Exército Moçambiques 2300

INTRODUCTION

Located on the south-eastern coast of Africa between Azania and Tanzania, Mozambique's history, and its military, have been defined in the modern era by the presence of substantial Tantalum deposits in the nation.  Exploitation of tantalum has fueled what has rightly been termed the "Mozambique miracle" wherein one of Earth's poorest nations was transformed into a rich and stable republic, but it has also generated internal strife and tensions with external powers and neighbors.  Though internal and foreign tensions have abated substantially since the height of the tantalum boom, the present day Republic of Mozambique maintains a strong professional military trained and equipped to oppose foreign or domestic enemies as necessary.

NARRATIVE

The patrol, a short platoon of sixteen men, had been on the move almost continuously for a week, pursuing fleeing terroristas deep into the hinterland of the embattled Provincia de Blanco.  The men, fanned out behind the tracking team, were exhausted, struggling wearily through the Acacia scrub bush under the baking east African sun.

“Contact right!” the warning, shouted by Cabo de Grupo Combate (CGC) Piet van Doornan, the patrol’s senior NCO, preceded the desultory flurry of flat popping snaps of Type 49 assault rifle and Type 381 machinegun fire fractionally.

Cabo-Adjunto Thappharansi Kon spun to his right as he dropped into the prone, pulling the optics of his LK-1 carbine to his eye.  The combined day/thermal channel display showed a half-dozen man-shaped blobs brandishing weapons seventy meters away in the bush.  Without hesitation, Kon quick-fired three 30mm grenades and then rolled to his left to get behind the marginal cover of the acacias while he reloaded.

“GC Two, suppress.  GC One, assault through,” Capitão Salvador Chipenembe’s voice came through loud and confident on the squad radios.  Kon and the rest of Grupo Combate 2 went into their rehearsed battle drill for suppressive fire while the captain and GC 1 bounded forward in pairs, closing with the enemy.

It was over in a few seconds, followed by shouted orders to reorganize the patrol.  Three terroristas were dead, the others having fled deeper into the bush.  The only two members of the patrol wounded were the tracker team.

“Alternate trackers up,” CGC van Doornan’s voice rumbled through the scrub.  Cabo-Adjunto Thappharansi Kon moved up, joined by his tracking partner CGC Kalash Dhlakama. 

“What do you have, Kon?”  Capitão Chipenembe was in a hurry, looking to his new trackers while monitoring the rest of the patrol’s activities and talking into the LR radio.

Kon squinted down into the dust where the terroristas had retreated.  The Thailand-born junior NCO finally said, “Three men, dragging a fourth.  Two in army boots, one in track shoes.  The fourth, they are dragging, is in French army issue boots – see the Swiss crosses scuffed sideways in the print?”

“Excellent, excellent.  ENDEX and admin time, Captain Chipenembe.  Thirty minute break followed by change of mission,” 4o Sargento de Estado-maior Anupam Nagra, senior training NCO for class 02-03 of the Exército Moçambiques’ Combat Tracker School stepped forward from where he had been observing the exercise.

Kon paused for a sip of water from the bladder in his patrol pack.  He was as tired as he could ever remember being, and Class 02-03 had another two weeks of field exercises left before earning the coveted Flechas Combat Tracker Badge.

INDEX

ORDER OF BATTLE

EXÉRCITO MOÇAMBIQUES

 

COMANDO ESPECIAIS DO MOÇAMBIQUE

1a Divisão Pára-quedista

Agrupamento de Infantaria Pára-quedista 1001
            Agrupamento de Infantaria Pára-quedista 1002

Agrupamento de Infantaria Pára-quedista 1003
            Agrupamento de Carro de Combate Pára-quedista 1004
            Agrupamento de Carro de Combate Pára-quedista 1005
            Batalhão de Reconhecimento Pára-quedista 1006
            Batalhão de Artilharia Antiaérea 1007
            Batalhão de Aviação Combate 1008
            Batalhão de Aviação Combate 1009

Agrupamento de Flechas 1010
Agrupamento de Commando Pára-quedista 1011
Agrupamento de Commando Navais 1012

 

FORÇA DO FRONTEIRA
    Zona de Segurança do Norte
        2a Brigada de Fronteira
        Agrupamento de Polícia Fronteira 2203
    Zona de Segurança do Centro
        3a Brigade de Fronteira
        Agrupamento de Polícia Fronteira 2201
    Zona de Segurança do Sul
        1a Brigada de Fronteira
        Agrupamento de Polícia Fronteira 2202

 

FORÇA DO ESPAÇA FRANCÊS (HQ: Okavango, Kimanjano)

99a Divisão Expedicionária (HQ: Okavango, Kimanjano)

            Agrupamento Expedicionária 9901 (Okavango, Kimanjano)
            Agrupamento Expedicionária 9902 (New Falmouth, Joi)

            Agrupamento Expedicionária 9903 (Nouveau Amman, BCB)

            Agrupamento Expedicionária 9904 (Attached to Brazilian Expeditionary Force)

 

COMMANDO DO SUL

Força de Móbil do Sul
    2a Divisão Mecanizado
    4a Divisão Ligeira
    7a Divisão Mecanizado

    52a Brigada Artilharia

 

Força de Defesa do Sul
    11a Divisão Ligeira de Reserva
    13a Divisão Ligeira de Reserva
    14a Divisão Mecanizado de Reserva
    15a Divisão Ligeira de Reserva

    54a Brigada Artilharia

 

COMMANDO DO NORTE

Força de Móbil do Norte
    3a Divisão Mecanizado
    5a Divisão Ligeira
    6a Divisão Mecanizado

    51a Brigada Artilharia          

 

Força de Defesa do Norte
    12a Divisão Ligeira de Reserva
    16a Divisão Ligeira de Reserva
    17a Divisão Ligeira de Reserva
    18a Divisão Mecanizado de Reserva

    53a Brigada Artilharia

 

