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Somali National Army

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Somali National Army
Ciidanka Xooga Dalka Soomaaliyeed (CXDS)
الجيش الوطني الصومالي
FoundedApril 12, 1960;64 years ago(1960-04-12)
CountrySomalia
Part ofSomali Armed Forces
Garrison/HQTaliska Ciidanka Xooga Dalka Soomaaliyeed
Motto(s)Isku Tiirsada(Lean on each other)
ColorsGreen
Red (piping)
Anniversaries12 April (Armed Forces Day)
Commanders
President of SomaliaHassan Sheikh Mohamud
Minister of DefenceAbduKadir Mohamed Nur
Chief of DefenceMajor GeneralIbrahim Sheikh Muhyadin Adow
Insignia
Flag of the Somali Army

TheSomali National Army(Somali:Ciidanka Xooga Dalka Soomaaliyeed,lit. 'Somali Ground Forces') is the ground forces component of theSomali Armed Forces,and is the largest out of the three service branches that make up the majority of the Armed Forces.

Since the nation's independence in 1960, the Army was engaged in various military operations in theCold Warto expand and increase Somalia's sphere of influence throughout the Horn of Africa counter toEthiopia's andKenya's ambitions, because of this, Somalia had amassed large ground forces.

History

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Main article:Somali Armed Forces § History

Origins

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The Somali National Army can trace its roots back to troops used by theIfat Sultanateas the successfulconquest of Shewaby theIfat Sultanateignited a rivalry for supremacy with theSolomonic dynasty.

TheTrust Territory of Somalilandestablished a national police force to defend the nascent Somali Republic's borders. A law to that effect was passed on 6 April 1960. Thus theSomali Police Force's Mobile Group (Darawishta Poliska or Darawishta) was formed. 12 April 1960 has since been marked asArmed Forces Day.British Somaliland became independent on 26 June 1960 as theState of Somaliland,and theTrust Territory of Somalia(the former Italian Somaliland) followed suit five days later. On 1 July 1960, the two territories united to form the Somali Republic.

Following independence, the SNA was created by merging police units in the former trusteeship with the northernSomaliland Scoutsfrom the former British protectorate. Combined, both forces totalled around 1,800 to 2,000 men.[1]

1960s

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Following its formation, the SNA was equipped with primarily British and Italian WWII era equipment from the two former Somalilands. In 1962 it was noted that the SNA possessed at total of five tanks, all of which wereComet tanks.Other vehicles included sixFerret armoured carand eighteenUniversal Carriers.[1]

1964 War

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Main article:1964 Ethiopian–Somali Border War

In February 1964, four years into its formation, the Somali National Army faced its first test during a war short war with theEthiopian Empire.The conflict highlighted the disparity in military strength between the larger and better equippedEthiopian Imperial Armyand the nascent SNA. The war was preceded and ignited by arebellion and insurgency in the Ogaden region,inhabited primarily bySomalis,which began in mid-1963. The suppression ofinsurgentsandreprisalscarried out by EmperorHaile Selassie'sgovernment resulted in a rapid decline inEthio-Somali relations.Sporadic small-scale skirmishes between border police and Ethiopian airstrikes that began along the border in late 1963 escalated into large-scale warfare in early 1964. In mid-January 1964, border violence escalated and on 8 February both nations declaredstates of emergency.Regular army units from both militaries were deployed along the northern border, resulting in numerous large-scale military engagements in theHaud,such as the Battle ofTog Wajaale.In the days following, the war spread across the entire 900-kmEthiopian–Somali frontierwith most combat taking place on the Somali side. The conflict was characterized by intense fighting around variousborder postsand villages, such asDolow,andaerial bombardmentsby the vastly superiorEthiopian Air Forceon major urban centers in Somalia such asHargeisaandGalkayo.TheOrganization of African Unity(OAU) attempted to broker severalceasefire agreements,but they repeatedly failed. Despite the continuing hostilities, both nations participated indiplomatic negotiationsinKhartoum,Sudan,at the request of various Africanheads of stateand the war eventually concluded in early April 1964.[2]

