His Majesty's Armed Forces | |
---|---|
Motto | Terra Marique (Latin) ("Land and Sea") |
Founded | 1939 |
Current form | 2013 |
Service branches | Tongan Land Component Maritime Force Tongan Air Wing Tongan Training Command Tongan Support Unit |
Headquarters | Vilai Barracks, Nuku'alofa |
Leadership | |
Commander-in-Chief | HM King Tupou VI |
Minister for HMAF | Siaosi Sovaleni |
Chief of Defense Staff | Brigadier General Lord Fielakepa |
Personnel | |
Military age | 18 |
Conscription | None |
Available for military service | 34,254 males, age 16-49 (2010 est.), 32,974 females, age 16-49 (2010 est.) |
Fit for military service | 27,404 males, age 16-49 (2010 est.), 28,509 females, age 16-49 (2010 est.) |
Reaching military age annually | 1,448 males (2010 est.), 1,392 females (2010 est.) |
Active personnel | 500 [1] |
Expenditure | |
Percent of GDP | 0.9% GDP (2006 est.) |
Related articles | |
Ranks | Military ranks of Tonga |
His Majesty's Armed Forces (HMAF) is the military of Tonga. It is composed of three operational components and two support elements (logistics and training groups).
The mission of HMAF is to: "Defend the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Tonga".
The HMAF is partially supported by defence co-operation agreements with Australia, the United States, China, India, and New Zealand. The co-operation aims at capacity development through training of HMAF personnel in leadership, academic and trades while support for infrastructure development is another part of the security co-operation.
Since 2001, members of HMAF have supported the coalition of the willing in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.
The military history of Tonga extends from World War I to the present day, with Tonga participating in World War I, World War II, and the Afghan war, among other conflicts. [2]
The main elements of HMAF are: [3] [4]
The Maritime Force is equipped with two Guardian-class patrol boats, a tanker, a Landing Craft Mechanised and a motor boat that is the royal yacht. [5] Tongan Maritime Force performs patrol missions, occasionally dealing with border violations, at the Minerva Reef and Tonga's restricted fishing zones. [2]
The Royal Tongan Marine Infantry is organized as a single Battalion size group with a HQ and 3 Light Infantry Companies, based at Fua'amotu. [6]
The Tongan Royal Guards are a company size unit that are responsible for the security of His Majesty. The Royal Guard maintains a musical unit known as the Tonga Royal Corps of Musicians that serves as a military band for different occasions.
On 4 May 1996 the Air Wing was created. A Beech 18 was taken into service. In 1999 a Citabria was obtained to help with training of the Beech 18. [7]
The HMAF is a member of the following international defence organisations:
Tonga has an agreement to share "disaster response knowledge" with the United States Nevada National Guard. [8]
The ranks used by His Majesty's Armed Forces are similar to those used in other Commonwealth armed forces. [9]
Until 2013, commanders were called Commander of the Tongan Defence Services. After 2013, they are now called Chief of the Defence Staff of the HMAF. [10]
Model | Image | Origin | Type | Calibre | Number | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handguns | ||||||
Glock 17 | AUT | Pistol | 9×19mm Parabellum | |||
Bolt-action rifles | ||||||
Lee Enfield No.4 | UK | Bolt-action rifle | .303 | Acquired from New Zealand; many remain unissued and in storage. [11] | ||
Submachine guns | ||||||
Uzi | ISR | Sub-machine gun | 9×19mm Parabellum | |||
Assault rifles | ||||||
FN FNC | BEL | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm | Standard service rifle of Tonga. [11] | ||
IMI Galil | ISR | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm | Donated by Israel in 1988. [11] | ||
M4A1 | USA | Carbine rifle | 5.56×45mm | |||
Machine guns | ||||||
M2 Browning | USA | Heavy machine gun | 12.7x99mm NATO | |||
Model | Image | Origin | Type | Number | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wheeled vehicles | |||||
Unimog U1700 | Australia | Military truck | Five | Five donated by Australia in 2018. [12] | |
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consist of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. All six armed services are among the eight uniformed services of the United States, along with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with search and rescue without law enforcement authority. In most countries, a typical coast guard's functions are distinct from those of the navy and the transit police, while in certain countries they have similarities to both.
HisMajesty's Ship, abbreviated HMS and H.M.S., is the ship prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies. Derivative terms such as HMAS and equivalents in other languages such as SMS are used.
The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser HMS Philomel, which by 1921 had been moored in Auckland as a training ship. A slow buildup occurred during the interwar period, and then in December 1939 HMS Achilles fought alongside two other Royal Navy cruisers at the Battle of the River Plate against the German ship, Graf Spee.
Standing Royal Navy deployments is a list of operations and commitments undertaken by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy on a worldwide basis. The following list details these commitments and deployments sorted by region and in alphabetical order. Routine deployments made by the Navy's nuclear-powered submarines and their location of operations is classified.
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is the naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its interests. The role of the Sri Lanka Navy is to conduct operations at sea for the defence of the nation and its interests and conduct prompt and sustainable combat operations at sea in accordance with the national policies.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Tonga:
The Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters or the RTARF HQ, is the "mostly ornamental" joint headquarters of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, which is composed of the Royal Thai Army, the Royal Thai Navy and Royal Thai Marine Corps, and the Royal Thai Air Force. Formerly the Supreme Command Headquarters, the name was changed in February 2008.
The Navy Command is the current headquarters body of the Royal Navy, and as of 2012 its major organisational grouping. It is a hybrid, neither a command, nor simply an installation. Royal Navy official writings describe Navy Command Headquarters both as a physical site, on Whale Island, Hampshire, a collective formed of the most senior RN officers, and as a budgetary grouping.
The Tongan Maritime Force is the naval arm of His Majesty's Armed Forces of Tonga.
The Guardian-class patrol boats are a class of small patrol vessels designed and built in Australia and provided to small South Pacific Ocean countries as part of the Australian Government's Pacific Maritime Security Program.
VOEA Ngahau Koula (P301) is a Guardian-class patrol vessel designed and built for the Tonga Maritime Force by Australia. After the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea established that all maritime nation were entitled to exercise control over a 200-kilometre (120 mi) exclusive economic zone, Australia agreed to give small patrol boats to Tonga and eleven other neighbours in the Pacific Islands Forum.
VOEA Pangai (P202) was a Pacific Forum patrol vessel operated by Tonga.
VOEA Ngahau Siliva (P302) is the second of Tonga's two Guardian-class patrol vessels. She is the eighth vessel of the 21 vessels in her class.
The military history of Tonga extends from World War I to the present day, with Tonga participating in World War I, World War II, and the Afghan war, among other conflicts.
The Tongan Air Wing is the aerial warfare arm of His Majesty's Armed Forces of Tonga. The Air Wing supports the surveillance of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and conducts search and rescue (SAR) operations.
The Royal Tongan Marines is the marine corps of the His Majesty's Armed Forces of Tonga. It is headquartered at Fuaʻamotu, with a headquarters and support company, as well as three light infantry companies.
The Tongan Land Force is the main land-based component of the His Majesty's Armed Forces of Tonga (HMAF). It is responsible for ground defence operations and includes various specialized units.