Ethiopia's Military Capability

[Canuck2]

Small note about Ethiopian army in 1977 1/2 millions Ethiopian were defeated by 70 thousands Somali, same in Eritrea/Ethiopian wars Eritrea which was 4 millions defeated 100 millions Ethiopian. Even in 2006-2007 Ethiopia couldn’t hold the capital Mogadishu was defeated by Somali subclans like marehan/Ogaden/hawyie and Ethiopia had to withdraw from Somalia and Amisom came to help them. Finally Ethiopians are bunch of midgets proved above. the Case is closed.

They were defeated by hg. Ogaden and mx were none existent in that struggle and were fighting each other in the jubba. Your qabiilist tendency to give darood credit for a hawiye sub clan's victory perfectly demonstrates why we'll never share anything with you people

Nope, marehan/Ogaden joined the Islamic courts and remember JL ‘s president (the Ogaden governor) ahmed Black was among leaders of the Islamic court and he was sent to Ethiopian jail for 2 years. Islamic court had united all Somalis in south.

[random123456]

Small note about Ethiopian army in 1977 1/2 millions Ethiopian were defeated by 70 thousands Somali, same in Eritrea/Ethiopian wars Eritrea which was 4 millions defeated 100 millions Ethiopian. Even in 2006-2007 Ethiopia couldn’t hold the capital Mogadishu was defeated by Somali subclans like marehan/Ogaden/hawyie and Ethiopia had to withdraw from Somalia and Amisom came to help them. Finally Ethiopians are bunch of midgets proved above. the Case is closed.

They were defeated by hg. Ogaden and mx were none existent in that struggle and were fighting each other in the jubba. Your qabiilist tendency to give darood credit for a hawiye sub clan's victory perfectly demonstrates why we'll never share anything with you people

Nope, marehan/Ogaden joined the Islamic courts and remember JL ‘s president (the Ogaden governor) ahmed Black was among leaders of the Islamic court and he was sent to Ethiopian jail for 2 years. Islamic court had united all Somalis in south.

Mx and ogaden who were in the icu operated in the jubbas, they weren't in mogadishu nor participated in the fighting against the Ethiopians there.

[Canuck2]

They were defeated by hg. Ogaden and mx were none existent in that struggle and were fighting each other in the jubba. Your qabiilist tendency to give darood credit for a hawiye sub clan's victory perfectly demonstrates why we'll never share anything with you people

Nope, marehan/Ogaden joined the Islamic courts and remember JL ‘s president (the Ogaden governor) ahmed Black was among leaders of the Islamic court and he was sent to Ethiopian jail for 2 years. Islamic court had united all Somalis in south.

Mx and ogaden who were in the icu operated in the jubbas, they weren't in mogadishu nor participated in the fighting against the Ethiopians there.

Go and ask ahmed blacks where did the Ethiopian catch him before he was transferred to Ethiopian jail for two years.

[Jabuutawi]

Mobility does also include decentralization of command and control and specialization of troops to certain tasks.

Instead of having huge standing armed tank divisions, which become sitting ducks for aerial assault, splitting into battalion levels is a calculated winning strategy. A battalion is about 500 to 800 soldiers. They should be well equipped with light, mobile and lethal armaments. For example, shoulder-fired missiles must be a must for every battalion.

Interestingly, Iran has mastered the manufacturing of shoulder-fired missiles. They have robust military-industrial complex, unlike the Arabs who depend on others to make them not only butter but bullets.

http://freebeacon.com/national-security ... -missiles/

[AyubD]

This article intrigued me about how this nation of destitute and despair has so much grip in the Horn. They hardly spend any money on their military but maximize their capabilities.

Not only do they manufacture their own weapons but sell to rest of Africa.

Obviously, Somalis or Somalia cannot match current status of Ethiopia on an one on one basis, but they need to overhaul their military strategy. Ethiopia did not blink an eye when thousands of its soldiers were killed during the Eri-Ethio War of late 1990s. They have an endless supply of manpower (of course this is predicating on Ethiopia staying intact), and would just recruit more Gallas to a war effort.