AGRUPAMENTOS DE POLÍCIA MILITAR
    Agrupamento de Polícia Militar 2101 [Província de Maputo]
    Agrupamento de Polícia Militar 2102 [Província de Zambézia]
    Agrupamento de Polícia Militar 2103 [Província de Nampula]
    Agrupamento de Polícia Militar 2104 [Província de Cabo Delgado]
    Agrupamento de Polícia Militar 2105 [Província de Tete]
    Agrupamento de Polícia Militar 2106 [Província de Manica]
    Agrupamento de Polícia Militar 2107 [Província de Sofala]
    Agrupamento de Polícia Militar 2108 [Província de Gaza]
    Agrupamento de Polícia Militar 2109 [Província de Inhambane]

 

INDEX

 

MILITARY HISTORY

 

The modern Exército Moçambiques, like its parent nation, has little connection with the pre-tantalum nation of Mozambique, which entered and emerged from the Twilight War in a tattered and semi-functional state (as one Mozambican historian has noted, "For most nations, the apocalypse came suddenly in 1997, for Mozambique it began in 1932 and progressed in fits and starts for most of the 20th century").  By the first decade of the 21st century, only faint echoes of RENAMO and FRELIMO lingered among the various warlords and independent towns, and Mozambique itself was one of many African nations that existed in name only.

 

National reunification is generally recognized to have begun in 2007, and was notable for its ugliness in an era when standards of civilized behavior worldwide were more often honored in the breech than in practice.  Driving the reunification was an odd alliance of ethnic Shangaan and ostensibly FRELIMO-aligned groups from the southern provinces of Gaza and Maputo and Afrikaaner refugees from the new nation of Azania, many of whom entered Mozambique initially as mercenary groups traveling with dependents in tow.  The Reunification was at its bloodiest in the north of the country, where the Makhuwa ethnic group, backed overtly by Tanzania (and, on occasion covertly by Azania), formed a rival national government.  After a decade of warfare, the Shangaan/Afrikaaner alliance emerged victorious, though the heavily Makhuwa-populated province of Niassa in north-west Mozambique broke away, initally as an independent nation which was later incorporated into Tanzania in 2030.

 

Following Reunification, Mozambique struggled with internal ethnic divisions and external pressure from ethnic Makhuwa guerillas, occasional border clashes with Azania, and similar tensions with Tanzania (the latter erupting into two full scale wars during the 21st Century).  Despite the initial presence of skilled Afrikaaner labor, bolstered later in the century by Indian refugees from Goa and elsewhere on the sub-continent fleeing South Asia's ongoing self-immolation, the nation remained desperately poor throughout the Age of Recovery and into the Second Age of Exploration.  The Mozambican military, such as it was, was small and poorly equipped during this era, typically characterized by conscript forces who were militia in all but name operating alongside small, highly professional "Agrupamentos Combate," many of which remained mercenary Afrikaaner (or, increasingly, Indian) units.

 

All this changed in the middle of the 22nd Century when tantalum suddenly emerged as the most valuable of minerals.  Mozambique found its economy, almost literally, transformed overnight, and the growing pains were sometimes fearsome, especially as foreign workers flooded into the country from elsewhere in Africa and South Asia to work the vastly expanded Tantalum mines.  Basic infrastructure and services were slow to catch up with the population explosion, and the government of the era slid rapidly into corruption and profiteering.  There were no less than seven serious revolts, rebellions, or coups against the central government during the era, which the Army was deployed against.  On three of these occasions, Azanian and French troops (joined by Japan in the third intervention) had to intercede to maintain the national government.

 

The situation eventually stabilized as, increasingly, Mozabique became Japan’s primary supplier of Tantalum during the late 22nd century and consequently benefited from major Japanese foreign aid projects.  As economic conditions began to improve, there were attendant and peaceful improvements in government as well.  The framing of a new national constitution in 2220 is widely regarded as the defining point in Mozambique’s emergence from the Third World and movement into the 2nd Tier.

 

For the Mozambican military this increase in affluence and transition of the nation to a stable democracy prompted a period of major reorganization and retasking.  The Exército Moçambiques was increasingly transformed from an organization mostly fit for riot control and strike breaking into a professional military force primarily tasked with securing the nation’s frontiers and its strategically vital Tantalum mining facilities.  The nation’s resources went behind reorganization and for most of the 23rd century Mozambican military forces have been noted for their top of the line military equipment, imported eclectically from major arms producing nations.  In the first two to three decades of the century, there were serious teething problems with this influx of equipment, but over time infrastructure and logistics caught up with more flashy front-line systems.

 

Military operations in the last century have been limited, primarily to operations against cross-border incursions across the nation’s northern and western borders by “post-national” groups.  Tensions with Tanzania have run very high from time to time, but have never developed into outright conflict since the conclusion of the 2093 war between the two nations.  Both nations have accused the other of clandestine operations from time to time, probably with some justification. 

 

The other place where Mozambican forces have proved their worth is in international deployments within Africa and elsewhere, with Exército Moçambiques units deployed frequently in disaster relief, humanitarian, and peacekeeping missions.  From an international perspective, neutral Mozambique is generally acceptable to belligerents as a power whose deployment will not favor either side of a conflict.  At the operational level, Mozambican troops, professional soldiers and products of a liberal, multi-ethnic socialist democracy have consistently demonstrated an aptitude for such missions.  Despite this operational focus, however, the military remains primarily trained and organized for the mission of ensuring national sovereignty and protecting the nation’s Tantalum mines. 

 

Mozambique, to date, has avoided significant involvement in the Kafer War, though this is changing circa 2303, with the dispatch of a small expeditionary force to the French Arm.  This force is not intended for front-line combat, but rather to assist in humanitarian relief and reconstruction.  It remains to be seen if Mozambique will be further drawn into the conflict, and the issue is hotly contested in the national Parliament.

INDEX


CURRENT DEFENSE SITUATION AND FOREIGN RELATIONS

Mozambique is located, loosely, at the southern end of “independent Africa,” with the Azanian sphere of influence to its south and west, and French Africa to the northwest (as well as the French presence in Madagascar).  Northeast are the generally non-aligned nations that have avoided absorption by either the French Empire or the UAR. 

 

Mozambique has generally steered its own course in African politics, overtly antagonizing neither Azania nor France, though not always agreeing with them.  Those two nations are the only credible threats to national sovereignty, and the size and organization of the Mozambican military is driven by a need to avoid any appearance of weakness that might encourage those nations to infringe on Mozambican territory.

