The
Royal Moroccan Armed Forces is the summation of the armed forces of the kingdom of
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
. It was founded in 1956 (except the Royal Navy founded in 1960) after Morocco's independence from France and Spain.
It is structured into six different branches
During the period of the French Protectorate (1912 - 1956) large numbers of Moroccans were recruited for service in the
SpahiSpahis were light cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.-Etymology:...
and
TirailleurTirailleur literally means a sharpshooter in French from tir - shot. The term dates back to the Napoleonic period where it was used to designate light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns...
regiments of the French
Army of AfricaThe Army of Africa was an unofficial but commonly used term for those portions of the French Army recruited from or normally stationed in French North Africa from 1830 until the end of the Algerian War in 1962.-Composition:...
.
The
Royal Moroccan Armed Forces is the summation of the armed forces of the kingdom of
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
. It was founded in 1956 (except the Royal Navy founded in 1960) after Morocco's independence from France and Spain.
It is structured into six different branches
| Branch: |
Personnel |
Founded |
| *Royal Army The Royal Moroccan Army forms is a branch of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.- Origins :During the period of the French Protectorate large numbers of Moroccans were recruited for service in the Spahi and Tirailleur regiments of the French Army of Africa...
|
175.000 |
1956 |
*Royal Moroccan Air ForceThe Royal Moroccan Air Force is the air force branch of the Moroccan Armed Forces.- The beginnings:...
|
13.500 |
1956 |
*Royal NavyThe Royal Moroccan Navy is the naval branch of the military of Morocco. The location of its largest base is Casablanca with smaller bases at Agadir, Al Hoceima, Dakhla, Kenitra, Safi and Tangier and a new naval base is in building at Ksar Sghir...
|
11500 |
1960 |
*Royal GendarmerieThe Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie is the Gendarmerie body of Morocco.-History:The Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie was founded in 1957 by late King Mohammed V. The structure of its functions has been determined by the two major different but complementary traditions. One of them has its roots in the...
|
23.000 |
1956 |
| *Royal Guard The Moroccan Royal Guard is officially part of the Royal Moroccan Army. However it is under the direct operational control of the Royal Military Household of His Majesty the King. The sole duty of the guard is to provide for the security and safety of the King and royal family of Morocco...
|
3000 |
1956 |
| * Total |
226 000 |
- |
Origins
During the period of the French Protectorate (1912 - 1956) large numbers of Moroccans were recruited for service in the
SpahiSpahis were light cavalry regiments of the French army recruited primarily from the indigenous populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.-Etymology:...
and
TirailleurTirailleur literally means a sharpshooter in French from tir - shot. The term dates back to the Napoleonic period where it was used to designate light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns...
regiments of the French
Army of AfricaThe Army of Africa was an unofficial but commonly used term for those portions of the French Army recruited from or normally stationed in French North Africa from 1830 until the end of the Algerian War in 1962.-Composition:...
. During World War II more than 300,000 Moroccan troops (including
goumierGoumier is a term used for Moroccan soldiers, who served in auxiliary units attached to the French Army, between 1908 and 1956. The term was also occasionally used to designate native soldiers in the French army of the French Sudan and Upper Volta during the colonial era.-Description:The word...
auxiliaries) served with the
Free French forcesThe Free French Forces were French fighters in World War II who decided to continue fighting against Axis forces after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation.-Definition:...
in North Africa, Italy, France and Austria. The two world conflicts saw Moroccan units earning the nickname of "Todesschwalben" (death swallows) by German soldiers as they showed particular toughness on the battlefield .
By the end of the
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Moroccan troops took part of the French Expeditionary Force engaged in the
First Indochina WarThe First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union’s French Far East Expeditionary...
from 1946 to 1954.
The
Spanish ArmyThe Spanish Army is one of oldest active armies in the world and a branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, in charge of land operations. King Juan Carlos I is the Supreme Commnder-in-Chief of the Army....
also made extensive use of Moroccan troops recruited in the
Spanish ProtectorateSpanish Protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
, during both the
Rif WarThe Rif War of 1920, also called the Second Moroccan War, was fought between Spain and the Moroccan Rif and J'bala tribes.-Early Stages:...
of 1921-26 and the
Spanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil War was a major conflict that devastated Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939. It began after an attempted coup d'état by a group of Spanish Army generals against the government of the Second Spanish Republic, then under the leadership of president Manuel Azaña...
of 1936-39. Moroccan
RegularesRegulares was the name commonly used to designate the volunteer infantry and cavalry units of the Spanish Army recruited in Spanish Morocco. They consisted of Moroccans officered by Spaniards. These Moroccan troops played a major role in the Spanish Civil War...
