Zambia - Military Personnel

Total force strength of the Army was about Active 13,500 on active duty and a Reserve of about 3,000. The Air Force numbered 1,600, with a further Paramilitary for of 3,000 in the National Service (paramilitary youth organization).

The Zambia Army is an all-volunteer force. Energetic young men and women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five are free to join the Army as long as they are healthy and have no criminal record. The current structure includes commissioned officers of the ranks of: generals, colonels, lieutenant colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants, second lieutenants and enlisted soldiers. Mandatory retirement age for all ranks in the Zambia Army is fifty-five years. At twenty years of service, anyone is free to retire from the Army with full pension benefits.

The educational system for the Zambia Army officers starts with eighteen months of officer cadet training at the Zambia Military Academy (ZMA). This is followed by specialized training and education by each Corps schools. An average of twelve months is dedicated to train young officers in various Army branches like Armour, Artillery, Engineers, Signals, Ordinance, Transport, and Infantry. This type of training is designed for Second Lieutenants on graduation from ZMA.

When officers attain the rank of Captain, they undergo training and education for company commanders and squadron leaders. These programs run an average of six months. Officers are sponsored by the Army to do further professional education with various universities and colleges both locally and abroad. The Junior Command and Staff Course is a compulsory course that officers of the ranks of captain undergo as part of career progression before they can be eligible for promotion exams to the rank of major.

Majors and lieutenant colonels are eligible to attend the Senior Command and Staff Course at the Zambia Defense Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) for a period of twelve months. DSCSC is affiliated with the University of Zambia (UNZA); therefore, officers do a parallel program with UNZA while attending the Senior Command and Staff Course. Successful candidates are awarded a diploma in Defense and Security Studies by UNZA in addition to the college certificate. After graduation from Staff College, officers can apply for a master’s program in Defense Security Studies at UNZA.

In the 1970s, many Zambian officers received military education from many overseas countries, the primary one being the United Kingdom (UK) at the Royal Military Academy. The Army leadership understood very well that the only way the Zambia Army was going to enhance professionalism was by investing in the education of young officers to lead the Zambian Army. Therefore, the Professional Military Education (PME) that Zambia Army officers received from overseas countries at independence contributed to the professionalization of the Zambia Army.