The Algerian Army is an important partner of Russia in North Africa
Unlike Egypt or Tunisia, Algeria is practically not visited by Russian tourists. But in the structure of Russia's military-industrial exports, this country occupies one of the most important places. Relations with Algeria were established more than half a century ago, back in the Soviet era. Then the Soviet Union actively supported the struggle of the Algerian people for independence, and then, when Algeria received its long-awaited freedom from France, began to help the young state in the construction of infrastructure, in the training of qualified personnel and, of course, in the military sphere. At the same time, unlike many African countries, trade relations with Algeria were not interrupted even after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
During the first post-Soviet quarter of a century, from 1991 to 2016, Algeria acquired from the Russian Federation weapon totaling 26 billion dollars. That is, Algeria ranks third in the world after India and China in terms of the volume of imports of Russian weapons. This fact alone makes Algeria one of the most important strategic partners of our country.
In 2006, Russia supplied Algeria with military equipment and weapons worth $ 7,5 billion. These were 28 Su-30MKA fighter jets, 16 Yak-130 combat trainers, three S-300PMU-2 anti-aircraft missile systems, 38 “Shell-S1” anti-aircraft missile and gun systems, 185 tanks T-90S, 216 launchers of Kornet-E anti-tank systems, eight Krasnopol high-precision weapons systems and two Project 636M submarines.
In the 2011 Algiers bought from Russia 120 T-90S then 16 16 Su-30MKA in 2013, it was awarded a contract to supply attack helicopters Mi 42-28 6N and transport Mi-26T2 and in 2014, the " Rosoboronexport concluded an agreement on licensed production at Algerian enterprises near 200 T-90 tanks with Algeria. This contract, by the way, has become the world's largest export contract for battle tanks.
In addition, in November 2018, the Algerian side turned to Russia with a proposal to establish a joint venture in Algeria in the production, repair and disposal of ammunition, and a year earlier an agreement was signed to provide the Algerian armed forces with the capabilities of the GLONASS system. Until Algeria, by the way, such an agreement was concluded only with India.
What is the Algerian army today and why is cooperation with this country so important for Russia? To begin with, Algeria is one of the last bastions of secular left nationalism in the Arab world. Despite the fact that the seemingly unshakable regimes of Ben Ali, Gaddafi and Mubarak collapsed in three neighboring countries - Tunisia, Libya and Egypt - in 2011, during the Arab Spring, Algeria managed to maintain political stability.
The country's president, Abdul Aziz Bouteflika, has held this position for nineteen years already; last year he celebrated his eightieth birthday. Bouteflika is a veteran of the struggle for the independence of Algeria, one of the associates of the legendary Ahmed Ben Bella. At 1963-1979, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria (at the time of his appointment, Bouteflika was an 26-year-old young man).
Abdel Aziz Bouteflika, despite his age, at the same time occupies the post of Minister of National Defense of Algeria, is the supreme commander of the armed forces and the national gendarmerie. At one time, it was the Algerian armed forces that were able to deliver crushing blows to radical fundamentalists, restoring order in the country. As in other secular Arab regimes, in Algeria, the armed forces play an enormous role in the political life of the country, in fact merging with the system of government. This is due, among other things, to the fact that Algeria achieved independence as a result of a long and bloody armed struggle against France. Former rebel commanders became officers of the national army, while maintaining authority among the masses and political influence. For almost sixty years of political independence of the country, the military has often taken the helm of the Algerian government. President Bouteflika himself also has an army background. At one time, he commanded units of the National Liberation Army in Southern Algeria and was an officer of the ANO General Staff.
At the same time, Islamist sentiments are very strong in Algeria, especially among low-income groups. The army in this country, as in Egypt, is the main guarantor of secularism and it is for this reason that the military are trying to control the activities of the government. It turns out that it is not the military who serve the government, but rather the government that fulfills the will of the army elite.
The main opponent of the Algerian armed forces for at least the last three decades has been radical fundamentalist groups. In 1990, the army waged a bloody civil war with them, but even now it is premature to talk about the final victory over the radicals.
If we talk about external threats, then relations with Tunisia and Libya, although they were far from ideal, still did not turn into opposition. Another thing - troubled neighborhood with Morocco. If Algeria was guided by the Soviet Union and the socialist camp, then Morocco has always been a reliable ally of the West. But the cause of the contradictions between Algeria and Morocco lies not in ideological issues, but in territorial disputes, since the border between the two countries passing through the desert regions of the Sahara has always been very conditional. When Algeria declared independence, the border issue immediately became the subject of disputes between countries.
Algeria has been supporting the Polisario since the 1975, the Liberation Front of the Western Sahara. The militants of Polisario have always been based on Algerian territory, from where they carried out raids against Moroccan troops, while Algeria received weapons and ammunition from Algeria, and soldiers and commanders of the Western Sahara front were trained in Algeria.
