Editing Zimbabwe Defence Forces

{{Short description|Combined military forces of Zimbabwe}}
{{Infobox national military
| name               = Zimbabwe Defence forces
| native_name        = Mauto eZimbabwe
| image              = [[File:Flag of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.svg|250px]]
| alt                = 
| caption            = Flag of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces
| image2             =
| alt2               = 
| caption2           =
| motto              =
| founded            = {{Start date and age|1980|5|18|df=yes}}
| current_form       = 
| disbanded          =
| branches           = {{army|Zimbabwe}}<br>{{air force|Zimbabwe}}
| headquarters       = [[Harare]]
| flying_hours       =
| website            = <!--{{URL|example.mil}}-->
<!-- Leadership -->
| commander-in-chief = [[Emmerson Mnangagwa]]
| commander-in-chief_title = President
| chief minister     =
| chief minister_title =
| minister           = [[Oppah Muchinguri]]
| minister_title     = [[Ministry of Defence (Zimbabwe)|Minister of Defence]]
| commander          = [[Philip Valerio Sibanda]]
| commander_title    = [[Chief of Defense (Zimbabwe)|Chief of Defense]]
<!-- Manpower -->
| age                =
| conscription       = N/A
| manpower_data      = 2017
| manpower_age       =
| available          = 5,500,000
| available_f        =
| fit                = 3,175,000
| fit_f              =
| reaching           = 310,000
| reaching_f         =
| active             = 29,000 active{{sfn|IISS|2019|p=500}}<br>21,800 paramilitary{{sfn|IISS|2019|p=500}}
| ranked             = 83rd
| reserve            =
| deployed           =
<!-- Financial -->
| amount             = $1.7 billion (2022){{sfn|IISS|2019|p=499}}
| percent_GDP        = 2.16% (2018){{sfn|IISS|2019|p=499}}
<!-- Industrial -->
| domestic_suppliers =
| foreign_suppliers  = {{flag|Russia}}<br>{{China}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/24457/as-the-u-s-disengages-russia-ramps-up-aid-and-arms-sales-to-sub-saharan-africa|title=As the U.S. Disengages, Russia Ramps up Aid and Arms Sales to Sub-Saharan Africa}}</ref>
| imports            =
| exports            =
<!-- Related aricles -->
| history            = [[Military history of Zimbabwe]]
| ranks              = [[Military ranks of Zimbabwe]] 
}}

The '''Zimbabwe Defence Forces''' ('''ZDF''') are the [[military forces]] responsible for the defence of [[Zimbabwe]] against external threats from other countries, and also to suppress internal armed factions. It is composed of the [[Zimbabwe National Army]] (ZNA) and the [[Air Force of Zimbabwe]] (AFZ). (As a [[landlocked country]] Zimbabwe does not have a navy). Since December 2017 the ZDF is headed by General [[Philip Valerio Sibanda]]. 

==Ministry of Defence==
In July 1994 the combined [[Ministry of Defence (Zimbabwe)|Zimbabwe Defence Forces Headquarters]] was created.

==Manpower==
In 2007, the Zimbabwe National Army had an estimated strength of 29,000 and the Air Force of Zimbabwe had an estimated 4,000 men assigned.<ref 
name=IISS2007>{{cite book|author=The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)|author-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies  |title=The Military Balance 2007 |year=2007 |publisher=Routledge Journals 
|location=[[Abingdon, Oxfordshire|Abingdon]] |isbn=978-1-85743-437-8 }} 
Page 299.</ref>