1970s

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Following the end of theOgaden Warandcoup attemptin 1978, the state of the SNA began to decline,[1]

Equipment

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Main article:List of equipment of the Somali Armed Forces

Army equipment, 1981

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The following were the Somali National Army's major weapons in 1981:[3]

Type Description Country of manufacture Inventory
Tanks
Centurion Main battle tank;105 mm gun United Kingdom 40
T-54/55 Main battle tank; 100 mm quick firing gun; most transferred 1974–1976 Soviet Union 40
Armoured personnel carriers
BTR-50 12-passenger tracked APC Soviet Union 50
BTR-60 10-12-passenger wheeled APC Soviet Union
BTR-152 12-passenger wheeled APC Soviet Union 150
Fiat 6614 10-passenger wheeled APC Italy 900
Fiat 6616 Armored car; 20 mm gun Italy
Artillery
130 mm Field gun,towed Soviet Union 250
122 mm Field gun, towed Soviet Union
122 mm Howitzer,towed Soviet Union
100 mm Anti-tank gun,field gun, towed Soviet Union 150
85 mm Anti-tank gun, towed Soviet Union
76 mm Divisional gun, towed Soviet Union
120 mm Heavymortar Soviet Union n/a
82 mm Medium mortar Soviet Union n/a
106mm B-11 recoilless rifle China n/a
Anti-aircraft guns
100 mm air defense gun KS-19 Towed Soviet Union 250
57 mm AZP S-60 Towed Soviet Union
37 mm M1939 Towed Soviet Union
23mm ZU-23-2-type, towed Soviet Union
Missiles
MILAN Surface-to-surface,man-portable,anti-tank guided missile France,West Germany 100
S-125 Neva/Pechora

Army equipment, 1989

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Prior arms acquisitions included the following equipment, much of which was unserviceable as of June 1989:[4]

293main battle tanks(30Centurionfrom Kuwait,[5]123M47 Patton,30T-34,110T-54/55from various sources). Other armoured fighting vehicles included 10M41 Walker Bulldoglight tanks, 30BRDM-2and 15Panhard AML-90 armored cars (formerly owned by Saudi Arabia). The IISS estimated in 1989 that there were 474armoured personnel carriers,including 64BTR-40,BTR-50,BTR-60;100BTR-152wheeled armored personnel carriers, 310Fiat 6614and 6616s, and thatBMR-600shad been reported. The IISS estimated that there were 210 towed artillery pieces (8 M-1944 100 mm, 100 M-56 105 mm, 84 M-1938 122 mm, and 18M198155 mm towed howitzers). Other equipment reported by the IISS included 82 mm and 120 mm mortars, 100 Milan andBGM-71 TOWanti-tank guided missiles, rocket launchers, recoilless rifles, and a variety of Soviet air defence guns of 20 mm, 23 mm, 37 mm, 40 mm, 57 mm, and 100 mm calibre.

Ranks and insignia

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Main article:Military ranks of Somalia

Officers

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Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
Somali National Army[6]
Sareeye guud Sareeye gaas Sareeye guuto Gashaanle sare Gashaanle dhexe Gashaanle Dhamme Laba xídígle Xídígle

Enlisted

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Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
Somali National Army[6]
 No insignia
Musharax sarkaal Sadex xarígle Laba xarígle Xarígle Sadex alífle Laba alífle Alífle Dable

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcRobinson, Colin D. (2019-10-02)."Glimpse into an army at its peak: notes on the Somali National Army in the 1960–80s".Defense & Security Analysis.35(4): 423–429.doi:10.1080/14751798.2019.1675944.ISSN1475-1798.S2CID211441701.
  2. ^Metz 1993,p. 201.
  3. ^"Somalia: A Country Study – Chapter 5: National Security"(PDF).Library of Congress. c. 1981. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^IISS 1989,p. 113.
  5. ^"Arms Trade Register".SIPRI.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2010.Retrieved24 June2012.
  6. ^abEhrenreich, Frederick (1982). "National Security". In Nelson, Harold N. (ed.).Somalia: a country study(PDF).Area Handbook (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 257.Retrieved21 October2021.

Further reading

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