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The Malawi Defence Force is the state military organisation responsible for defending Malawi. It originated from British colonial units formed before independence in 1964. ==Malawi Army== The Malawi Rifles was a unit in the Malawi Army formed on the country's gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1964. Its first battalion was formed from the 1st Battalion, King's African Rifles. On independence the battalion became 1st Battalion, The Malawi Rifles (King's African Rifles). They were based (and elements still may be based) at Cobbe Barracks, Zomba. On 6 July 1966 Malawi became a republic and Kamuzu Banda became the first president of the new republic. After the swearing in ceremony his first duty was to present the battalion with his own presidential colour and the new regimental colour.〔() 〕 It was under the leadership of Brigadier Paul Lewis, a British expatriate.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Journal of Peace, Conflict and Military Studies )〕 In 1964, at Malawi's independence, the Malawian Army consisted of one battalion with 2,000 soldiers at Cobbe Barracks in Zomba. The Malawi Army is now made up of two rifle regiments and one parachute regiment. The military is organized under the purview of the Ministry of Defence. State Department IMET training documentation from FY 2003 indicates the United States trained army personnel from the 2nd Battalion, Malawi Rifles, 3rd Battalion, Malawi Rifles (Moyale Barracks), the Parachute Battalion, and the Combat Support Battalion (Mvera). In 1993, the army played a vital role in dismantling the dictatorship of Kamuzu Banda. After Banda announced multi-party elections, the army intervened by dismantling Banda's paramilitary wing, the Malawi Young Pioneers in one night during an operation called "Bwezani" which means "taking back" or "returning". This event marked a vital point in the ideology of the Malawi Army that was to follow. The Malawi Army was shown to have no political aspirations themselves, and allowed the democratic process to ensue in Malawi as guided by civilians.〔 On 5 April 2012 when President Bingu wa Mutharika died, there were rumours of an attempted constitutional coup intended to prevent vice-president Joyce Banda from becoming president as outlined by the constitution.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=President Banda has her work cut out )〕 The military, under General Henry Odillo, stepped in and vowed to support and uphold the constitution of Malawi. They reportedly stationed security members at Banda's residence during the news of Mutharika's death. This level of professionalism had a direct impact on the smooth transition of power.〔 Malawi has signed the initial agreements joining the SADC Standby Brigade, the southern African component of the African Standby Force. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Malawian Defence Force」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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