, together with the
Spanish LegionThe Spanish Legión , formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army. Founded as the Tercio de Extranjeros , it was originally intended as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion, but in practice it recruited almost exclusively Spaniards...
, made up Spain's elite
African field armyThe Spanish Army of Africa was a Spanish field army that garrisoned Spanish Morocco from the early 20th century until Morocco's independence in 1956....
. A para-military
gendarmerieA gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military body charged with police duties among civilian populations. The members of such a body are called gendarmes. The term maréchaussée may also be used but is now uncommon.-Etymology:The word gendarme comes from Old French gens d'armes, meaning men-at-arms...
, known as the "Mehal-la Jalifianas" and modelled on the French goumieres, was employed within the Spanish Zone.
By the end of the Protectorate in 1956, fourteen thousand Moroccan personnel from the French Army and ten thousand from the Spanish Armed Forces transferred into the newly formed Royal Armed Forces. This number was augmented by approximately 5,000 former guerrillas from the "Army of Liberation" (see below). About 2,000 French officers and NCOs remained in Morocco on short term contracts, until crash training programs at the military academies of St-Cyr, Toledo and Dar al Bayda produced sufficient numbers of Moroccan commissioned officers.
Army of Liberation
The Army of Liberation was a force fighting for the
independenceIndependence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty....
of
MoroccoMorocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 32 million and an area just under . Its capital is Rabat, and its largest city is Casablanca. Morocco has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean that reaches past the Strait of Gibraltar into the...
. In 1956, units of the Army began infiltrating
IfniIfni was a Spanish province on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, south of Agadir and across from the Canary Islands.It had a total area of 1,502 km² , and a population of 51,517 in 1964...
and other enclaves of
Spanish MoroccoSpanish Protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
, as well as the
Spanish SaharaSpanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled as a territory by Spain between 1884 and 1975. The territory represented one of the last remnants of the Spanish Empire, and was abandoned under internal pressures from native populations and the external...
. Initially, they received important backing from the Moroccan government. In the Spanish Sahara, the Army rallied
SahrawiMost frequently in English language usage, the term Sahrawi is usually used in reference to populations from the disputed Western Sahara territory, sometimes with a nationalist connotation.-Origin of word and transliterations:...
tribes along the way, and triggered a
large-scale rebellionThe Ifni War, sometimes called the Forgotten War in Spain , was a series of armed incursions into Spanish West Africa by Moroccan insurgents and Sahrawi rebels that began in October 1957 and culminated with the abortive siege of Sidi Ifni.The war, which may be seen as part of the general movement...
. In early 1958, the Moroccan king reorganized the Army of Liberation units fighting in the Spanish Sahara as the "Saharan Liberation Army".
The revolt in the
Spanish SaharaSpanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled as a territory by Spain between 1884 and 1975. The territory represented one of the last remnants of the Spanish Empire, and was abandoned under internal pressures from native populations and the external...
was put down in 1958 by a joint
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and Spanish offensive. The king of Morocco then signed an agreement with the Spanish, as he asserted control over the rebellious southern border areas, and parts of the Army of Liberation was absorbed into the Moroccan armed forces.
Nationalistic Moroccans tend to see the Army of Liberation battles in Western Sahara as a proof of Western Sahara's loyalty to the Moroccan crown, whereas sympathizers to the
Polisario FrontThe Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
) view it only as an anti-colonial war directed against
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
. Sahrawi veterans of the Army of Liberation today exist on both sides of the Western Sahara conflict, and both the Kingdom of Morocco and the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicThe Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a partially recognised state which claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. SADR was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on February 27, 1976...
celebrate it as part of their political history.
The Royal Moroccan Army fought on the Golan front in 1973 (mostly in the battle for
QuneitraQuneitra is the largely destroyed and abandoned capital of the Quneitra Governorate in south-western Syria. It is situated in a high valley in the Golan Heights at an elevation of 1,010 metres above sea level...
) and intervened decisively in 1977
ShabaShaba I was a conflict between the neighboring states of Zaire and Angola in 1977, and was arguably a consequence of Zaire's support for the FNLA and UNITA factions in the Angolan Civil War....
conflict, to save Zaire's regime. But the Morrocan Armed Forces were mostly notable in fighting a 25 year war against the POLISARIO, an
AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
n backed rebel movement seeking the separation of
Western SaharaWestern Sahara is a territory of North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of...
from Morocco.
Moroccan Armed forces also took a symbolic part in the
Gulf warThe Persian Gulf War , known also as the Gulf War, the First Gulf War,or often as the Second Gulf War and by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as The Mother of all Battles, or commonly as Desert Storm, for the military response...
among other Arab armies, and also intervened in
SomaliaSomalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa...
in 1993.
It is today taking part in several peace keeping missions: MONUC, ONUCI, EUFOR, KFOR and MINUSTAH.