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{{Main|Zimbabwe Defence Forces}}

[[File:Flag of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.svg|thumb|The flag of the [[Zimbabwe Defence Forces]]]]

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces were set up by unifying three insurrectionist forces – the [[Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army]] (ZANLA), the [[Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army]] (ZIPRA), and the Rhodesian Security Forces (RSF) – after the [[Second Chimurenga]] and Zimbabwean independence in 1980. The integration period saw the formation of the [[Zimbabwe National Army]] (ZNA) and [[Air Force of Zimbabwe]] (AFZ) as separate entities under the command of General [[Solomon Mujuru]] and Air Marshal [[Norman Walsh]], who retired in 1982 and was replaced by Air Marshal Azim Daudpota who handed over command to Air Chief Marshal [[Josiah Tungamirai]] in 1985. In 1993, General [[Vitalis Zvinavashe]], was promoted and appointed Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. In 2003, General [[Constantine Chiwenga]], was promoted and appointed Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. Lieutenant General P. V. Sibanda replaced him as Commander of the Army.<ref name="minist">{{cite web|url=http://www.mod.gov.zw/zdf/zdf.htm |title=Zimbabwe Ministry of Defence|access-date=17 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102151320/http://www.mod.gov.zw/zdf/zdf.htm|archive-date=2 November 2007}}</ref>

The ZNA has an active duty strength of 30,000. The Air Force has about 5,139 standing personnel.<ref name="Airforce of Zimbabwe">{{cite web|url=http://www.zimbabwedefence.com/AFZ0.html|title=Zimbabwe Defence Forces News|publisher=ZDF News|access-date=17 April 2009}}</ref> The [[Zimbabwe Republic Police]] (includes Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police) is part of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and numbers 25,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=3364&cat=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080105170018/http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=3364&cat=4|archive-date=5 January 2008|title=MILITARISATION OF ZIMBABWE: Does the opposition stand a chance?|author=Chari, Freeman Forward|publisher=zimbabwejournalists.com|date=24 December 2007}}</ref>