 

The more common, though much less credible, threat faced by the Mozambican military is from cross-border incursions along the northern frontier from Tanzania, Malawi, and Katanga.  As these nations have progressed up from relative poverty, they have been plagued by unstable governments and non-governmental armed bands.  The collective effect has been a tendency (much reduced in the last 30 years) for bandits and marauders to cross into Mozambican territory in pursuit of Tantalum or more general loot.  This problem has remedied itself as the nations of independent Africa have improved economically, but there remains a certain cultural tradition of regarding Mozambique as a rich and tempting target for the criminal elements in those nations.

 

Asia:  Japan was formerly a major supporter of Mozambique and purchaser of its Tantalum, though the relation between the two nations is not as strong or as close as it was in the 22nd century.  Relations with other Asian nations, like Europe, generally follow economic interests, and these are few and far between.  A large number of refugees from Indochina have settled in Mozambique, but their presence has not produced the same degree of engagement with the region as is seen with India.

 

Azania:  Relations between Azania and Mozambique are generally good, though sometimes strained by Azania’s perennial racial issues.  Mozambique is not only a multi-ethnic nation where equality is rigorously mandated by national laws, but is has significant minority populations of Afrikaners and South Indians, the specific groups most often slighted by the Azanian government’s laissez-faire approach to such issues.  Still, the two nations more often than not find common cause in relation to events in Africa and beyond.

 

France:  Relations with France tend to be complicated by Mozambique’s willingness to sell its Tantalum on the open market, with transfers to nations like Manchuria and Iran being deemed problematic by the French government.  The French approach to this issue has been a largely successful “carrot” approach, offering Mozambique top-end French military hardware and other inducements to alter Mozambican policy.  Such measures have not managed to deny Tantalum to nations France considers questionable, but has made things more expensive for them.  At the same time, however, some in Mozambique’s political arena are wary of being seen as too responsive to French agendas, and recent selection of German and other international firms to provide new weapons systems reflects this.

 

Europe:  Mozambique’s motivation for engagement in Europe generally follows exclusively economic patterns.  Relations are generally warm with ESA member-states and the Ukraine, as a consequence.  Relations are also relatively close with some of the smaller European nations that are involved in developing their space exploration or commerce capabilities.  Besides economic dimensions, the Mozambican military has relatively frequent contacts with many European military establishments stemming from joint assignments on international deployments.

 

Indian States:  Mozambique is fairly closely linked with the various South Asian states in the former India.  These nations are major (primarily non-Tantalum) trading partners.  Several waves of immigrants and refugees from South Asia have settled in Mozambique and retained an unusual degree of cultural coherence and affiliation with their ancestral homelands.  Finally, Mozambican troops have been involved in numerous deployments to South Asia.  Politically the Mozambican government has often tried to play the role of mediator in South Asian conflicts (sometimes with French or other international support), and only been occasionally successful.  Complicating the situation is the presence of a number of ostensibly non-violent political groups (ranging from pro-unification to various minority population focused groups) with headquarters in Maputo.  Various South Asian regimes have accused some of these groups of armed radicalism within the Subcontinent and accused Mozambique of seeking to subvert national governments.  Mozambique stridently objects to these accusations, and has jailed or deported a number of identified terrorists, but the issue undermines Mozambican influence in some Indian states.

 

Manchuria:  A major purchaser of Mozambican Tantalum, despite French efforts since the Central Asian War to diminish this, Manchuria was formerly a well regarded diplomatic ally and supplier of military equipment.  The Central Asian War and the consequent break in relations between France and Manchuria has prompted rethinking of this situation.  In final analysis, Manchuria’s friendship is not deemed worth the cost of French belligerence.  While Manchuria remains a major trading partner, including sales of Tantalum, the relationship has cooled in the last 10-15 years to a level the politicians in Maputo consider acceptable vis a vis France.

 

North America:  Canada, America, and Mexico are of little direct interest to Mozambique, though Mexico has been an occasional minor Tantalum purchaser.  Like Europe, however, the Exército Moçambiques has occasional contact with North American forces, especially Canadian ones, during peace enforcement and similar missions.

 

South America:  Relations with Brazil are close, owing both to some degree of common cultural history, as well as Brazil being a major purchaser of Mozambican Tantalum.  Ties with Brazil have, perforce, put Mozambique at odds with Argentina, and largely closed South American markets outside of Brazil and Venezuela to the nation.

 

Tanzania:  Regarded as the traditional rival and enemy for most of the 21st and 22nd centuries, relations with Tanzania, though still sometimes strained, have improved as that nation has become more economically prosperous and both nations have become more politically stable.

 

Other East African Nations:  Though sometimes the subject of intense resentment and envy by other East African nations owing to cross-border strife in previous eras, Mozambique is also regarded as a strong, independent nation that can counter-balance French, UAR, and Azanian interests in the region.  Mozambique does not have an impeccable record in playing this role, however, sometimes siding with the larger African nations against smaller ones, and so a large degree of ambivalence exists towards Mozambique among the other eastern African states.

 

INDEX

ORGANIZATION

The Exército Moçambiques is somewhat unusual in its organization below division level.  Each division consists of five Battle Groups (Agrupamentos Combate), most typically composed of six combat arms companies and a supporting artillery battery and a logistics echelon.  Divisions also include battalion-sized supporting elements like engineers, reconnaissance units, divisional artillery, etc.  Battle groups are directly subordinate to the divisional headquarters and blur the line between battalions and brigades in their capabilities and mission taskings.  In Mozambican doctrine, Battle Groups often are expected to operate in a dispersed, sometimes remote, fashion.

The army is broadly divided into Mechanized Divisions (Divisãos Mecanizado) and Light Divisions (Divisãos Ligeira), with four active and two reserve Mechanized Divisions and two active and six reserve Light Divisions making up the bulk of the Exército Moçambiques.  The use of the term “Light” is somewhat misleading as both types of divisions are well equipped with motorized transport and are intended for mobile operations.  The distinction between the two is both one of equipment, with Mechanized Divisions being hover mobile “heavy” formations while Light Divisions use wheeled light armored vehicles, and also of missions, with Mechanized Divisions geared for offensive, mobile warfare, while Light Divisions are infantry-heavy organizations intended for defensive (or deliberate offensive) operations.
 

