# Lao People's Armed Forces

The Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF; Lao: ກອງທັບປະຊາຊົນລາວ) or the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the armed forces of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the institution of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, who are charged with protecting the country.

## Active forces

The army of 29,100 is equipped with 30 main battle tanks. The army marine section, equipped with 16 patrol craft, has 600 personnel. The air force, with 3,500 personnel, is equipped with anti-aircraft missiles and 24 combat aircraft (no longer in service).
Militia self-defence forces number approximately 100,000 organised for local defence. The small arms utilised mostly by the Laotian Army are the Soviet AKM assault rifle, PKM machine gun, Makarov PM pistol, and the RPD light machine gun.

## Organization

The LPAF is divided into four military regions, with its headquarters in Vientiane
* Military Region One (Luang Phrabang)
* Military Region Two (Phonsavan)
* Military Region Three (Xépôn)
* Military Region Four (Pakxan)
The LPRP statute states that its political leadership over the military emanates from the LPRP Central Committee's Defence and Public Security Commission (DPSC) and is the highest decision-making institution regarding military and security affairs.

## History

Until 1975, the Royal Lao Armed Forces were the armed forces of the Kingdom of Laos.
Serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced. Its mission focus is border and internal security, primarily in internal suppression of Laotian dissident and opposition groups.
This includes the suppression of the 1999 Lao Students Movement of Democracy demonstrations in Vientiane, and in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups and other groups of Laotian and Hmong people opposing the one-party Marxist–Leninist LPRP government and the support it receives from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies faced by the government in Vientiane. The LPA also has reportedly upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks. At present, there is no major perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains very strong ties with the neighbouring Vietnamese military (2008).
According to some journalists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), humanitarian and human rights organisations, the Lao People's Army has repeatedly engaged in egregious human rights violations and the practice of corruption in Laos. The LPAF and its military intelligence play a major role in the arrest, imprisonment and torture of foreign prisoners in Vientiane's notorious Phonthong Prison and the communist Lao gulag system where Australians Kerry and Kay Danes were imprisoned and where civic activist Sombath Somphone may be imprisoned following his arrest in December 2012.
In 2013, attacks by the Lao People's Army against the Hmong people intensified, with soldiers killing four unarmed Hmong school teachers in addition to engaging in other human rights abuses according to the Lao Human Rights Council, the Centre for Public Policy Analysis and others.

## Equipment
### Tanks, armored vehicles and trucks

| Photo | Model | Type | Origin | Quantity | Notes |
| Tanks ||||||
| | T-72B1MS | Main battle tank | Russia | ~50 | |
| | T-55 | Main battle tank | Soviet Union Hungarian People's Republic | 85 | |
| | PT-76 | Light tank | Soviet Union | 25 | 30 were in service in 1996. Currently 25 are in service. |
| APC/IFV ||||||
| | BTR-60PB | Armored personnel carrier | Soviet Union | 70 | Currently 70 are in service. BTR-60s have been seen in service as recently as January 2019 |
| | BTR-152 | Armored personnel carrier | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| | BTR-40 | Armored personnel carrier | Soviet Union | 10 | |
| | BRDM-2M | Armoured car | Soviet Union Russia | 20 | Upgraded BRDM-2M supplied by Russia in late 2018. At least 10 in service. |
| Light armoured vehicle/Light assault vehicle ||||||
| | Dima DMT5070XFB | Armored personnel carrier | China | Unknown | |
| | Chinese Tiger 4x4 | Infantry mobility vehicle | China | Unknown | |
| | CS/VN3 4x4 | Infantry mobility vehicle | China | Unknown | |
| Truck/Utility ||||||
| | KrAZ-6322 | Truck | Ukraine | Unknown | |
| | Ural-4320 | Medium truck | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| | GAZ-3308 | Medium truck | Russia | Unknown | |
| | FAW Jiefang 141 | Medium truck | China | Unknown | |
| | Ural-43206 | Light truck | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| | GAZ-66 | Platform truck | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| | BAIC 4x4 vehicles | Military light utility vehicle | China | Unknown | |
| | UAZ-469 | Military light utility vehicle | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| | BJ2022JC | Military light utility vehicle | China | Unknown | |
| | PTS | Tracked amphibious transport | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| | Shaanxi SX2190 | Launched bridge | China | Unknown | |
| | Shaanxi SX2190 | Floating bridge | China | Unknown | |
| Engineering and support vehicles ||||||
| | XCMG backhoe loader | Engineering vehicle | China | Unknown | |
| | XCMG excavator | Engineering vehicle | China | Unknown | |
| | XCMG wheel loader | Engineering vehicle | China | Unknown | |
| | XCMG XJY240WQ | Engineering vehicle | China | Unknown | |
| | XCMG XJY240Z | Engineering vehicle | China | Unknown | |

