# Zambian Army

The Zambian Army is the land military branch of the Zambian Defence Force. Like all branches of the Zambian military, citizens of the nation are required to register at 16 years old, and citizens can join at 16 years old with parental consent or at 18 years old when they are classified as adults by Zambia. There is currently no conscription. (There was a Zambia National Defence Force conscription from 1975 to 1980.) Applicants must be Zambian citizens and must have a school Grade 12 certification. Applicants must also undergo a test for HIV on enlistment. Personnel can serve until age 55, when there is a mandatory retirement. Its first Commander Major General was Michael Grigg, appointed by Kenneth Kaunda. The first local Commander was Gen Kingsley Chinkuli. According to the 2014 CIA World Factbook: The current National Army Commander is Lieutenant General Geoffrey Choongo Zyeele and his deputy is Major General Luswepo Sinyinzawho who were both appointed by President Hakainder Hichilema on 12 September 2024.
* There are 3,041,069 men between 16-49 who are classified as manpower (this does not mean that all of them are fit for duty), and 2,948,291 women between 16–49 who are classified as manpower. This makes a total of 5,989,360 people classified as manpower.
* There are 1,745,656 men who are classified as fit for military service between the ages of 16–49. There are 1,688,670 women who are classified as fit for military service between the ages of 16–49. Therefore, Zambia has 3,434,326 people fit for military service between the ages of 16–49.
* 1.55% of the GDP of Zambia is spent on the military, ranked 70th in the world.

## Organisation

The current Army organisation is as follows:
Three infantry brigades:
* 1 Brigade (Lusaka)
* 2 Brigade (Kabwe)
* 3 Brigade (Ndola)
With the following units:
* 64th Armoured Tank Regiment (tank).
* 17th Cavalry Regiment (armoured reconnaissance)
* 10th Medium Artillery Regiment
** 2 Artillery Battalions
** Multiple Rocket Launchers Battalion
* 1 Engineer Regiment, Mufulira
* 6 Construction Regiment
* Mechanised battalion
* Zambia Regiment (raised in 1964 from the Northern Rhodesia Regiment)
** Light Infantry
*** 1st Battalion
*** 2nd Battalion
*** 3rd Battalion
*** 4th Battalion
*** 5th Battalion
*** 6th Battalion
** Reserve Infantry
*** 7th Battalion
*** 8th Battalion
*** 9th Battalion
* 1 Commando Battalion
* 48th Marine Unit
* Specialist schools

## Ranks
### Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers | Junior officers |
| Zambian Army vte | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Zambian Army vte | | | General | General | Lieutenant general | Lieutenant general | Major general | Major general | Brigadier | Brigadier | Colonel | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major | Major | Captain | Captain | Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Second lieutenant | Second lieutenant | Second lieutenant |

### Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted | Enlisted |
| Zambian Army vte | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | No insignia | No insignia | No insignia | No insignia | No insignia | No insignia | No insignia | No insignia |
| Zambian Army vte | Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 2 | Warrant officer class 2 | Staff sergeant | Staff sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Sergeant | Corporal | Corporal | Corporal | Corporal | Lance corporal | Lance corporal | Private (or equivalent) | Private (or equivalent) | Private (or equivalent) | Private (or equivalent) | Private (or equivalent) | Private (or equivalent) | Private (or equivalent) | Private (or equivalent) |

