Angola's Time: Military Precision Or Civilian Standard?

Angola's military strength is ranked 55th out of 145 countries in the 2024 Global Firepower review. The country has a notable military presence, but does it use military time? Military time, also known as the 24-hour clock, is a time-keeping convention that offers a clear and precise way to communicate the time. It is widely used in industries that operate around the clock, such as the military, law enforcement, and hospitals. In military time, the day runs from midnight to midnight, with hours counted chronologically and expressed in four digits. So, does Angola adopt this time-keeping system?

Angola's military strength

The Angolan Army is organized into six military regions (Cabinda, Luanda, North, Center, East, and South), with an infantry division based in each region. There are 25 motorized infantry brigades, one tank brigade, and one engineering brigade distributed across these regions. The Army also includes an artillery regiment, a military police regiment, a logistical transportation regiment, and a field artillery brigade.

The National Air Force of Angola has a personnel force of about 8,000 and is equipped with transport aircraft and six Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets.

The Angolan Navy has approximately 1,000 personnel and operates a small number of patrol craft and barges. The Navy has been historically neglected, with a decline in personnel from around 4,200 to 1,000 between the early 1990s and the present. However, there are plans to modernize and enhance its capabilities due to the rise in maritime piracy within the Gulf of Guinea.

The FAA has a variety of special forces, including Commandos, Special Operations, and Marines. The Angolan special forces follow the general model of the Portuguese special forces and receive similar training.

In terms of equipment, the Angolan Army operates a mix of Russian, Soviet, and ex-Warsaw Pact hardware. Their inventory includes main battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery, and various small arms and weapons systems.

Overall, Angola's military strength is relatively strong in the region, with a mix of land, air, and naval capabilities. The country has been actively involved in peacekeeping missions and has formed special units for African Union operations.

The Angolan Civil War

Angola does use military time. Military time, also known as the 24-hour clock system, is used by the military and emergency services to avoid confusion over AM/PM distinctions.

Now, here is some information on the Angolan Civil War:

The MPLA was primarily an urban-based movement in Luanda and was largely composed of Mbundu people, while UNITA, an offshoot of the FNLA, was mainly composed of Ovimbundu people, Angola's largest ethnic group, from the Bié Plateau. The MPLA was supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba, while UNITA was backed by the United States and South Africa. The conflict is widely considered a Cold War proxy war due to the high degree of foreign military and political involvement.

The war can be divided into three periods of major fighting, with fragile periods of peace in between. The first period lasted from 1975 to 1991 and saw the MPLA, with Cuban and Soviet support, win the initial phase of conventional fighting and become the de facto Angolan government. However, the US- and South Africa-backed UNITA continued its irregular warfare against the MPLA from its base in the east and south of the country.

The second period of major fighting was from 1992 to 1994, during which UNITA regained control of several provincial capitals and moved against other key cities. The MPLA government responded with a massive offensive in September 1994, forcing UNITA to sue for peace and leading to the signing of the Lusaka Protocol in October 1994. The protocol agreed to integrate and disarm UNITA, with both sides signing a ceasefire.

The third and final period of major fighting was from 1998 to 2002. During this time, UNITA regained control of several diamond mines, which served as a primary resource for financing its guerrilla campaigns. However, the MPLA launched a massive offensive in September 1999, recapturing several key areas and destroying a large portion of UNITA's militant wing. Government troops killed UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi in February 2002, and UNITA agreed to a ceasefire and officially demobilized its armed forces in August 2002, bringing an end to the civil war.

The Angolan Army

Military time, also known as the 24-hour clock system, is used in Angola. It is commonly used by emergency services and military personnel to avoid confusion between AM and PM.

In 1990-91, the Angolan Army had an estimated 73+ brigades across ten military regions, with a total troop count of 91,500. The army's combat capabilities included regular and motorised infantry brigades, tank battalions, artillery, and air defence units.

As of 2011, the Angolan Army had 42 armoured/infantry regiments and 16 infantry brigades. Major equipment included over 140 main battle tanks, 600 reconnaissance vehicles, over 920 infantry fighting vehicles, and 298 howitzers.

Military time in Angola

Military time, also known as the 24-hour clock, is a timekeeping system used in Angola and across the world. It is distinct from civilian time, which uses a 12-hour clock with "a.m." and "p.m." designations. In military time, the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24-hour increments, with each hour having its own unique number. For example, in military time, 1 a.m. is expressed as 0100 hours, 2 a.m. as 0200 hours, and so on. The hours are counted chronologically, with midnight denoted as 0000 hours or "zero hundred hours."

Military time offers several advantages over civilian time. Firstly, it eliminates ambiguity by removing the need for "a.m." and "p.m.," ensuring clear communication, especially in time-sensitive situations. This clarity is further enhanced by the precision demanded by military time, which is crucial for navigation, geographical positioning, and secure communications. Additionally, military time facilitates international standardization, as it is the global standard for timekeeping, making it easier to coordinate and communicate across different countries and time zones.

The use of military time extends beyond the military and is commonly adopted in industries and professions that operate around the clock, such as law enforcement, fire departments, hospitals, airlines, and railroads. Understanding military time is particularly important for individuals working in these fields and their families, as it enables effective communication and time management.

Converting between military and civilian time is straightforward. For times before 12:00 p.m., military time aligns with civilian time. For times after 12:59 p.m., simply add 12 hours to the hour. For example, 2:00 p.m. in civilian time becomes 1400 hours in military time, and 10:00 p.m. becomes 2200 hours.

Angola's involvement in the First Congo War

Angola chose to act primarily through proxy groups, namely the Katangese gendarmes or "Tigres," who were descendants of police units exiled from Zaire and fighting for a return to their homeland. However, Luanda also deployed regular troops, demonstrating their determination to address the threat posed by the Zairian-UNITA relationship. Angola's entrance into the war was a significant factor in the eventual overthrow of Mobutu and the installation of a new government in Zaire, which was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The First Congo War, also known as Africa's First World War, lasted from October 1996 to May 1997 and resulted in widespread destruction and ethnic violence, with hundreds of thousands of lives lost. The conflict was marked by complex alliances and foreign interventions, setting the stage for the Second Congo War a year later.

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