The Ministry of Defence ( so, Wasaaradda Gaashaandhigga) is charged with co-ordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

and the

Somali Armed Forces The Somali Armed Forces are the military forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Headed by the president as commander-in-chief, they are constitutionally mandated to ensure the nation's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Ch ...

. The

President of Somalia The president of Somalia ( so, Madaxaweynaha Soomaaliya) is the head of state of Somalia. The president is also commander-in-chief of the Somali Armed Forces. The president represents the Federal Government of Somalia, Federal Republic of Somal ...

is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the country. The Ministry of Defence provides policy framework and resources to the Armed Forces to discharge their responsibility in the context of the defence of the country. The Armed Forces (including

Somali Army The Somali National Army ( Somali: ''Xooga Dalka Soomaaliyeed,'' lit. ''"Somali Ground Forces"'') is the ground forces component of the Somali Armed Forces, and is the largest out of the three service branches that make up the majority of the A ...

Somali Air Force "Lean Together" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_l ...

, and

Somali Navy The Somali Navy ( so, Ciidamada Badda Soomaaliyeed, ar, القوات البحرية الصومالية ''Al-Quwwat al-Bahriyah as-Sumaliyah'') is the naval warfare service branch of the Somali Armed Forces. During the post-independence period, t ...

) under the Defence Ministry are primarily responsible for ensuring the territorial integrity of the nation. The current Minister of Defence of Somalia is Hassan Mohomed Amardanbe.

History

Historically, Somali society conferred distinction upon warriors (''waranle'') and rewarded military acumen. All Somali males were regarded as potential soldiers, except for the occasional religious cleric (''wadaado'').Library of Congress Country Study, Somalia
The Warrior Tradition and Development of a Modern Army
research complete May 1992. Somalia's many

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

ates each maintained regular troops. In the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, the

conquest of Shewa Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent ...

by the

Ifat Sultanate The Sultanate of Ifat, known as Wafāt or Awfāt in Arabic texts, was a medieval Sunni Muslim state in the eastern regions of the Horn of Africa between the late 13th century and early 15th century. It was formed in present-day Ethiopia around ...

ignited a rivalry for supremacy with the

Solomonic dynasty The Solomonic dynasty, also known as the House of Solomon, was the ruling dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire formed in the thirteenth century. Its members claim lineal descent from the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Tradition asserts ...

. In 1914, the

Somaliland Camel Corps The Somaliland Camel Corps (SCC) was a Rayid unit of the British Army based in British Somaliland. It lasted from the early 20th century until 1944. Beginnings and the Dervish rebellion In 1888, after signing successive treaties with the then r ...

was formed in

British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British Empire, British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Soma ...

and saw service before, during, and after the Italian invasion of the territory during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After independence, the Darawishta merged with the former British

Somaliland Scouts The Somaliland Scouts was a Rayid military unit, a regiment, of the British Army. It was established after the liberation of British Somaliland from Italy in December 1941 and the dissolution of the Somaliland Camel Corps in 1942, which was form ...

and new recruits to form a 5,000 strong Somali National Army. The new military's first commander was Colonel

Daud Abdulle Hirsi General Daud Abdulle Hirsi ( so, Daa'uud Cabdulle Xirsi, ar, داود عبد الله حرسي; 1925–1965) was a Somali police and military officer, who went on to become first Commander of the Somali Armed Forces.Bildhaan, p. 64. Biography ...

, a former officer in the British military administration's police force, the Somalia Gendarmerie. Officers were trained in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Despite the social and economic benefits that military service brought, the

began to suffer chronic manpower shortages only a few years after independence.Library of Congress Country Study, Somalia
Manpower, Training, and Conditions of Service
(Thomas Ofcansky), research complete May 1992. After the

1969 Somali coup d'état The 1969 Somali coup d'état was the bloodless takeover of Somalia's government on 21 October 1969 by far-left military officers of the Supreme Revolutionary Council led by Siad Barre. Somali troops supported by tanks under the command of Barre ...

, most Ministers of Defence were drawn from the Supreme Revolutionary Council until 1990-91. The subsequent outbreak of the

Somali Civil War The Somali Civil War ( so, Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; ar, الحرب الأهلية الصومالية ) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the Military dictatorship, military junta wh ...

from the late 1980s led to the armed forces disintegrating totally. Somalia's armed forces were gradually reconstituted after the establishment of the

Transitional Federal Government The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) ( so, Dowladda Federaalka Kumeelgaarka, ar, الحكومة الاتحادية الانتقالية) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Republic of Somalia from 14 October ...

(TFG) in 2004. After the creation of the

in 2010, several ministers succeeded each other. Abdihakim Mohamed Fiqi, a former Somali diplomatic with service in Washington, became Minister of Defence in mid-November 2010. While he had known that Al-Shabaab occupied the Ministry of Defence building at the time, he had not realised the weaknesses of the interim MOD premises in the privately owned Jidda Hussein building. There, the ministry had only two rooms, without internet or electricity. Thus the handshake transfer of responsibility - there was nothing more to hand over - took place in the palace, in the living room of the

commander.

Organization

* Minister of Defence ** Deputy Minister *** Secretary-General **** Under the Authority of Secretary-General ***** Internal Audit and Investigation Division ***** Somali Armed Forces Council Secretariat ***** Key Performance Indicator Unit ***** Legal Division ***** Strategic Communications Unit ***** Integrity Unit **** Deputy Secretary-General (Development) ***** Development Division ***** Procurement Division ***** Somali Armed Forces Cataloguing Authority **** Deputy Secretary-General (Policy) ***** Policy and Strategic Planning Division ***** Defence Industry Division ***** Defence Reserve Depot **** Deputy Secretary-General (Management) ***** Human Resource Management Division ***** Information Management Division ***** Finance Division ***** Account Division ***** Administration Division **** Chief of Defence Forces ***** Chief of Army ***** Chief of Navy ***** Chief of Air Force ***** Joint Force Commander ***** Director of General Defence Intelligence ***** Chief of Staff Somali Armed Forces Headquarters

Defence Ministers

References

External links

Website

Benadir Regional Administration - Transitional Federal Government of Somalia
{{authority control

Defense Ministry {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

Military of Somalia Somalia, Defence