Major Abdessalam Elmadani
Following Libya’s liberation from Italian occupation in 1949, the first regular army units were formed as part of its national army. The British Army helped train and equip these forces.
In 1969, the United States trained and equipped the Libyan Air Force as well as their Army Signal and Engineering Corp.
When Gaddafi seized power in September 1969, oil receipt brought $1.4 billions to Libya. By 1980, this oil income had increased to an estimated $20 billions, more than $1.7 billions per month.
Gaddafi’s first priority was to build a strong military in order to protect his so called revolution from outside aggression. He was soon known as a big spender especially in the area of military arms and equipments where he spent most of Libya’s national wealth.
By 1976, his arms contracts with the Soviet Union totaled $12 Billions, this grew to more than $20 billions by 1980. Item purchased were 1,500 modern Soviet tanks, 7000 other armed vehicles and surface to air missiles, a mixture of sophisticated MIG fighters and long range Tupolev bombers.
He equipped his Navy with surface to surface, and surface to air missiles as well as other naval support equipments.
Libyan intelligence capabilities were modernized and augmented by East German security services force totaling more than 600 men. Following the collapse of the Berlin wall in November 1989 and the demise of East Germany as a viable state, many of Germans stayed on in Libya as paid members of Libyan Intelligence.
Gaddafi’s military expansion included many arms deals in hardware and software with numerous countries including France, Italy, Spain, Brazil,Yugoslavia among others.
His rapid military expansion and expenditures were a burden to the Libyan economy as well as to his 35,000 man army and resulted in shortages of trained and competent military personnel.
Consequently tanks and military deteriorated rapidly from non-use due to a poor level of maintenance. Also, Libya incurred a series of serious accidents in ammunition dumps and aircraft. Jet fighters were grounded for lack of qualified pilots and the necessary technicians needed to service them.
The developed world wondered why, such a small nation with limited human resources engaged in such an expansive and costly military effort.
Ultimately Libya attained a maximum military force of 60,000 men which was the limit Gaddafi could get from his small population.
The Arab nations as well as in parts of Africa. In a border dispute with Egypt, his military forces suffered a humiliating defeat on the ground and in the air. The Egyptian Army crossed into Libya while its Air Force conducted numerous air strikes at bases near Tobruk and the border. The Four dar war ended due to Algerian and Kuwaiti intervention.
In 1979, Gaddafi paraded his foreign legion troops in Benghazi and announced “Here are the liberators of the third world”. He wanted to destabilize Africa and Areas south of the Sahara in order to create a new Libyan empire in Africa.
His first expeditionary effort ended quickly in disaster when he flew some 3000 troops equipped with tanks and armored vehicles to aid Idi Amin in his fight against Ugandan exiles assisted by the Tanzanian army. Gaddafi’s forces in six days of fighting lost 500 dead and many more are still missing. He was soundly humiliated by this action.
His next military adventure was in Chad, that vast and impoverished country plagued by famine and civil unrest located south of Libya. A large Libyan expeditionary force estimated at 7000 troops. Crossed 750 miles of barren country to the capitol of Chad, (nd jamina) where they won a decisive victory.
This victory was short lived when Gaddafi announced his intention to merge Libya with Chad. Most of the Chadians as well as the African countries opposed this effort.
In 1987, Chadian forces in a swift assault badly defeated the Libyan troops, killing thousands and taking hundreds of Libyan prisoners. They pushed forward into Libya and captured Sarrah, a Libyan stronghold.
This opened the door to Shepha and ended Gaddafi’s dream of building an African Empire. However, Hebre’s Chadian army under heavy pressure from France was forced to withdrew from Libya.
Gaddafi’s military adventures taught him the lesson that modern military hardware alone does not constitute a viable army. He soon realized the dilemma he had created for himself by creating such a large military force structure which now was home-bound within Libya and which potentially could be threat to his region.
Gaddafi’s security unites, with support from loyal MIG Air Force squadron, proved their effectiveness in putting down this uprising. However, Gaddafi himself with his security unit was forced to take refuge from his military and political opposition in his barrack Azizia.
Thus, though still in charge, Gaddafi’s position remains in serious jeopardy from internal threats to his power ae well as from the impact of UN restraints on his economic system due to the PANAM 103 and UTA bombing incidents.
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