Composition of Divisions by Battle Groups and Battalions

 

Mech
AGR

Lt. Mech
AGR

Inf
AGR

Para
AGR

Para-Armor
AGR

Recon
Bn

Arty
Bn

Gunship
Bn

ADA
Bn

Cmbt Eng
Bn

Divisão Ligeira

 

 2

3

 

 

1

2

 

1

1

Divisão Mecanizado

3

2

 

 

 

1

2

1

1

1

Divisão Pára-quedista

 

 

 

3

2

1

 

2

1

1

Brigada Fronteira

 

1

 

 

 

2

 1

 

 

 

Brigada Artilharia

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

2

1

 

These divisions are organized into two Army-sized (on mobilization) Commands (Northern and Southern Commands), which each further subdivide into corps-sized Mobile Forces and a Defense Forces.  The Mobile Force in each Command is made up of active duty units, while the Defense Force consists of reserve divisions.  On mobilization, the respective forces would assume the roles implied by their names, with the Defense Force providing a relatively static pinning force around which the Mobile Force can maneuver and counter-attack.

Each Force also includes an artillery brigade configured for the deep strike role.  This brigade has two battalions, each of eighteen long-range self-propelled 170mm Brazilian MD-170 EM howitzers, a battalion of twenty-four Scandinavian Åskskräll multiple rocket launchers firing 240mm guided ballistic missiles, and two attack aviation battalions, each with eighteen Aerofabrique Zephyr X-wing gunships.  These brigades are intended for deep interdiction missions (90-100km+ forward of friendly troops).

Augmenting the two major geographic commands are the Mozambican Special Command (Comando Especiais do Moçambiques), which controls the elite conventional 1st Parachute Division, as well as smaller, unconventional special operations units, including the Flechas combat tracker unit and the 1011th Parachute Commando Battle Group (‘Commando’ having been borrowed from Azanian and Afrikaaner sources, sometimes causing confusion with the cognate Portuguese cognate Comando) .  Also supporting the Army in its territorial defense role, are approximately a division worth of Army personnel organized into three Frontier Brigades who work closely with paramilitary border police units in monitoring and maintaining Mozambican territorial integrity.

 

Organization Below Division Level – Agrupamentos Combate

Each Agrupamento Combate, or Battle Group, is an all-arms combat unit with infantry, armor, artillery and other assets permanently organized.  Most generally have six maneuver companies, an artillery battery, and a Headquarters and Service Company.  As such, the Battle Group is somewhat intermediary between battalions and brigades, in terms of size, compared to most contemporary military organizations.  In terms of operations, it functions more along the lines of a brigade or a French Groupement Mobile than a battalion.  The table below indicates subordinates companies by agrupamento.

Composition of Battle Groups

 

Tank 
Company

Light Armor
Company

Mech Inf
Company

Lt Mech 
Company

Mot Infantry
Company

Para Infantry
Company

Combat 
Walker

Artillery
Battery

Anti-Tank Company

Mech AGR

3

 

3

 

 

 

 

1

 

Lt Mech AGR

 

 

 

3

 

 

1

1

2

Infantry AGR

 

 

 

 

4

 

1

1

1

Para AGR

 

 

 

1

 

 3

1

1

1

Para-Armor AGR

 

3

 

3

 

 

 

1

 

 

Each agrupamento Headquarters and Service Company (Companhia de Comando e Servicos) includes maintenance, medical and logistics platoons.  The company also has various reconnaissance assets to help shape battle space.  A Signals and Intelligence Platoon, provided with communications and electronic/information warfare equipment, is available to monitor enemy units’ EM footprints, as well as reducing the Battle Group’s own signature.  A UAV reconnaissance platoon with three Abantesma II medium-range reconnaissance drones provides an organic aerial reconnaissance capability.  Finally, a forty-eight man Surveillance Platoon, mounted on twelve light hover-reconnaissance vehicles and armed with one SK-19, one LK-1, two MD-93 gauss sniper rifles and an FTE-10 anti-material rifle provides the Battle Group commander with a close reconnaissance capability, as well as a dedicated sniper element if needed.

Other company organizations are shown below.

Tank Company (Companhia de Carros Combate)

Exército Moçambiques tank companies consist of ten Luftkissenpanzer-IX hover tanks organized into two platoons of four, plus two tanks in the headquarters platoon for use by the company commander and the Sargento de Companhia (a somewhat unusual arrangement).  Additional headquarters platoon assets include a pair of Kangaroo hover APCs adapted for cargo hauling, and used by the company’s executive officer and #2 NCO, the 4o Sargento de Estado-maior, and a pair modified to carry reduced recoil 120mm mortars.  The company also has an organic mechanized infantry platoon, equipped with AVCI-4 hover IFVs and organized identically to the Mechanized Infantry Company’s rifle platoons described below.      

Light Armor Company (Compahia de Carros Combate Ligeira)

The main mobile striking power of the 1st Parachute Division, each light armor company is organized identically to a standard tank company, except that French ACL-7 light tanks replace the Lukis-IX (the company continues to use AVCI-4 and Kangaroo personnel carriers).

Mechanized Infantry Company (Companhia de Infantaria Mecanizado)

Mechanized companies are organized as reverse copies of tank companies, with ten AVCI-4s, organized into two platoons, plus a platoon of four Lukis-IX hovertanks, and supporting Kangaroo hover APCs, including two mortar carriers.  Each mechanized infantry platoon is provided with four AVCI-4s and consists of three squads, each of eight men, plus two medics and two two-man plasma gun teams, each primarily equipped with a Type 21 PGMP.  Each rifle squad is divided into two four-man fire teams, one led by the squad leader the other by his assistant.  Each fire team is equipped with two SK-19 assault rifles, one LK-1 laser rifle, and an MG-19.  One squad in each platoon is equipped with a launcher unit for the Blindicide-9 anti-vehicle missile and ten missiles, while the other two squads are equipped with GW-3 light automatic grenade launchers; these weapons are employed as necessary by dismounted teams.

Light Mechanized Infantry Company (Companhia de Infantaria Mecanizado Ligeira)

The Light Mechanized Infantry Company is equipped throughout with the Weta light armored vehicle.  The company consists of a headquarters platoon, three rifle platoons, and an anti-armor platoon.  The headquarters platoon has three Weta-APCs and two Weta mortar carriers.  The anti-armor platoon has two Weta Tank Destroyers and two Weta-APCs, each carrying four two-man Blindicide-9 teams and forty-five of the small ATGMs.  Finally, the rifle platoons are each of four vehicles and are organized identically to the Mechanized Company rifle platoons, except that all three squads are equipped with the GW-3 light AGL.

