Maldives National Defence Force
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2024) |
| Maldives National Defence Force | |
|---|---|
| ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޤައުމީ ދިފާއީ ބާރު (Dhivehi) | |
 Emblem | |
 Flag | |
| Motto | Defending & safeguarding the Maldivian state, territory, exclusive economic zone & the people, with pride, sense of responsibility & professionalism |
| Founded | 21 April 1892[1] |
| Service branches | |
| Headquarters | Bandaara Koshi, Malé |
| Website | mndf |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Mohamed Muizzu |
| Minister of Defence | Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon |
| Chief of Defence Force | Major General Ibrahim Hilmy |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18–24[a] |
| Conscription | None |
| Active personnel | 9900+ |
| Reserve personnel | 7800+ |
| Deployed personnel | 2500+ |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | $138.8 million | MVR 2.14 billion (2025)[2] |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers |  India China Sri Lanka Turkey United States Germany Japan Saudi Arabia Malaysia Russia Iran Canada United Arab Emirates France United Kingdom European Union |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Maldives |
Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF; Dhivehi: ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޤައުމީ ދިފާއީ ބާރު, romanized: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Qaumee Dhifaaee Baaru) is the national military responsible for defending the security and sovereignty of the Maldives. It is primarily responsible per the constitution to defend and protect the Republic, its territorial integrity, its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the people.[3] Its branches include the Maldivian Coast Guard, the MNDF Marine Corps, and MNDF Air Corps.
History
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Organizational structure
[edit]Combat and maneuver forces
[edit]Coast Guard
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Marine Corps
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Air Corps
[edit]Aircraft
[edit]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmanned combat aerial vehicle | ||||||
| Bayraktar TB2 | Turkey | UCAV | 6[4] | Bought From Turkey.[5] | ||
| Transport | ||||||
| Dornier 228 | Germany/India | maritime patrol | 1[6] | Gifted by India[7][8] | ||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| HAL Dhruv | India | SAR / utility | Mk.3 | 2[9] | Gifted by India[10] | |
Others
[edit]Apart from the combat and maneuver forces, the MNDF also consists of:[11]
- Support services
- Service corps
- Defence intelligence service
- Medical corps
- Adjutant general's corps
- Functional commands
- Special Forces
- Special protection service
- Ordnance service
- MNDF Marine Corps Special Operations Group
- MNDF Coast Guard Special Boat Squadron
Rank structure
[edit]The ranking system of the MNDF is based on the traditional British military system and U.S. military system. The highest flag rank ever awarded was that of lieutenant general, in a non-military capacity to the previous Defence Minister Abdul Sattar, although the president being the commander in chief also holds the rank of general in a non-military capacity.[12]
Serving general officers
[edit] | This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a particular audience. (July 2024) |
- Major General Ibrahim Hilmy - Chief of Defence Force[13]
- Brigadier General Ahmed Ghiyas Vice Chief of Defence Force[14]
- Brigadier General Ismail Shareef - Commander, MNDF Northern Area Command
- Brigadier General Abdulla Zuhury - Commandant, Marine Corps
- Brigadier General Dr. Ali Shahid Mohamed - Surgeon General, MNDF Medical Corps
- Brigadier General Abdul Rauf - Commandant, MNDF Air Corps
- Brigadier General Ibrahim Rasheed - Commander, MNDF Male' Area Command
- Brigadier General Mohamed Ibrahim - Commander, MNDF Central Area Command
- Brigadier General Abdulla Ibrahim - Commanding Officer, College of Defence and Security Studies (CDSS)
- Brigadier General Hassan Shahid - Director General, J3 IHQ
- Brigadier General Mohamed Saleem - Commandant, Coast Guard
- Brigadier General Hussain Ibrahim - Director General, DIDC
Retired general officers
[edit]- Lieutenant General Ambaree Abdul Sattar 1 (Deputy Commander in Chief of Armed Forces from 21 April 1992 – 1 January 1996)
- Major General Mohamed Zahir (Chief of Defence Force from 1 January 1996 – 18 Nov 2008)
- Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel 5 (Chief of Defence Force from 18 Nov 2008 – 7 February 2012 )
- Major General Adam Zahir (Commissioner of Police) 2
- Major General Ahmed Shiyam (Former Chief of Defence Force)
- Brigadier General Ahmed Shahid (Former Vice Chief of Defence Force)
- Brigadier General Farhath Shaheer (Former Vice Chief of Defence Force)
- Brigadier General Ahmed Shahid (Former Vice Chief of Defence Force)
- Brigadier General Ahmed Naeem Mohamed
- Brigadier General Zakariyya Mansoor - Director General of Counter-Terrorism, Ministry of Defence
- Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Didi
- Brigadier General Ahmed Mohamed (former Vice Chief of Defence Force )
- Brigadier General Ali Zuhair (former commander of Coast Guard)
- Lieutenant General Abdulla Shamaal ( Former Chief of Defence Force)
- Major General Hamid Shafeeq
(Former Commandant, MNDF Service Corps)
(Former Commandant, MNDF Marine Corps)
- Lieutenant General Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef (Former Chief of Defence Force)
- Brigadier General Mohamed Shareef (Former Commandant of MNDF fire and rescue)
Dismissed general officers
[edit]Equipment
[edit] |
Small Arms
[edit]- Browning Hi-Power
- M1911 pistol
- MP5
- AK-47
- AK-103
- M16A1/M16A2
- FN FAL
- M24 sniper weapon system
- FN MAG
- PK machine gun
- PKP machine gun
- M2 Browning
- RPG-7
- Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle
Notes
[edit]- 1 Ambaree Abdul Sattar is the first person to have held lieutenant general rank and also served as the Minister of State for Defence.
- 2 Adam Zahir held the rank of major General from 29 April 2004 to 1 September 2004 prior to the appointment as Commissioner at Maldives Police Service.
- 4 Colonel Ahmed Nilam held the rank of brigadier general before he was demoted and dismissed from the service. He was dismissed for failing to act according to the responsibilities, conduct and rules of MNDF.
- 5 Moosa Ali Jaleel is the only person who have served as both the Minister of Defence and Chief of Defence Force.
- 6 Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef held the CDF post for the shortest tenure (From 17 November 2023 - 17 April 2024) due to compulsory retirement upon reaching 60 years of age as per MNDF Act. He previously served as the Vice Chief of Defence Force from 11 December 2018 to 17 November 2023
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "History of MNDF". MNDF. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Budget 2025". Ministry of Finance. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ "About Us". MNDF. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012.
- ^ "Türkiye-ABD Savunma Ticareti Diyaloğu için anlaşma sağlandı" (in Turkish). 9 March 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "Maldives receives renowned Turkish drones amid India tensions". Daily Sabah. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "World Air Forces 2023". Flightglobal Insight. 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ Hadi, Ahmedulla Abdul (1 October 2020). "MNDF puts off disclosing info on Indian donated aircraft". Sun. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "India Hands Over Surveillance Aircraft to Maldives Amid Strategic Tussle with China". xairforces.com. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "HAL workers may replace military staff in Maldives". The Times of India. 9 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ Anandan, S. (14 December 2013). "India donates second naval Advanced Light Helicopter to Maldives". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Organization". Maldives National Defence Force. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Ranks Used". MNDF. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012.
- ^ "Chief of Defence Force". MNDF. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Vice Chief of Defence Force". MNDF. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Voluntary service for individuals aged 18–24; no conscription; requires a 10th grade education or equivalent; political party membership is prohibited (2024)
