Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo

Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo
Forces Armées de la République du Congo (French)
Founded15 August 1960
Current form16 January 1961
Service branches
HeadquartersBrazzaville
Leadership
President of the Republic of the CongoDenis Sassou Nguesso
Minister of National DefenseCharles Richard Mondjo
Chief of General StaffGuy Blanchard Okoï
Personnel
Military age20
Active personnel10,000 (2014)
Expenditure
Budget$705 million (2015)
Percent of GDP8.4 (2015)
Industry
Foreign suppliers France
South Africa
 South Africa (historical)
United States
United Kingdom
China
Russia
Soviet Union (historical)
Spain
Italy
Belgium
Related articles
RanksMilitary ranks of Republic of the Congo

The Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo (French: Forces armées de la République du Congo), also less formally denoted as the Forces armées congolaises or its acronym FAC, are the military forces of the Republic of the Congo. They consist of the Congolese Army, the Congolese Air Force, the Congolese Navy, and the Congolese National Gendarmerie. The dissolution of French Equatorial Africa in 1958, and France's impending military withdrawal from the Congo in August 1960, provided the impetus for the formation of the FAC. The FAC and state paramilitary agencies are headed by an Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, usually appointed by the President of the Republic of the Congo. Major General Guy Blanchard Okoï has served as chief of staff since 2012.