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Ethiopia's 2017 military budget was $340 millions according to GlobalFirepower.com. And it ranks 41st place in the world militarily. It means their army relies heavily on domestically produced weapons, most of it being obsolete. Their soldiers probably get paid very little. All these works for Ethiopia in the context of the Horn of Africa, but against an adversary like Egypt they are defenseless.

Egypt ranks 10th among the top armies of the world:
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Ethiopian government can't even handle financing on its own the cost of one project - the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam at $4.8 billions. Chinese banks are financing $1.8 billions for purchasing the turbines and the rest comes from bond issuance. Ethiopia's dollar reserves are only $2.97 billions. It's a very poor country with a large population of over 103 million people.

Poverty-stricken Ethiopia is the strongest and wealthiest country in the Horn of Africa. That's how fucked up Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti are.

Another weak point Ethiopia has is its incoherence. If you look at their map it becomes clear why Ethiopia has some sort of a deadly conflict going on at any given time. It's a patchwork of many sizable ethnicities living in discontent. Ethiopia is a house of cards that could collapse anytime from its internal frictions.

I believe an army of 30,000 well-trained soldiers armed with modern weapons can put an end to Ethiopia of today.




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That said, mobility is front and center and a key component in countering numerically superior opponent. While Ethiopia has tanks, other side should invest in anti-tank mines, shoulder launched rockets and actionable intelligence with quick successive pre-emptive strike on the enemy.

Investment in paratroopers is another crucial component of mobile military.

Mobility is the key to defeating a larger army.

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I am surprised you didn't mention the importance of air-power. Powerful Russian army lost two wars against Chechnya. Only after air bombings of Chechen troops and cities, there was a peaceful settlement.

It doesn't have to be prohibitively expensive either. Drones are very effective and relatively cheap against land targets. I read that the recent drone attack of the Russian airbase in Syria was the beginning of the new era of warfare. Imagine the cost difference between a small drone and a military aircraft or an armored carrier.

Let me paraphrase you with addendum: "Mobility and technology are the key to defeating a larger army."

Here are Turkish-made kamikaze mini-drones in action.
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[Jabuutawi]

Ayub,

I intentionally omitted air power as a costly endeavor for a rebuilding or nascent armed forces.

I like what the Turks are doing with the drones, though they could increase the lethality of their bombs -- appears the pickup truck in the video was still standing even after two drone strikes; imagine the inconsequentiality to a tank.

I am of the general view that Egypt can annihilate Ethiopia. The only grace Ethiopia has going for it (thus far) is the geographical distance from Cairo. Once Egypt acquires aerial refueling tankers (perhaps they already got them) for their fighter jets, it is game over for Ethiopia's GERD, and psyche for that matter.

[Publicopinion]

somalia is at its knees and ethiopia is providing security to it.dont wish ill on mama ethiopia.

[AyubD]

I intentionally omitted air power as a costly endeavor for a rebuilding or nascent armed forces.

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Agreed. With small budget SFG has and its limited revenue streams, Somalia can only rebuild its army with foreign assistance, especially in terms of modern weaponry.
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I like what the Turks are doing with the drones, though they could increase the lethality of their bombs -- appears the pickup truck in the video was still standing even after two drone strikes; imagine the inconsequentiality to a tank.

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After watching the video again, it doesn't look like the pickup truck was even hit by the drone, more like a small explosive charge placed inside and detonated. No doubt, those drones can deliver a much stronger punch.

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I am of the general view that Egypt can annihilate Ethiopia. The only grace Ethiopia has going for it (thus far) is the geographical distance from Cairo. Once Egypt acquires aerial refueling tankers (perhaps they already got them) for their fighter jets, it is game over for Ethiopia's GERD, and psyche for that matter.

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UAE is letting Egyptian air force use its base in Eritrea. It was in the news last week if I am not wrong. The dam should be within their reach now.

[AyubD]

somalia is at its knees and ethiopia is providing security to it.dont wish ill on mama ethiopia.

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Let me fix your post:

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somalia is at its knees and ethiopia is making sure somalia stays this way.

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Of course, Somalia should not engage in war, especially in a situation we are in right now. But, if Ogaden gets a chance to free itself of habesha yoke due to internal frictions in Ethiopia, Somalia should be ready to help. After all, it is Ethiopia who is occupying Somali lands.