 

Motorized Infantry Company (Companhia de Infantaria)

Mounted on locally produced Girafa 6x6 tactical trucks, Motorized Infantry Companies are the backbone of the infantry agrupamentos.  Organization is similar to the mechanized and light mechanized companies, with a company headquarters platoon including two low-recoil 120mm mortars (mounted in Girafa and capable of being fired from those vehicles, including a shoot on the move capability).  The anti-armor platoon is equipped with four Girafa anti-tank vehicles, mounting dual-tube Luchs missile launchers, and lacks Blindicide-9 teams.  Compensating for this shortage, each rifle squad in the company is provided with both a Blindice-9 launcher unit and a GW-3 light AGL.

 

Parachute Infantry Company (Companhia de Pára-quedista)

Parachute infantry companies are structurally somewhat different from the other types of infantry units.  The headquarters platoon is strictly composed of communication and logistics assets, with the usual mortars moved to a company weapons platoon.  The weapons platoon consists of four French light 80mm mortars, four Luchs ATGM launchers mounted on light wheeled ATVs (eight vehicles total, one for the launcher and gunner, one for the loader and four spare missiles), and an eight man sniper squad armed with eight MD-73 gauss sniper rifles.  Each rifle platoon consists of three eight man rifle squads, organized the same as squads listed above, and a weapons squad with two GW-3 light AGLs and two Blidicide-9 launchers.

 

Parachute infantry units are sometimes called on to function as conventional infantry, and all parachute infantry companies are equipped with enough Girafa tactical trucks to allow them to function as motorized infantry, as appropriate.  As the Girafa is air-droppable, companies can deploy by air in the motorized format as well, if the situation dictates.

 

Combat Walker Company (Companhia de Carçi)

Combat walker companies are organized into a headquarters platoon, including three BH-21MZ1 combat walkers (used by the company commander, executive officer, and company sergeant major), a maintenance section, and a supply section.  The remainder of the company consists of three Pelotãos de Carçi, or Combat Walker Platoons, each made up of twelve walkers, split into three squads of four (one led by the platoon leader, one by the platoon sergeant, and the last by a senior Cabo de Carçi), plus a transportation squad with six Girafa tactical trucks modified to carry combat walkers, their crews, and a two basic issues of ammunition for each walker (each truck can carry two BH-21MZ1s).  Transportation squad drivers and assistant drivers are usually an even split of qualified walker pilots and trainees.  The former spell the other pilots, while the latter assist with maintenance and also provide local security for the company trains.  Most personnel in the company are armed with FAB-20 carbines for personal defense when not piloting walkers, plus six SK-19s per platoon (including the headquarters platoon).

 

Artillery Battery (Companhia de Artilharia)

Agrupamento-level artillery support consists of hovercraft or truck mounted multiple rocket launchers and air defense assets.  Indirect fires are provided by the modular Scandinavian Åskskräll MRL system, capable of firing 120mm, 160mm, or 240mm guided and unguided rockets.  Air defense is provided by a platoon of six carriers mounting long-range sensors and German Ohu missiles.  In hover-mobile units, the battery’s indirect firing elements consists of six Kangaroo APCs modified to carry a pair of Åskskräll launch boxes, allowing a usual load-out of twelve 120mm rockets per vehicle (though longer ranged rockets are sometimes used), with six more Kangaroos, each carrying four Ohu as the ADA asset..  In wheeled units, the firing element consists of eight Girafa trucks, each mounting a single Åskskräll box, with six Girafa again carrying four Ohu missiles each.  Additional assets include a supply platoon with one ammunition carrier per indirect firing unit and two carriers for additional Ohu missiles, plus a headquarters and fire direction center element.

Anti-Tank Company (Companhia de Contracarro)

Anti-Tank Companies provide Light Mechanized and Infantry Agrupamentos with both anti-armor firepower as well as additional direct and indirect fire support for the other companies of the battle group.  The company is composed of a headquarters section and three anti-tank platoons (with a total of fourteen Weta tank destroyers, split into three platoons of four plus the headquarters), plus a mortar platoon with six Weta mortar carriers.  The company’s mortar carriers are primarily loaded out with smart top-attack rounds to allow engagement of enemy AFVs and point targets out to twenty kilometers, but they can provide more conventional fire support if needed.

Organization Below Division Level – Divisional Battalions

Divisional battalions in Mozambican units tend to be smaller and more organizationally pure than Battle Groups.  Depending on the mission, they may be retained by the division commander or attached in part of whole to a Battle Group to support its operations.

 

Divisional Artillery Battalion

The divisional artillery battalion is a mixed organization with four firing batteries, one equipped with Åskskräll multiple rocket launchers (usually firing 240mm missiles in the deep strike role) and three batteries equipped with Russian 2S55 ‘Tucha’ 153mm electromagnetic howitzers.  In light divisions, ordnance is transported on armored 8x8 heavy trucks.  Mechanized divisions use extensively modified Kangaroo APC chassis for the same mission.  The battalion also includes a headquarters battery with its own UAV reconnaissance and target detection platoon (three Abantesma II drones) which can either be tied into the overall divisional surveillance and reconnaissance plan, or left directly under the control of the battalion, depending on mission.  Typically, one battalion per division will be tasked for direct support, while the other will retain control of its UAVs and be tasked for autonomous deep strike missions.

 

Air Defense Battalion

Besides a headquarters battery, the air defense battalion consists of two firing batteries of Ohu missile-armed carriers (hover or wheeled, depending on the division type), a light battery with forty Martel shoulder-fired surface to air missile teams, and a directed energy battery with eight long-range lasers (again mounted on hover or wheeled carriers).  The long-range Ohu missiles are used to augment the similar air defense assets found within the divisional Battle Groups and provide air defense to other divisional units.  The light battery can be used to provide air defense for key point targets within the division area, or to set up astride likely avenues of transit for enemy aircraft in an ambush role.  The directed energy battery provides ballistic missile defense and high-altitude air defense for the divisional area.

