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| Zimbabwe National Army | |
|---|---|
 National Army Flag | |
| Founded | 18 April 1980 (44 years, 1 month) |
| Country |  Zimbabwe |
| Type | Army |
| Size | 25,000[1] |
| Part of |  Zimbabwe Defence Forces |
| Motto(s) | "Our swords are the shield of the nation"[2] |
| Colors | Green, Yellow |
| Anniversaries | Defence Forces Day (12 August)[3] |
| Engagements | Military history of Zimbabwe
|
| Website | www.ZNA.gov.zw |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-In-Chief | President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa |
| Commander of the National Army | Lieutenant General Anselem Sanyatwe |
| Chief of Staff, General Staff | Major General Kasirai Tazira |
| Chief of Staff, Administration Staff | Major General Emmanuel Matatu |
| Chief of Staff, Quartermaster Staff | Major General Hlanganani Dube |
| Notable commanders | |
The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) is the primary branch of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces responsible for land-oriented military operations. It is the largest service branch under the Zimbabwean Joint Operations Command (JOC). The modern army has its roots in the Rhodesian Army, which was raised between 1963 and 1964 after the breakup of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.[4] A Joint High Command created in March 1980 to oversee integration of the formerly belligerent Rhodesian Security Forces, Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), and the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) officially established the Zimbabwe National Army in late 1980, nearly a year after the end of the Rhodesian Bush War.[5]
The mission statement of the army is "to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests of Zimbabwe and to contribute to international peace and security" a mandate the force has been able live up to in the region.[2] It is considered an integral component of the JOC, and falls under the ultimate authority of the President of Zimbabwe. The ZNA is directed by a Chief of the Army, the senior official being an Army Chief of Staff. Zimbabwe's highest ranking army officer as of October 2023 is Lt. Gen. Anselem Sanyatwe. In 2011, Harare continued to maintain a statutory strength of 40,000 active personnel; actual numbers hover closer to 30,000.[6] ZNA reserves claim another 21,800, putting the combined component strength total at approximately 51,800.
- ^ IISS 2019, p. 500.
- ^ a b Zimbabwe National Army Archived May 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Zimbabwe's holidays". Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ Nelson, Harold D, ed. (1983). Zimbabwe, a Country Study. Area Handbook Series (Second ed.). Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, American University. pp. 237–272, 316. OCLC 227599708.
- ^ Alasdair Dennis, "The Integration of Guerrilla Armies into Conventional Forces: Lessons Learnt from BMATT in Africa Archived 2005-12-29 at the Wayback Machine," South African Defence Review 5 (1992). Retrieved June 2012. Paper presented at a conference on Changing Dynamics: Military-Strategic Issues for a Future South Africa, hosted by the Institute for Defence Politics in conjunction with the Hanns Seidel Foundation, CSIR conference centre, Pretoria, 6 August 1992.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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