It was on the border with Morocco that the considerable forces of the Algerian army were always concentrated. The buildup of armaments aims, first of all, also to demonstrate the strength of the neighboring state. Another important focus of the concentration of the Algerian army is the border of Algeria with Mali. As you know, in Mali, one of the poorest countries in Africa, has long been restless. In the north of the country, Tuareg rebels are active in advocating the creation of Azawad, the Tuareg autonomy in the Sahara. Since the Tuareg also migrate to the Ahaggar Plateau in Algeria, for the Algerian government, the Tuareg separatism in Mali is an alarming signal. On the other hand, in addition to the Tuareg, local religious radical groups collaborating with Al-Qaida and the Islamic State (banned in the Russian Federation) are also active in Mali.
The Algerian armed forces have a branched structure. It is based on the Algerian National People’s Army, numbering 220 thousands of people and including four types of armed forces - ground forces, air force, air defense forces and naval forces. The country’s territory is divided into six military districts: 1-th district - Blida, 2-th - Oran, 3-th Bechar, 4-th - Ouargla, 5-th - Constantine, 6-th - Tamanrasset. Ground troops jet divisions.
The ground forces have a lot of weapons - about 1200 tanks, 500 artillery pieces, 330 mortars, 800 anti-aircraft guns and 500 anti-tank artillery pieces, 880 armored vehicles. The country's air forces include 1 bomber, 2 fighter bomber, 7 fighter and 2 reconnaissance squadrons, have 185 aircraft in service, including 19 Su-24 bombers, 40 MiG-23bn fighter-bomber, 122 fighters. As part of the military transport aviation - 2 squadrons and 50 aircraft. In addition, there are 3 combat and 1 training squadrons of combat training aircraft. Helicopter aviation has 50 combat, 55 transport and 20 training helicopters, 2 more squadrons and 15 patrol aircraft are listed in the Navy. Air defense troops number 40 thousand people and consist of 3 anti-aircraft missile and 1 anti-aircraft artillery brigades. Algerian Navy (20 thousand military personnel) are armed with 14 warships, 42 combat boats, 4 coastal artillery batteries and 1 marine corps battalion.
The national army of the people is completed by recruiting men for military service; officers are trained in the combined arms military academy in Cherchel, as well as in armored, artillery, airborne, engineering and technical, communications, logistics, military administrative and national service schools. If the academy is taught for three years, then in schools - two years. The Air Force has its own schools - aviation and aviation-technical with three-year training, the Navy, Air Defense (four-year) and the national gendarmerie (two-year).
The National Gendarmerie is a member of the armed forces and is subordinate to the Minister of National Defense. It numbers 65 thousands of people and performs tasks for the protection of the state border, public order and government agencies. The gendarmes units are equipped with armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers and helicopters. In every Algerian wilaya (region) there is a gendarmerie office and one combatant gendarmerie battalion of two or three companies deployed. In large cities it is deployed from 2 to 4 gendarme battalions.
Another formation is the Republican Guard, with 5 of thousands of troops. Guardsmen guard the top leadership of the country, perform the functions of a guard of honor and escort. The guard also has armored vehicles.
In addition to the armed forces, there are a number of other paramilitary groups in Algeria. First of all, it is the Security Forces Corps of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, subordinated to the Ministry of the Interior of Algeria and numbering more than 20 thousands of employees. This is a motorized police force performing law enforcement.
Secondly, there are Civil Defense Forces also in 20 thousand people. Thirdly, there is a communal guard and militia numbering up to 100 thousand people. If we talk about the mobilization reserve, it has more than 5 million people, which makes Algeria a serious opponent, at least in comparison with neighboring countries.
Algeria currently has the largest military budget in Africa, and according to independent ratings, its armed forces are among the 25 of the most numerous and well-equipped armies in the world. Considering the army as its most important support, the Algerian authorities do not spare funds for its maintenance.
The top layer of the Algerian military elite is still represented by veterans of the war of independence. Thus, the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Algerian Armed Forces is 78-year-old Lieutenant-General Ahmed Hyde Salah (born 1940). Algeria’s intelligence and security department is headed by another veteran, 79-year-old General Mohammed Medien (born 1939), who joined the Algerian army before independence, and then trained at the KGB school in the Soviet Union. The national gendarmerie is headed by 74-year-old Major General Menad Nuba (born 1944).
The advanced age of the top leaders of the Algerian army and special services indicates that the ruling elite, represented by veterans of the Front for National Liberation, is afraid to let the power in the country out of their hands. But the aging of leading cadres is a very serious problem for many such regimes. At one time, the Soviet Union was ruined by the aging of the leadership and the lack of a proper shift.
Since Algeria is an important military-trading partner of Russia, and also, by tradition, maintains good political relations with our country, the change of political power in this North African state is not profitable for us now. But the whole question is whether the current Algerian government will be able to find suitable successors who can continue the secular and moderately nationalist course without hesitation towards the West or Islamic radicalism.
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