### Artillery

| Model | Type | Origin | Quantity |
| Dongfeng CS/SS4 | Self propelled mortar system | China | 14 |
| SR-5 | Multiple rocket launcher | China | 12 |
| BM-21 Grad | 122mm multiple rocket launcher | Soviet Union | 32 |
| BM-14 | Multiple rocket launcher | Soviet Union | 20 |
| 2S3 Akatsiya | 152mm self-propelled howitzer | Soviet Union | Unknown |
| 122-HL-70 | 122mm self-propelled howitzer | Laos | 18 |
| PCL-09 | 122mm self-propelled howitzer | China | 12 |
| M-30 122 mm howitzer | Towed howitzers and guns | Soviet Union | 15 |
| 122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30) | Towed howitzers and guns | Soviet Union | 20 |
| 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46) | Towed howitzers and guns | Soviet Union |
| M114 155 mm howitzer | Towed howitzers and guns | United States | 12 |
| M101 howitzer | 105mm (towed): M-101 | United States | 20 |
| M116 howitzer | 75mm (towed): M-116 pack | United States | 10 |

### Air defense

| Model | Type | Origin | Quantity | Notes |
| S-125 Neva/Pechora | Short-range SAM system | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| 9K35 Strela-10 | Vehicle-mounted SAM system | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| Yitian anti air system | Surface-to-air missile | China | Unknown | |
| ZSU-23-4 Shilka | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| Strela-2 | Surface-to-air missile | Soviet Union | Unknown | Received 100 launchers from Soviet Union in the 80s |
| 37 mm automatic air defence gun M1939 (61-K) | Air defence gun | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| 57 mm AZP S-60 | Automatic anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| ZPU | Auto anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | Unknown | |
| ZU-23-2 | Anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | Unknown | |

### Weapons

| Photo | Model | Type | Caliber | Origin | Notes |
| | TT-33 | Semi-automatic pistol | 7.62×25mm Tokarev | Soviet Union | Standard service pistols for Laotian Armed Forces. |
| | PM | Semi-automatic pistol | 9×18mm Makarov | Soviet Union | Standard service pistols for Laotian Armed Forces. |
| | G2 | Semi-automatic pistol | 9x19mm Parabellum | Indonesia | |
| | JS 9 mm | Bullpup Submachine gun | 9×19mm Parabellum | China | |
| | Winchester Model 1200 | Pump shotgun | 12-gauge | United States | |
| | Simonov SKS | Semi-automatic rifle | 7.62×39mm M43 | Soviet Union | Limited use, used for ceremonial purpose only. |
| | Mosin-Nagant | Bolt-action rifle | 7.62×54mmR | Soviet Union | Limited use, in storage. |
| | 9A-91 | Assault rifle, Carbine | 9x39mm | Russia | Used by Laotian special forces. |
| | AKM AKMS | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | Soviet Union | Standard service rifles for Laotian Armed Forces, including police officer and Lao People's army. |
| | QBZ-95 | Bullpup Assault rifle | 5.8×42mm DBP87 5.56×45mm NATO | China | Standard issue for Laotian Special Forces and Special Police Forces. |
| | Type 56 | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | China | |
| | Type 81 | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | China | |
| | AMD-65 | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | Hungarian People's Republic | |
| | Pindad SS1 | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm NATO | Indonesia | In 2014, Laos imported 35 SS1 V2s and SS1 V4s. |
| | Pindad SS2 | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm NATO | Indonesia | |
| | M16A2 | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm NATO | United States | |
| STV-380, an assault rifle made from Vietnam-based to Israeli's assault rifle. | IWI ACE | Assault rifle | 7.62×39 mm | Israel Vietnam | Laos received Vietnamese-made Galil ACEs in January 2019. |
| | RPD | Light machine gun | 7.62×39mm | Soviet Union | |
| | PK machine gun | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×54mmR | Soviet Union | |
| | M60 machine gun | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×51mm NATO | United States | |
| | KPV heavy machine gun | Heavy machine gun | 14.5×114mm | Soviet Union | |
| | DShK | Heavy machine gun | 12.7×108mm | Soviet Union | |
| | Dragunov SVD | Designated marksman rifle, Sniper rifle | 7.62×54mmR | Soviet Union | |
| | RPG-7 | Rocket-propelled grenade | 40mm | Soviet Union | |
| | RPG-2 | Rocket-propelled grenade | 40mm | Soviet Union | |

### Mortars

* 81mm
* 82mm
* 120mm
* Soviet Union M1938 mortar
* Soviet Union 120mm: M-43
* United States M2 4.2 inch mortar

## Accidents

On 17 May 2014, Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Douangchay Phichit was killed in a plane crash, along with other top ranking officials. The officials were to participate in a ceremony to mark the liberation of the Plain of Jars from the former Royal Lao government forces. Their Russian-built Antonov AN 74-300 with 20 people on board crashed in Xiangkhouang Province.