Forces Armées Zaïrois
Forces Armées Zaïroises (Armed Forces of Zaïre, abbreviated FAZ), is the name of Zaïre's military forces. It consists of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and various intelligence and law enforcement and paramilitary organizations.
Army
The 25,000-member army consists of one infantry division (with three infantry brigades); one airborne brigade (with three parachute battalions and one support battalion); one special forces (commando/counterinsurgency) brigade; one DSP; one independent armored brigade; and two independent infantry brigades (each with three infantry battalions, one support battalion). DSP stands for Division Spéciale Présidentielle (Special Presidential Division). They are the elite forces responsible for the protection of the President, his family, friends, and political allies, and his estates. They are the best-equipped, best-paid, and best-trained forces in the entire military. Trained by Israeli advisors, they are ruthlessly efficient. They are among the only military forces paid regularly, and nearly all members are recruited from the President's tribe and region. There are a total of around 5,000 DSP soldiers, or 1/5 of the Army. The top unit of the DSP are Les Hiboux (the Owls), the ones responsible for his personal safety.
Major Army Equipment
Main battle tanks
- T-62 medium x40
- T-59 medium x20
- M-60 medium x10
- AMX-13 light1 x13
Armored reconnaissance vehicles
- AML-60 Panhard x30
- AML-90 x30
- FERRET x28
Armored personnel carriers
- M-113A x12
- M-3A1 x60
- YW-531 x12
- K-63 x12
- BTR-60 x15
- BTR-152 x250
- VAB1 x12
Towed artillery
- 75mm: M-116 x30
- 85mm: T-56 x20
- 122mm: M-1938/D-30 x20
- T-60 x15
- 130mm: T-59 x8
Multiple rocket launchers
- 107mm: T-63 x20
- 122mm: BM-21 x10
- 120mm: Brandt x50
Antiaircraft guns
- 37mm: M-1939/Type 63 x40
Fast patrol craft (inshore)
- Shanghai II PFI x2
- Huchuan x4
Torpedo boats
- P-4 x3
Coastal patrol craft
- Swift MkII x2
- Arcoa x18
Air Force
Major Air Force Equipment
Ground attack fighters
- Mirage 5M x7
- Mirage 5DM7 x1
Counterinsurgency aircraft
- MB-326 GB x8
- MB-326 K x6
- AT-6G United States x6
- FTB-337 Cessna x20
Transport aircraft
- Boeing 707-320 x1
- Boeing 727-30 x1
- BN-2A Islander x1
- C-46 Commando x2
- C-47 Dakota x8
- C-130H Hercules x5
- DHC-5D Buffalo x3
- DHC-6 Twin Otter x1
- C-54 Skymaster x4
- DC-6 x2
- MU-2J x2
- Merlin III x1
- Mystère-Falcon 20 x1
- F-27 Friendship x3
Helicopters
- AS-332L Super Puma x1
- SA-319 Alouette x4
- SA-330 Puma x4
- SA-321 Super Frelon x1
- Bell 47G x6
Liaison aircraft
- Cessna 310R x6
Training aircraft
- Cessna 150 x12
- Cessna 310 x3
- SF-260MC MZ Warrior x9
Intelligence
There are three intelligence branches, all which report directly to the President. Aside from national security, their primary goal is curtailing, harassing, and suppressing dissent and anti-government activities. Each branch operates its own prisons, detention centers, and torture facilities. The branches are as follows:
- Agence Nationale de Documentation (AND)
- Service National d'Intelligence et de Protection (SNIP)
- Service d'Action et de Renseignements Militaire (SARM), intelligence arm of FAZ
Law Enforcement and Paramilitaries
Law enforcement forces are comprised of local police; the Garde Civile (Civil Guard), who are responsible for normal civilian police duties, plus customs and border patrol; and the feared Gendarmerie Nationale, who have arranged for the "disappearance" of countless enemies of the state. The Gendarmerie Nationale is divided into two branches, the Gendarmerie Territoriale (police component) and the Gendarmerie Mobile (paramilitary organization).
