The Togolese Armed Forces (French: ''Forces Armées Togolaises'', FAT) is the national military of the
Republic of Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
which consists of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the
National Gendarmerie
The National Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie nationale, ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Minis ...
. The total military expenditure during the
fiscal year
A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...
of 2005 was 1.6% of the country's
GDP
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is ofte ...
.
Military bases exist in
Lomé
Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 ,
Temedja,
Kara
Kara or KARA may refer to:
Geography Localities
* Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture
* Kára, Hungary, a village
* Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township
* Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province
* Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in Da ...
,
Niamtougou
Niamtougou is a market town in and district capital of Doufelgou District (Préfecture), in the Kara Region of Togo. It is located north of Kara (Togo), Kara on the nation's main north–south road, national road (Route Nationale). Niamtougou ma ...
, and
Dapaong
Dapaong (also known as Dapaongo or Dapango) is a city in northern Togo and prefecture seat of Tône in the Savanes Region, of which it is also the capital. It had a population of 58,071 at the 2010 Census. It is situated 638 km north of th ...
.
The current Chief of the
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
is Brigadier General Dadja Maganawe, who took office on December 6, 2020.
Army
The current chief of staff of the army is Colonel Blakimwé Wiyao Balli.
The elite presidential bodyguards of the
Republic of Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
Armed Forces are reportedly trained by
Benjamin Yeaten
Benjamin Yeaten (born 28 February 1969), widely known by his old radio call sign "50", is a Liberian militia leader and mercenary, who served as the Armed Forces of Liberia's deputy commander and director of the Special Security Service (SSS) duri ...
, an internationally wanted
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
n military commander and war criminal.
Equipment
Armor
Air Force
![Roundel of Togo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Roundel_of_Togo.svg)
The
Republic of Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
Air Force (French: ''Armée de l'Air Republic of Togo'') was established in 1964, and French influence remains in the choice of aircraft used. Since 2020, the air force's chief of staff is Colonel Tassounti Djato.
The
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
was the first aircraft used; it was part of the force from 1960 to 1976. Replacing the C-47s were two DHC-5D Buffalo
STOL
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...
transports in 1976. Also in the same year, Togo acquired five ex-
German Air Force
The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War a ...
Fouga Magister
Fouga (also known as Air Fouga) was a French manufacturing company established by Gaston Fouga at Béziers during 1920. Originally specialising in the repair of railway rolling stock, the firm eventually became most noted for the aircraft it p ...
armed jet trainers and seven EMB.326GBs from Brazil to form the Escadrille de Chasse. Togo's armed jet trainer fleet was upgraded in 1981 by the deliveries of five Alpha jets and by three piston engine Aerospatiale TB-30 Epsilons in 1986. The Fouga Magisters were returned to France in 1985.
During its existence the official name changed from ''Section Air der Forces armées'' in 1964 to ''Escadrille Nationale D Togolaise'' (ENT) in 1973, to ''Groupement Aerienne Togolais'' (GAT) in 1980, and finally to ''Armée de l'Air Togolaise'' in 1997.
At present its operations are concentrated in the Lomé Transport Base at
Lomé Tokoin Airport, where the transport aircraft are based, and the Niamtougou Fighter Base at
Niamtougou International Airport
Niamtougou International Airport is an airport serving the north of Togo near Niamtougou. It is an international airport and Togo's second largest after Lomé-Tokoin Airport. The airport is located in Baga, north of Niamtougou.
History
Opene ...
, where the combat units are located.
It acquired the Bayraktar TB2 UCAV from Turkish company Baykar in August 2022.
Aircraft
Current inventory
Navy
The National Navy was created on May 1, 1976, to guard the roughly of
Republic of Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
coast and the seaport of Lomé. It currently has 2 wooden-hulled patrol boats, the ''Kara'' (P 761), and the ''Mono'' (P 762), which have both been in service since 1976.
On 7 July 2014, the Republic of Togo navy received a RPB 33 patrol boat that was named ''Agou'' (P 763).
Currently, the navy's chief of staff is
ship captain
A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...
Atiogbé Ametsipe.
Equipment
References
*Aircraft information files Brightstar publishing File 338 sheet 4
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Of Togo
Military of Togo