## Equipment
### Small arms

| Name | Caliber | Type | Origin |
| Pistols ||||||
| TT-33 | 7.62×25mm | Semi-automatic pistol | Soviet Union |
| Makarov PM | 9×18mm | Semi-automatic pistol | Soviet Union |
| Stechkin APS | 9×18mm | Semi-automatic pistol | Soviet Union |
| Browning Hi-Power | 9×19mm | Semi-automatic pistol | Belgium |
| Sub-machine guns ||||||
| Sterling | 9×19mm | Submachine gun | United Kingdom |
| Sten | 9×19mm | Submachine gun | United Kingdom |
| Heckler & Koch MP5 | 9×19mm | Submachine gun | West Germany |
| Rifles ||||||
| FN FAL | 7.62×51mm | Battle rifle | Belgium |
| Heckler & Koch G3 | 7.62×51mm | Battle rifle | West Germany |
| Zastava M59/66 | 7.62×39mm | Semi-automatic rifle | Yugoslavia |
| AKM | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Soviet Union |
| AK-74 | 5.45×39mm | Assault rifle | Soviet Union |
| AK-63 | 7.62×39mm | Assault rifle | Hungarian People's Republic |
| IWI Galil ACE | 5.56×45mm | Assault rifle Carbine | Israel |
| IWI Tavor | 5.56×45mm | Bullpup Assault rifle | Israel |
| Machine guns ||||||
| DShK | 12.7×108mm | Heavy machine gun | Soviet Union |
| SG-43 | 7.62×54mmR | Medium machine gun | Soviet Union |
| RP-46 | 7.62×54mmR | Light machine gun | Soviet Union |
| RPK | 7.62×39mm | Squad automatic weapon | Soviet Union |
| PKM | 7.62×54mmR | General-purpose machine gun | Soviet Union |
| KPV | 14.5×114mm | Heavy machine gun | Soviet Union |
| Type 67 | 7.62×54mmR | General-purpose machine gun | China |
| FN MAG | 7.62×51mm | General-purpose machine gun | Belgium |
| Browning M1919 | 7.62×51mm | Medium machine gun | United States |
| Grenade launchers ||||||
| RPG-2 | 40mm | Rocket-propelled grenade | Soviet Union |
| RPG-7 | 40mm | Rocket-propelled grenade | Soviet Union |

### Tanks

| Name | Type | Origin | Quantity | Status | Notes |
| T-55 | Medium tank | Soviet Union | 25 | INS | Deliveries in 1976 and 1981. |
| PT-76 | Amphibious Light tank | Soviet Union | 30 | INS | |
| Type 59 | Main battle tank | China | 20 | INS | |

### Armored vehicles

| Name | Type | Origin | Quantity | Status | Notes |
| BTR-60 | Armoured personnel carrier | Soviet Union | 13 | INS | |
| BTR-70 | Armoured personnel carrier | Soviet Union | 20 | INS | |
| BTR-80 | Armoured personnel carrier | Soviet Union | 20 | INS | |
| BRDM-1 | Amphibious armored scout car | Soviet Union | 44 | INS | Acquired in 1980. |
| BRDM-2 | Amphibious armored scout car | Soviet Union | 44 | INS | Acquired in 1981. |
| GAZ Tigr | Infantry Mobility Vehicle | Russia | 35 | INS | GAZ-233014 |
| WZ551 | Armoured personnel carrier | China | 20 | INS | 6X6 WZ551B variant. |
| Ratel | Infantry fighting vehicle | South Africa | 14 | INS | |
| Buffel | Infantry mobility vehicle | South Africa | 1 | INS | Rhino variant. |
| Saymar Musketeer | Armored car | Israel | | INS | |

### Anti-tank weapons

| Name | Type | Origin | Caliber |
| Carl Gustav M4 | Recoilless rifle | Sweden | 84mm |
| M18 | Recoilless rifle | United States | 57mm |
| M20 | Recoilless rifle | United States | 75mm |
| 9M14 Malyutka | Anti-tank missile | Soviet Union | 75mm |

### Artillery

| Name | Type | Origin | Quantity | Status | Notes |
| Self-propelled artillery |||||||
| ATMOS 2000 | Self-propelled | Israel | 6 | INS | Mounted on a Czech 6×6 Tatra 10-tonne chassis. |
| Elbit Spear MK2 | Self-propelled mortar | Israel | 6 | INS | Mounted on an Indian Tata Trucks LPTA 713TC 4×4 chassis. |
| Rocket artillery |||||||
| BM-21 Grad | Multiple rocket launcher | Soviet Union | 50 | INS | |
| Field artillery |||||||
| Type 59 | Towed field gun | Soviet Union China | 18 | INS | |
| D-30 | Howitzer | Soviet Union | 24 | INS | |
| Mod.56 | Howitzer | Italy | 18 | INS | |

### Air defence systems

| Name | Type | Origin | Quantity | Status |
| KS-12 | Anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | 16 | INS |
| 61-K | Autocannon | Soviet Union | 40 | INS |
| Zastava M55 | Autocannon | Yugoslavia | 50 | INS |

### Unmanned aerial vehicles

| Name | Image | Type | Origin | In service | Notes |
| Elbit Skylark | | Miniature UAV | Israel | 2 | |