General Staff / Shtabi i Përgjithshëm i FA

The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces is responsible to the President of the Republic, Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense for the preparation and combat readiness, filling with personnel, and the organization and direction of military and non-military operations of the Armed Forces. The Commanders of the Forces are the highest military leaders for the Land Forces, Navy, and Air Forces, and are responsible for the operational readiness of their respective services.

The Chief of the General Staff is elected for a three-year period with an extension option. Based upon a proposal by the Prime Minister, the President appoints the Chief of the General Staff, who is required to have the rank of General and the necessary military experience. The Chief of the General Staff is responsible to the President, Prime Minister, and the Minister of Defense, which assures the neutrality of the post.

Development of the Armed Forces is the responsibility of the high civilian and military leadership, which is based on the objectives and principles of the Defense Policy, in developing a military force capable of guaranteeing the defense of the country. The Armed Forces are prepared and modernized according to the mission and tasks defined in the Defense Policy. Transformation and modernization of the Armed Forces is based on modern military thought and technology, NATO standards, interoperability and development of flexible, adaptive forces, principles valuing personnel quality and retention, as well as transparency of the Armed Forces to the civil society of the Republic of Albania and partner countries.

The Albanian Armed Forces are composed of Three Kinds of Forces

• Land Forces (LF)
• Navy Forces (NF)
• Air Forces (AF)

• Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
• Logistic Support Command (LSC)

The General Staff is the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces that functions according to NATO standards. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania is composed of active and reserve components. The authorized quantity of active duty personnel in peacetime, on the basis of the structure of the "Future Armed Forces 2010", is approximately 14,500 active military personnel and 2000 civilians. The active component of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania will be supported by an appropriate and reasonable Reserve Force of up to 10,000.

The General Staff has under its direct control the following units:

• Joint Operations Center
• Communications Battalion
• Support Battalion of the General Staff
• Military Police Battalion
• Center of Signal Intelligence
• Civil Protection Base

By order of the Minister of Defense Nr. 87 dated 14/06/2007 restructuring the Military Police Battalion became the dependence of the Support Command. The Search and Rescue Service structure is organized in a consolidated way in the Joint Operations Center and with other elements in Air, Navy and Land Forces.