mand one Reims F406.

Apart from Bizerte Sidi-Ahmed, there are military airfields reported atBizerte(La-Kharouba), Gabes, Gafsa, and Sfax.

Navy

Giscon(510), a fast attack craft of the Tunisian Navy, photographed 21 October 2008

Tunisian Navy shipJugurthaand USCGCRobert Goldmanoperating in Tunisian Waters in April 2021

Established in 1959, theMarine nationale tunisienne(Tunisian National Navy) initially received French assistance, including advisory personnel and several small patrol vessels.On 22 October 1973, the U.S.Edsall-class destroyer escortUSSThomas J. Gary(DE-326)was decommissioned in ceremonies at the Quai d'Honneur, Bizerte. Moments later, the ship was commissioned by the Tunisian Navy as thePresident Bourgiba.In the mid-1980s the force includedPresident Bourguiba,two United States-built coastal minesweepers, and a variety of fast-attack and patrol craft. The most important additions to the fleet in the 1980s were threeLa Combattante III type fast attack craftarmed with Exocet anti-ship missiles. Apart from these vessels, however, most of the fleet's units were old and capable of little more than coastal patrol duties.

During the 1960s and 1970s the navy was primarily involved in combating the smuggling of contraband, the illegal entry of un- desirable aliens, and unauthorized emigration as well as other coastal security activities.In these matters the overall effort was shared with agencies of the Ministry of Interior, especially the customs agents and immigration personnel of the Surete Nationale.

President Bourgibasuffered a major fire on 16 April 1992 and later left operational service.

Today the Tunisian Navy reportedly has bases atBizerte,Kelibia,La Goulette,andSfax.Formerly reported in service were sixKondor-II classminsweepers of 635 tons, equipped with 3 twin 25mm Guns. However, none were listed in service by the IISS Military Balance 2013. Also formerly in use were MBDA MM-40 Exocet and Nord SS-12Msurface-to-surface missiles.

Fast attack craft

• 3La Combattante III type fast attack craftLa Galiteclass in Tunisian service (with 8xMM-40 SSMs, 1x76mm Gun, 2x40mm Guns, 4x30mm Guns)
• 6 Type-143LurssenAlbatros class(2x76mm Gun, Mine Laying Capability) P506 Hannon is possibly out of service after the delivery of third MSOPV-1400 named Hannon
• 3 P-48 Bizerte class with 4x37mm Guns. Eight SS-12M SSMs were removed as obsolete.
• 3-5 Modified Hazhui\Shanghai-II class(128 ft,30 knots, 4x37mm Guns, 4x25mm Guns)

Patrol boats

• 4Damen GroupMSOPV-1400 72mOffshore patrol vessel
• 65 Foot (20.3M) Full Cabin Inboard Patrol Boats- Features dual 1600 hp MTU 10V2000 diesel engines, shock mitigating seating, climate control, navigation package, and are capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots.Built by U.S. Boat BuilderSAFE Boats Internationaland propulsion system designed and supplied by Pacific Power Group.
• 1 Ch.Navals De Lestrel 31.5m class (104 ft,30 knots,2x20mm Guns)
• 3 Ch.Navals De Lestrel 25m (83 ft,23 knots,1x20mm)
• 5 Bremse class (22.6m,2x14.5mm HMGs)
• 4 Gabes class(12.9m,2x12.7mm HMGs)
• 4 Rodman-38 class(11.6m)
• 2 Vosper Thornycroft 103 ft class (27 knota,2x20mm Guns)
• 6 20meter long PCs
• 4 Istiklal (Independence ) (3 on construction) 26.5meter Long PC
• 1 52mt patrol vessel on constructionsource+Picture

Landing craft and auxiliary vessels

Landing craft and auxiliary vessels include oneLCT-3class LCT, one Robert Conard class 63.7m Survey vessel (NHO Salammbo), oneWilkes class (T-AGS-33) survey ship(NRF Khaireddine), two El Jem class training ships (ex A 5378 Aragosta and A 5381 Polipo delivered byItalian Navyon 17 July 2002), one Simeto class Tanker ( Ain Zaghouin - ex A 5375 delivered byItalian Navyon 10.7.2003) and one White Sumac 40.5m class, one diver training vessel Zarzis.

Aircraft

• Boeing Insitu ScanEagle

See also

• Tunisian navy (1705-1881)

Bibliography

• IISS (2020).The Military Balance 2020.Routledge.ISBN978-0367466398.

Further reading

• Fernanda Faria and Alvaro Vasconcelos, "Security in Northern Africa: Ambiguity and Reality," Chaillot Paper Series, no. 25 (September 1996),
• Lutterbeck, 'Arab Uprisings and Armed Forces,' Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces
• "Civil-Military Relations in North Africa,"Middle East Policy,14, 4 (2007).
• Tunisia’s Security Concerns,AARMS, Volume 14, Issue 1. 2015, pp. 5–21

External links

• Republic of Tunisia Ministry of National Defense
• The CIA World Factbook
• http://legislation-securite.tn- Tunisian security legislation via theGeneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces(DCAF)
• This article incorporatespublic domain materialfromThe World Factbook(2024 ed.).CIA.(Archived 2006 edition.)