Armed Forces of Haiti

The Armed Forces of Haiti (French: Forces Armées d'Haïti, FA'dH; Haitian Creole: Fòs Lame d'Ayiti) are the military forces of the Republic of Haiti, is composed of the Haitian Army, the Haitian Navy, and the Haitian Aviation Corps. The Force has about 1300 active personnel as of July 2025.

The Haitian military originated during the Haitian Revolution as the Indigenous Army (Armée Indigène) that fought for independence, which was formally declared on 1 January 1804. Haiti became a militarized country over the next several decades to protect its independence from a possible return of French troops, and as a result the military dominated the government and administration, with the emergence of a military elite that held the political and economic power in the country. The military was reorganized in the 1880s, being divided between a small active army that underwent the reform, and a much larger reserve army consisting of the old forces. There was also a small navy. Between 1804 and 1915, all except one of Haiti's 26 heads of state were military officers.

The Indigenous Army was disbanded during the United States occupation of Haiti in 1915 and replaced by the American-trained and -led Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie d'Haïti). In 1934, it was renamed the Garde d'Haiti and returned to Haitian command, before being renamed the Army of Haiti in 1947. Finally, it was changed to the Armed Forces of Haiti in 1958 during the rule of François Duvalier. After years of military interference in politics, including dozens of military coups and attempted coups, Haiti disbanded its military in 1995. The Haitian National Police was established that same year to take over security.

On 17 November 2017, the armed forces were restored by President Jovenel Moise. The military was reestablished in 2018. The President suspended the previous executive orders by then President Jean-Bertrand Aristide who suspended and disbanded the armed forces on 6 December 1995.