Our Army

     We defeated USA, Soviet Union, Israel, Cuba, Libya, Yemen, East, Germany, Sudan etc supported and financed Ethiopian army because we build  the most moral, potent, capable, efficient and disciplined army in the entire African armies history.  Eritrea Peoples Liberation Army (EPLA) finishes and accomplish operations on time and on provided/given human and material resources. We won because we build the most efficient, effective and competitive military institution. EPLA proved us we can build efficient, effective and competitive any kind institution either in commerce, civil service, culture, sport, intelligence, army etc that can compete with anyone in world. Wining is about building efficient, effective and competitive institutions that deliver the desired result.

We build our glorious and victorious army thanks for Tigrigna nationalism who serve us solid glue and super fuel, thanks for our Ge’ez value system that serve us the most efficient software and thanks to our competent military leaders such as 1, General Ugbe Abrha, 2, General Birhane Ghebreagzabher, 3, General Petros Selomon, 4, General Mesfin Hagos. and 6, General Sibhat Efrem. 1,General Isaias Teweldebrahan (Wedi Filansa)

 

Thanks for Isaias Afewerki and nine ethnics Eritrean national cultural national identity our army had started to be dismantled in 1992 when the new educated young EPLA members demobilized while the remaining uneducated old became source of free labour and oppression tool, laboratory for creating new identity for PFDJ. Dismantling EPLA that became EDF completed when under Operation Warsay Yikaalo (ወፍሪ ዋርሳይ ይካኣሎ) governing manuals EDF became in charge of executive, judiciary and legislature branches of our government. Unlimited power and corruption killed EDF.

         The new Eritrea Defence Forces will be the most potent, disciplined, moral arm in Africa and it will be different from most armed forces in the world in many ways, including the conscription of women, and the structure, with close relations between the ground forces, air force and navy. The new EDF will strive to become a unique army fitting Eritrea specific requirement. The new EDF will be one of the central Eritrean institutions, with influences reaches into politics, economy and culture of the Eritrean society.  The leadership by the democratically elected civilian president will be a fundamental principle of the Eritrean military command system. The EDF will report to the president and will be ountable to Baito and the law.

 

  EDF mission

The new EDF mission will be to “defend the existence, territorial and Ge’ez the cultural heritage integrity and sovereignty of the state of Eritrea. To protect the inhabitants of Eritrea and to combat all forms of terrorism which threaten the daily life.”

EDF Main Doctrine

The main doctrine consists of the following principles:   Basic Points

• Eritrea cannot afford to lose a single war
• Defensive on the strategic level, no territorial ambitions
• Desire to avoid war by political means and a credible deterrent posture
• Preventing escalation
• Determine the outcome of the war quickly and decisively
• Combating terrorism
• Very low casualty ratio

Prepare for Defence

A small standing army with an early warning capability, regular air force and navy

An efficient reserve mobilization and transportation system

 

 

 

EDF Core values

• Defence of the State, its Citizens and its Residents– “The EDF’s goal is to defend the existence of the State of Eritrea as nation state of Ge’ez people, its independence and the security of the citizens and residents of the state.”
• Love of the Homeland and Loyalty to the Country– “At the core of service in the EDF will stand for Eritrean Ge’ez pride, values, dignity and freedom, stand for the love of the homeland and the commitment and devotion to the democratic State of Eritrea, a state that serves as a national home for the Ge’ez People and its residents.”
• Human Dignity– “The EDF and its soldiers are obligated to protect human dignity. Every human being is of value regardless of his or her origin, religion, nationality, gender, status or position.”
• 

Military service routes

The military service is held in three different tracks:

Regular service – National military service is mandatory for all Eritrean citizens over the age of 18, and other exceptions may be made on religious, physical or psychological grounds.

Men will serve three years in the EDF, while women will serve two. The EDF women who volunteer for several combat positions often will serve for three years, due to the longer period of training. Women in other positions, such as programmers, who also require lengthy training time, may also serve three years. Women in most combat positions may require serving in the reserve for several years after they leave regular service.

Some distinguished recruits are selected to be trained in order to eventually become members of Special Forces units. Every division in the EDF will have its own special force branch

Permanent Service – Permanent service will be designed for soldiers who choose to continue serving in the army after their regular service, for a short or long period, and in many cases making the military their career. Permanent service usually will begin immediately after the mandatory Regular service period, but there are also soldiers who will get released from the military at the end of the mandatory Regular service period and who get recruited back to the military as Permanent service soldiers in a later period.

Permanent service will base on a contractual agreement between the EDF and the permanent position holder.

The service contract defines how long the soldier’s service would be, and towards the end of the contract period a discussion may arise on the extension of the soldier’s service duration. Many times, regular service soldiers will require committing to a permanent service after the mandatory Regular service period, in exchange for assigning them in military positions which require a long training period.

In exchange for the Permanent service, the Permanent service soldiers will receive full wages, and when serving for a long period as a permanent service soldier, they are also entitled to a pension from the army. This right will give to the Permanent service soldiers in a relatively early stage of their life in comparison to the rest of the Eritrean retirees.

Reserve service – After personnel complete their regular service, the EDF may call up men for:

• Reserve service of up to one month annually, until the age of 43–45 (reservists may volunteer after this age)
• Active duty immediately in times of crisis

In most cases, the reserve duty will be carried out in the same unit for years, in many cases the same unit as the active service and by the same people. Many soldiers who will be served together in active service continue to meet in reserve duty for years after their discharge, will make the reserve duty to become a strong male bonding experience in Eritrean society.

Although still will available for call-up in times of crisis, most Eritrean men, and virtually all women, may do not actually perform reserve service in any given year. May units do not always call up all of their reservists every year, and a variety of exemptions will be available if called for regular reserve service. Virtually no exemptions exist for reservists called up in a ime of crisis; units must achieve recruitment rates at the time of crisis.

EDF Budget

  Eritrea defence forces and all other security sectors will get the highest allocation of resources than any other sector in same time until our defences and security forces established as a modern army with high tech and strategic weaponry and enjoy a high standard of living.

EDF Military technology

The EDF will possess top-of-the-line weapons and computer systems that are used and recognized worldwide. EDF will import same weapons but will make our most its own weapons, ammunitions, missiles, tanks, transport and communications system and will develop an independent defence industry by allying strategically with Israel Defence Forces (IDF) coordination’s. We will set-up officers colleges for the army, navy and air force.