== History ==
{{main|Military history of Zimbabwe}}

After a 15-year [[Rhodesian Bush War|guerrilla war]] with black nationalist forces, culminating in a [[Lancaster House Agreement|peace agreement]] in December 1979, [[Robert Mugabe]] became the first Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on 11 April 1980 following his [[ZANU–PF]] party winning the [[1980 Southern Rhodesian general election|general election]]. Mugabe declared that integrating [[Zimbabwe]]'s three armed forces would be one of Zimbabwe's top priorities. The existing [[Rhodesian Army]] was combined with the two guerrilla armies; the 20,000-strong [[Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army]] (ZANLA) forces of ZANU–PF and the 15,000-strong [[Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army]] (ZIPRA) forces of PF-[[Zimbabwe African People's Union]]. A British Military Assistance and Training Team played a pivotal role in assisting the creation of the new army, and was still in place in 2000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/uk-urged-to-keep-force-in-zimbabwe-719089.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/uk-urged-to-keep-force-in-zimbabwe-719089.html |archive-date=2022-05-07 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | location=London | work=The Independent | title=UK urged to keep force in Zimbabwe | date=16 April 2000}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Meanwhile the [[Rhodesian Air Force]] was reorganised as the [[Air Force of Zimbabwe]].

=== Mozambique Civil War ===
{{Main|Mozambique Civil War}}
The [[Mozambican Civil War|Mozambique Civil War]] was a long-running conflict between the Marxist [[FRELIMO]] Government, and anti-communist [[RENAMO]] insurgents. During the 1970's, [[Central Intelligence Organisation|Rhodesian intelligence]] supported the rebel group, but in the years following the election of Robert Mugabe in 1980, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) switched to support the [[FRELIMO]] Government, in order to protect Zimbabwe's eastern city of [[Mutare]] and the strategic railway line to Mozambique's port city of [[Beira, Mozambique|Beira]] which were being attacked by RENAMO.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zimbabwe's Military Involvement in Mozambique1982 - 1992 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205234951/http://ccrweb.ccr.uct.ac.za/archive/defencedigest/defdigest03.html#1 |website=SACDI Defence Digest |access-date=17 May 2024}}</ref>

===Operation Restore Legacy===
{{Main|2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état}}
In October 2017, the ZDF was involved in a coup d'état which resulted in the resignation of long-serving President [[Robert Mugabe]] and the formation of a new government under [[Emmerson Mnangagwa]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cropley|first=MacDonald Dzirutwe, Joe Brock, Ed|date=2017-11-27|title=Special Report: 'Treacherous shenanigans' - The inside story of Mugabe's downfall|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-zimbabwe-politics-mugabe-specialrepor-idUSKBN1DQ0AG|access-date=2021-05-30}}</ref>

==Notes==
<references/>

==References==
* {{cite web |title=Zimbabwe |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/zimbabwe/ |website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en |date=4 May 2022}}
* {{cite book| title=The Military Balance 2019| author1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| author-link1=International Institute for Strategic Studies| date=15 February 2019| publisher=[[Routledge]]| location=[[London]]| isbn=9781857439885| ref={{sfnref|IISS|2019}} }}
* [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-zimbabwe-politics-mugabe-specialrepor/special-report-treacherous-shenanigans-the-inside-story-of-mugabes-downfall-idUSKBN1DQ0AG Reuters Report]
* Central Intelligence Organisation
* https://www.enca.com/africa/full-statement-by-zim-army-on-state-broadcaster
* [https://news.pindula.co.zw/2017/11/17/zrp-support-unit-attempted-to-arrest-general-chiwenga-when-he-returned-from-china/ Operation Restore Legacy]

==Further reading==
*Abiodun Alao, 'The Metamorphosis of the Unorthodox: The Integration and Development of the Zimbabwe National Army' (chapter in book compiled by Terence Ranger, 'Soldiers in Zimbabwe's Liberation War'), 1995
*Norma J. Kriger, ‘Guerrilla Veterans in Post-war Zimbabwe: Symbolic and Violent Politics,’ 1980–1987, Cambridge UP, 2003
*{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Defence - H/Q |date=2011 |title=The Zimbabwe Defence Forces: Resolute in defence of national gains, peace and security |url=http://www.defence.gov.zw/ |access-date=27 May 2022 |website=Ministry of Defence}}

==External links==
*[http://www.mod.gov.zw/ Zimbabwe Ministry of Defence] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004055939/http://www.mod.gov.zw/ |date=2006-10-04 }}

{{Zimbabwe topics}}
{{Military of Zimbabwe}}
{{Military of Africa}}

[[Category:Military of Zimbabwe| ]]