Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea

Map of Equatorial Guinea elaborated by CIA in 1992.

The Armed Forces were reorganized in 1979. In 1988, the United States donated a 68-foot patrol boat to the Equatoguinean navy to patrol its exclusive economic zone. The U.S. patrol boat Isla de Bioko is no longer operational.[3] U.S. military-to-military engagement has been dormant since 1997 (the year of the last Joint Combined Exchange Training exercise). Between 1984 and 1992, service members went regularly to the United States on the International Military Education Training program, after which funding for this program for Equatorial Guinea ceased. The government spent 6.5% of its annual budget on defense in 2000 and 4.5% of its budget on defense in 2001. It recently acquired some Chinese artillery pieces, some Ukrainian patrol boats, and some Ukrainian helicopter gunships. Cooper and Weinert 2010 says that all aircraft are based on the military side of Malabo International Airport.[4]

In 2002, an International Consortium of Investigative Journalists report said:

"The oil companies do not view Equatorial Guinea's military – a product of decades of brutal dictatorial rule – with much confidence. The army is believed to have only about 1,320 men under arms, the navy 120, and the air force 100. Seven of the army's nine generals are relatives of the president; the other two are from his tribe. There is no clear command structure, the level of discipline is low, and professionalism and training are almost non-existent, according to locals and foreign oil workers. Even the presidential guard – an indication of the lack of trust in the country's forces – is composed of 350 Moroccan troops."[5]

Joint U.S.-Equatorial Guinea naval exercises off the coast of Equatorial Guinea on February 2, 2008. Behind the American landing craft 1655 sail three Guinean patrol boats, the first being the patrol boat Daphne and the other two being Isla de Corisco and Isla de Annobon.

The Equatorial Guinean main task is to counter piracy and robbery at sea. In July 2010, after the visit of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, an order for a Barroso-class corvette was announced.[11][12] However, as of 2014 no further news has been announced.[13] On 3 June 2014, the frigate Wele Nzas was commissioned and became the navy's flagship.[14]

On 6 November 2016, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces deployed a training contingent to the Equatorial Guinea to train the country's military officers on operational and logistic matters following an urgent request by the West African country. The security personnel contingent is composed of members of the Zimbabwe National Army and Air Force of Zimbabwe.[20] In 2018, 28 graduates from the military received diplomas from the Nakhimov Naval Academy in Sevastopol.[21]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Military of Equatorial Guinea.

• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). "CIA – The World Factbook – Equatorial Guinea". The World Factbook. CIA. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (2009). The Military Balance. Routledge. ISBN 978-1857435160.

• Cooper, Tom & Weinert, Peter (2010). African MiGs: Volume I: Angola to Ivory Coast. Harpia Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-0-9825539-5-4.
• Jeremy Binnie, 'Boom Time – Equatorial Guinea,' Jane's Defence Weekly, 30 May 2012.
• Рост военно-морской мощи Экваториальной Гвинеи и украинские корни этого роста (The growth of Equatorial Guinea's naval power and the Ukrainian roots of this growth)