 

Engineer Battalion

The Engineer Battalion provides a variety of combat engineer support assets for the division.  Its primary assets consist of three Combat Engineer companies, mounted on sixteen modified Kangaroo APCs or Girafa trucks and equipped with adequate equipment to allow them to operate as generalist engineering support units.  A separate Breaching Company is equipped with various sensors and UGV drones to allow rapid and multiple breachings of mine obstacle belts.  A division engaged in deliberate offensive or defensive operations would typically have a tracked Heavy Engineer Battalion attached from the Command level, equipped with 21 Polish-Czech Dzik combat engineer vehicles and other earth moving and heavy equipment.

 

Gunship Battalion

Divisional gunship battalions consist of a headquarters company, two gunship companies (each with six Zephyr X-wing gunships), two scout companies (each with eight Karasu light X-wing gunships), and a maintenance company.

 

Reconnaissance Battalion

The divisional reconnaissance battalion is intended for aggressive reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance operations, with “softer” reconnaissance operations being conducted at the Battle Group level and by the echelons above division level.  Besides the headquarters company, the battalion consists of three reconnaissance companies and one aerial reconnaissance company.  In Light Divisions, the reconnaissance companies consist of fourteen Weta reconnaissance vehicles and two Weta mortar carriers.  In Mechanized Divisions, the reconnaissance companies consist of eleven French ACR-89 reconnaissance vehicles, six AVCI-4 infantry fighting vehicles (in mixed platoons of three reconnaissance vehicles and two infantry carriers), and two Kangaroo mortar carriers.

MOZAMBICAN SPECIAL COMMAND

The Mozambican Special Command is an organization that represents both the army’s special operations capability, as well as strategic reserve.  The largest element of the command is the elite conventional 1st Parachute Division.  The 1st Parachute Division, with a mix of infantry and light airmobile armor is typically the force of choice for international interventions, though, depending on the threat situation it may be reinforced with heavier armored vehicles.

The MSC also includes a number of less conventional units.

Agrupamento de Flechas 1010 is a combat tracker unit in the tradition of various antecedents dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries, including the original Portuguese colonial Flechas (“Arrows”).  As the Mozambican populace has become increasingly urbanized, Battle Group 1010 has evolved from a combat tracker unit utilizing recruits’ basic knowledge of the bush to the premier East African repository for such skills, carefully maintained and nurtured by the Battle Group’s internal training establishment and imparted to the predominantly urban and suburban recruits to the Mozambican military.

The Group’s Combat Tracker School, a grueling seventeen week course, devotes it’s first ten weeks to “immersion learning” in the bush, with rapid expectation that trainees will learn how to subsist and forage, as well as develop tracking skills.  Only after passing this portion of the course does the syllabus progress to tactical operations and other military-specific skills.  Though much of the course is specific to East Africa, attendance is a coveted assignment for international special operations personnel with sufficient Portuguese fluency.  Most infantry and reconnaissance units in the Mozambican Army try to have at least some key personnel attend and complete the school (failure rates run as high as 80% in a typical class). 

Battle Group 1010 is made up of four operations companies, each of sixty-seven men (a seven man headquarters element and three twenty-man platoons), though in addition to operations at platoon level (and occasionally company level), the unit often pushes out two to four man tracking teams to more conventional units operating in the border region.  There are two additional companies, one of which administers the Combat Tracker School, while the other travels throughout Mozambique providing refresher training and shorter tracking and survival courses to Army and Military Police units.  All members of the unit are graduates of the Combat Tracker Course who have then returned and passed the selection process for service in the unit.  Enlisted rank structure in the unit is informal, and most personnel are at least Cabos de Grupo Combate.

Agrupamento de Commando Pára-quedista 1011 is a fairly conventional infantry assault force along the lines of US Army Rangers, the British Para Regiment, etc, with the exception that the unit trains extensively for the mission of recapturing and securing Tantalum mining and refining installations.  They are a highly proficient close-combat force, organized, like Battle Group 1010 into four operations companies (each organized identically to a parachute infantry company, except that the weapons platoon has only two mortars, two ATGMs, and a twelve man sniper squad instead of the customary eight), plus two training companies.  Also like Battle Group 1010, the unit’s two training companies split responsibilities between conducting their own in-house selection and continuing training programs and providing mobile training teams for the rest of the army concerning urban and built up area combat techniques.

Agrupamento de Commando Navais 1012 is a standard maritime special operations unit, with three eighty-man shallow-water/surface operations companies and two sixty-man combat swimmer deep-submersible companies.  Battle Group 1012 does not have the same training role as the other two units, and conducts its own selection and continuing training programs without the inclusion of separate training companies.

MOZAMBIQUE IN THE KAFER WAR

Mozambique has no extra-solar colonies, though Mozambican nationals and corporate interests can be found in most French and Azanian colonies, as well as elsewhere in human space.  This association with France and Azania meant that the Kafer invasion had a powerful symbolic resonance with the populace of the nation, even if tangible impact on the nation was modest.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Beowulf, the decision was made to organize an expeditionary force for service in the French Arm.  The Mozambican populace was divided on the notion of engaging in front-line combat on behalf of major colonial powers.  The idea of sending a force package tailored for humanitarian relief operations was, however, much more popular with the Mozambican public. 

The decision to stand up the 99th Expeditionary Division was made public on 15 August 2302 (90-series divisions in Mozambican service have traditional represented provisional organization for out-of-country deployment).  The division consisted of a provisional command and control cell with an austere collection of divisional combat service support assets. 

Primary sub-units were four Agrupamento Expedicionária and two Corps-level Hospital Units.  While the term Agrupamento usually refers to combined arms combat units, these particular units were organized for humanitarian relief and recovery operations (HRRO).  Each has a single company of Girafa tactical-truck mobile parachute infantry from the 1st Parachute Division, reinforced with a platoon of Weta tank destroyers and combat walkers from the 4th Light Division for local security.  Additional assets of each group include a medical company, a pair of combat engineer companies (including attached divisional-level explosive ordnance disposal teams), a pair of transportation companies equipped with Girafa trucks, and a civil affairs platoon. 

