Niger Armed Forces
The Niger Armed Forces includes military armed force service branches, paramilitary services branches and the National Police of Niger. The Army, Air Force and the National Gendarmerie are under the Ministry of Defense whereas the National Guard and the National Police fall under the command of the Ministry of Interior. With the exception of the National Police, all military and paramilitary forces are trained in military fashion. The President of Niger is the supreme commander of the entire armed forces. The National Assembly of Niger passed a statute for the Army of Niger in November 2020, planning for the army's size to increase from 25,000 personnel in 2020, to 50,000 in 2025 and finally 100,000 in 2030.
Military armed forces
The two military service branches are each headed by their respective Chiefs of Staff who serve as adjunct to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Military Armed Forces. Military operations are headed from the Joint Staff Office. In addition, each military branch has its own Staff Office. The Joint Chief of Staff has operational command of all the military forces and is under the command of civilian Minister of Defense, who reports to the President of Niger. This system closely resembles the French Armed forces model.The President also appoints the Special Chief of Staff at the President Office and the head of the Presidential Guard who answer directly to the President. The Special Chief of Staff and the head of the Presidential Guard sit on the Joint Staff.
Niger Army
The Niger Army, which includes 33,000 personnel as of 2023, is the land component of Niger's armed forces. Niger's special forces consists of two special operations companies and 9 intervention commando battalions. Niger Army's manoeuvre forces include 14 combined arms infantry battalions and a single amphibious riverine company. The Army also has one engineer company, one logistics group and one air defence company.Each of the combined arms battalions comprises a logistics and engineering or génie company, a fire fighter company, an infantry company, be it airborne or land, an armoured squadron and an artillery company.
In 2006, the following combined arms battalions existed in the Niger Army: 12th, 13th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 32nd, 33rd, 42nd, 43rd, 52nd, 53rd, 62nd, 63rd, 72nd and 73rd. In addition, there was the Artillery Battalion of the Niger Armed Forces.
The Army is commanded by the Chief of Staff of the Army in Niamey through appointed commandeers of each of the nine "Defense Zones", which largely overlap each of the civilian Regions of Niger.
History
The Niger Army was created on 28 July 1960 by decree. At the time, the National Police was a subsection of the military. Initially, units of the army were created from three companies of the French Colonial Forces made of Nigérien soldiers officered by Frenchmen who agreed to take joint French-Nigerien citizenship. In 1960, there were only ten African officers in the Nigérien army, all of low ranks. As Nigérien officers gradually assumed command roles, President Hamani Diori signed legislation to end the employment of expatriate military officers in 1965. However, French military personnel remained in Niger both to serve in the Niger Army and in the 4e Régiment Interarmes d'Outre-Mer with bases at Niamey, Zinder, Bilaro and Agadez. In the late 1970s, a smaller French force returned again to Niger. After the 1974 military coup, all French military personnel were evacuated although a smaller French force returned in the late 1970s.In 1970, the army was reorganised and divided into four Infantry battalions, one paratroop company, one light armored company, a camel corps, and a number of support units. It was reorganized in 2003 to create the Niger Air Force as a distinct service branch.
Training
Basic training is carried out at Niamey at the Tondibiah base and at Agadez. Other special training centers include the National Officers Training School and The Paramedical Personnel Training School both based at the Tondibiah base. In addition to training in Niger, army officers also train in France at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, in Morocco at the Royal Military Academy of Meknès, in Algeria and the US. With the growing cross-border threats of terrorism in West Africa, the Niger Army has benefited from training exercises with France and the U.S. The Niger Army has participated in the U.S. led Flintlock Exercise which it hosted in 2014.Equipment
The army of Niger is poorly equipped with armored vehicles and tanks. With the exception of two armored vehicles purchased from China in 2009, most armoured vehicles are at least 20 years old. The army is however well-stocked with 4x4 Toyota Land Cruisers mounted with various caliber machine guns. Logistically, fuel and water transportation tanks, and ambulances have been recently improved to help in long-distance patrol missions as well as with general increased logistic capacity of the army.Armor
Niger Air Force
History
The predecessor of the Niger Air Force, the Niger National Escadrille was first formed in 1961. It was later restructured into the National Air Wing in 1989. Prior to 2003, the armed forces of Niger were grouped in one branch with one Chief of Staff overseeing both the ground forces and the National Air Wing. Following an organizational restructuring in 2003, the armed forces of Niger were structured into two main service branches: Niger Army for all ground forces and Niger Air Force. Each branch was headed by a Chief of Staff answerable to the Joint Chief of Staff of military armed forces. As part of this new structure, the National Air Wing was renamed as Niger Air Force on December 17, 2003. The Niger Air Force is led by the Air Force Chief of staff, answerable to the Joint Chief and the Defense Minister.Structure
Organizationally, the air force is composed a Chief of Staff Office, operation units, technical units, an infantry company and generalized staff. The Chief of Staff of the Niger Air Force is the colonel Abdoul Kader Amirou.Training
At the moment, there is no air force special training facilities in Niger. Basic training of Air Force recruits is conducted at the Tondibiah base along with recruits of other military service branches. Air force officers, pilots and mechanics are additionally trained in France, the United States and other North African countries like Morocco at the Royal Air Force School of Marrakech and Algeria. In addition, local training activities are undertaken with foreign partners to update skills. In 2014, a logistic company was trained and equipped by the United States with fuel and water trucks, ambulances and 4x4 unarmed vehicles.The United States Air Force has a presence both at Nigerien Air Base 101 near Niamey and Nigerien Air Base 201 at Agadez.