Building on experiences on Earth, the deployed units are designed to link up with non-governmental organizations and local labor and, it is hoped, provide a significant amount of assistance in reconstruction efforts.  Three of the four units were deployed to support either Azanian or predominantly African French colonies, while the fourth is currently deployed to Tanstaafl, on Aurore, in anticipation of subsequent deployment to Novoya Kiyev.

Both Hospital Units were reinforced with their own light security element (reinforced platoons of light troops from the Policía Militar) as well as substantial augmentation with Mozambican and other Portuguese speaking civilian doctors operating under lucrative short-term (12-24 month) contracts.  Orthopedic and infectious disease specialists were considered especially vital to deal both with the aftermath of Kafer invasions and occupations and the general breakdown of health services on many colony worlds.

RANK STRUCTURE

The rank structure of the Exército Moçambiques is ultimately derived from the colonial Portuguese model, with various foreign influences, including British (by way of South Africa/Azania), Soviet (from the pre-Twilight era) and more recently French.  The rank system has, however, evolved very much on its own for the past several centuries and is somewhat unusual in its terminology, even if a fairly conventional in its execution

 

Exército Moçambiques Rank Structure

ENLISTED RANKS

EQUIVALENT/
TRANSLATION

COMMISIONED RANKS

EQUIVALENT/
TRANSLATION

Soldado

Private

Tenente

Platoon Leader

Cabo-Adjunto

Assistant Corporal
(Assistant Squad Leader)

Tenente de Estado-maior

Company Executive Officer and Bn./Agr. Staff

Cabo de Arma/Grupo Combate/Veículo

Weapon System, Squad, or Vehicle Leader/Commander

Capitão 

Company Commander

Sargento de Pelotão/
5o Sargento de Estado-maior

Platoon NCO/ Staff Sergeant 5th Class

Capitão de Estado-maior

Bn. and Agr. Staff

Sargento de Companhia/
4o Sargento de Estado-maior

Company NCO/Staff Sergeant 4rd Class

Coronel de Estado-maior

Bn or Agrupamento XO

Sargento-Chefe de Batalhão/ 3o Sargento de Estado-maior

Battalion NCO/Staff Sergeant 3rd Class

Coronel de Batalhão

Battalion Commander

Sargento-Chefe de Agrupamento/ 2o Sargento de Estado-maior

Agrupamento Senior NCO/ Staff Sergeant 2nd Class

Coronel de Agrupamento

Agrupamento Commander

Sargento-Chefe de Brigada/ 1o Sargento de Estado-maior

Brigade Senior NCO/Staff Sergeant 1st Class

General de Divisão

Division Commander

Sargento-Chefe de Divisão

Division Senior NCO

General

Force Commander

 

 

Marechal

Chief of Staff

 

Note:  The Policia Nacional utilize the same rank structure, except that the rank and file are referred to as polícia rather than soldado, corporals are cabos de patrulhe, and all NCOs above the cabo level are sargentos (either sargentos de patrulhe, if in a leadership role, or sargentos de delegacia for staff NCOs).  Officer ranks are identical.
 

INDEX

EQUIPMENT

Small Arms and Light Support Weapons

In 2290, the Exército Moçambiques began soliciting proposals for various upgrades to its arsenal of small arms, and quickly settled on a very appealing comprehensive package deal offered by the German firm of Rorttmann GmbH.  While some supporting weapons systems are not Rorttmann designs, the majority of the arsenal are German imports, centering around the superb Sturmkarabiner-19 and Laserkarabiner-1 weapons systems (known, respectively, in Mozambican service as the FAB-19 and an FCL-1).  Rorttmann also provides the Maschinengewehr-19 (local designation MB-19) light support weapon for squad level support, the Granatenwerfer-3 light automatic grenade launcher for platoon level fire support, and the FAB-20, an adaptation of their paramilitary Polizeikarabiner-20 for use as a personal defense weapon.

 

Outside the Rorttmann designs, the Exército Moçambiques employs the Kurita Type 21 plasma gun for platoon-level fire support and the Brazilian Modelo 93 7mm gauss sniper rifle.  Brazil’s ARNO corporation also provides the Pistola 751 Bélico (P-751B) 7.5mm machine pistol, the standard military and law enforcement side-arm in Mozambican service.

 

The Polícia Nacional are primarily armed with the FAB-20 and a semi-automatic only version of the Arno 751, the Pistola 751 Polícia (P-751P) (cf).  The force also has limited access to Sk-19s and Lk-1s, as well as specialist less than lethal and close combat weapons.

 

The units of the Comando Especiais are generally equipped with standard Exército small arms though, as is typical of such units, they also employ a number of weapons not available to the rest of the army, including foreign weapons for clandestine cross-border activity. 

  

Armored Fighting Vehicles and Combat Walkers

The Exército Moçambiques has a very modern fleet of armored fighting vehicles, broadly divided into hover-mobile vehicles equipping the Divisãos Mecanizado and lighter wheeled vehicles equipping the Divisãos Ligeira and Brigadas Fronteira.

The heart of the hover-mobile AFV fleet is the ultra-modern German Luftkissenpanzer-IX and the equally modern French AVCI-4 infantry-fighting vehicle.  Prior to adoption of the AVCI-4, the Exército made use of the Kangaroo APC, and the 'Roo remains in service in secondary roles, such as MRL carriers, air defense vehicles, and the like.  (In addition, it is still in full-scale service with the two reserve mechanized divisions, though these formations have traded in their older American M9 hovertanks for LkPz-IXs.)

 

The Agrupamentos Ligeira are equipped throughout with the New Zealand-designed Weta family of wheeled armored vehicles, including reconnaissance, personnel carrier, anti-tank, and mortar carrier versions.  The Weta replaced the French ABR-76 and VCIR, though some of the reserve light divisions are still equipped with the older vehicles (complete conversion to the Weta should be accomplished by 2306).

 

The two Para-Armor Battle Groups in the 1st Parachute Division are equipped with the air-droppable French vehicles, the ACL-7 hover tank, while retaining the airportable AVCI-4 for their infantry components.  Though the ACL-7 has proved controversial in French service, the Exército Moçambiques has been pleased, to date, with their vehicles and are contemplating some expansion of the fleet beyond the 1st Parachute Division.

 

The standard Combat Walker for the Exército is the French BH-21, in a format modified for local service designated the BH-21MZ1, known informally as the Carçi in Mozambican service.  The BH-21MZ1 has replaced the French BH-18 and the Manchurian Type 1-1, neither of which was ever deemed entirely satisfactory, in Mozambican service.  The BH-21MZ1 has begun to show its age, however, and the BH-25 was selected as a replacement in 2299, though fielding has been complicated by the demands of the Kafer War and is currently not projected to begin for several more years.
 

New equipment

 

Arno Pistola 751 Bélico (P-751B) and Pistola 751 Polícia (P-751P)

A light machine pistol produced by the Brazilian firm Arno, built around a relatively lightweight 7.5x23mm caseless round (ballistic performance is comparable to 9mm designs).  The weapon is available in two versions, the Pistola Polícia, and a military version, the Pistola Bélico.  Both versions include an integral collapsible stock and visible light laser-aiming module.  The primary difference being that the Pistola Bélico is selectable for 3-round bursts, allowing a much higher rate of fire, while the Pistola Polícia is strictly semi-automatic.

 

Type: 7.5mm machine pistol, Country: Brazil, Weight (Empty): 1 kg, Length: 20cm (Bulk=0); 35cm (Bulk = 1) (stock extended), Action: Single shot or bursts, Ammunition: 7.5x23mm fixed cartridge ball, Muzzle Velocity: 450mps, Magazine: 15 round box, Magazine Weight: 0.1kg, ROF: 3, Aimed Fire Range: 50m (75m with stock extended), Area Fire Burst: 3 rounds (AFV=0.25) for P-751P, 9 rounds (AFV=0.9) for P-751B, Area Fire Range: 20m (40m with stock extended), DP Value: 0.4, Price: Lv200 (P-751P), Lv250 (P-751B) (Lv2 for box of 100 rounds)

 

Rorttmann Maschinengewehr-19

A light automatic weapon companion to the Sk-19 assault rifle, the MG-19 fires the same 9x12mm APHE binary round as the Sk-19, but feeds from 150 and 200 round cassettes and fires at a somewhat higher muzzle velocity.  Layout is conventional, with the action forward of the trigger, so the weapon is fairly long by 24th century standards.  Standard equipment includes an electro-optical battle sight with thermal night observation channel and a bipod.  The weapon can also be placed on a light (5kg) tripod unit for use in the sustained fire role, though the feet of the tripod have to be sand-bagged for effective use due to the light weight.

 

Type: 9mm light machinegun, Country: Germany, Weight (Empty): 8kg, Length: 101cm (Bulk=3), Action: Single shot or bursts, Ammunition: 9x12mm APHE, Muzzle Velocity: 1100mps, Magazine: 150 or 200 round cassette with integral propellant gas, separately loaded catalyst bottle sufficient for 600 rounds (aimed or burst), Magazine Weight: 1.5kg (150 round), 2.0 kg (200 round), Catalyst bottle weighs 0.2 kg, ROF: 5, Aimed Fire Range: 850m (on bipod), 700 meters (without bipod), Area Fire Burst: 20 rounds (AFV=2), Area Fire Range: 500 meters (bipod), 450 meters (without bipod) (note, on tripod or vehicular mount, area fire range is 850 meters), DP Value: 1.1, Price: Lv700 (Lv7 for 150 round cassette, Lv10 for 200 round, Lv3 for recharge bottle)

 

Rorttmann Polizeikarabiner-20 (Pk-20)

The Rorttmann Pk-20 is a variant of the standard Sk-19 binary assault rifle specially designed for law enforcement use.  The main difference is the inclusion of an intermediary muzzle velocity option (600 mps) to allow the use of weapon in conditions where a full-velocity assault rifle round would be inappropriate (such as when combat occurs in densely populated areas).  In addition, the baseline Pk-20 lacks an integral 30mm grenade launcher and utilizes a less sophisticated electro-optical sight unit.

In Mozambican service, the Pk-20 is known as the Fuzil Automatico Binário Modelo 20, or FAB-20, and is used both by the Polícia Nacional and the Exército Moçambiques, in the latter case as a personal defense weapon.  Though not in service with Mozambique, Rorttman also produces a version of the Pk-20 which can only fire at the lower muzzle velocity (Polizeikarabiner-20 Eingeschraenkt, or Pk-20E) and a version that includes the 30mm grenade launcher (Polizeikarabiner-20 mit Granatenwerfer or Pk-20G).

 

Type: 9mm binary propellant assault rifle, Country: Germany (exported extensively), Weight (Empty): 3 kg, Length: 75 cm (bulk = 2), Action: Single Shot or bursts, Ammunition: 9x12mm APHE, Muzzle Velocity: 1000 mps or 600 mps (area fire 400 mps), Magazine: 50-round box magazine with integral propellant gas bottle with charge for 600 aimed shots (800 at reduced velocity) or 200 bursts, Magazine Weight: 0.5kg, Recharge Bottle Weight: 0.1kg, ROF: 3 (area fire 5), Aimed Fire Range: 500 m, Area FireBurst: 10 (AFV=1.5), Area Fire Range: 250 m, DP Value: 1 (0.6 at reduced velocity, 0.4 area fire), Price: Lv340 (Lv2 for 50 round disposable magazine; Lv1 for recharge bottle)
 

BH-21MZ1 Combat Walker

Known colloquially in Mozambican service as the "Carçi" the BH-21MZ1 is a Mozambique-specific version of the French BH-21 combat walker (the term is a lona word from Manchurian, where slang for combat walker is K'arsi, or "monk's habit," and dates back to the BH-21s predecessor in service, the Manchurian Type 1-1).  Primary modifications consist of adding an external mount for an MG-19 light machine gun (with 300 rounds of ammunition) and enhancements to the basic export BH-21 electronics suite to keep it current with French service versions.  It is otherwise identical to the standard BH-21 ‘walker.

INDEX

 

END NOTES

1) The Pk-20 and the MG-19 are based on Bryn Monnery’s revised stats for the Sk-19 rifle, found on the Etranger website.  For those preferring the original stats, Pk-20 muzzle velocity should be adjusted down to the canon value.  MG-19 muzzle velocity would be approximately 850 meters versus the canon design.  No other changes are necessary.

INDEX


22/04/2004

Copyright James Boschma, 2004