Ethiopia Army

The ground forces of the Ethiopian National Defense Force operate under a regional command structure divided into Northern, Eastern, Western, Southern, and Central Commands, directed by the Defense Commanders Council chaired by the Chief of General Staff. Primary garrisons are situated in Mekelle, Harar, Bahir Dar, Gondar, Dire Dawa, and Addis Ababa. Operational formations consist of infantry divisions, mechanized divisions, motorized infantry brigades, artillery brigades, and specialized commando units. Ground forces conduct territorial defense, border security, counter-insurgency operations against armed groups such as the Fano militia in the Amhara region and the Oromo Liberation Army in Oromia, and stabilization operations in Tigray. Externally, ground formations participate in expeditionary counter-terrorism missions in Somalia under the African Union transition framework and bilateral security agreements.

Armored units operate T-72B and T-55 main battle tanks. Mechanized and motorized infantry formations utilize BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, alongside BTR-60, BTR-80, and Chinese WZ-551 armored personnel carriers. The force also employs mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles including Casspir, Springbuck, and foreign-procured Calidus MCAV-20 combat armored vehicles. Local workshops have modified a portion of the WZ-551 fleet into self-propelled mountings for artillery pieces.

Artillery units field a mix of towed and self-propelled systems. Towed field artillery includes D-30 and M-30 122mm howitzers. Self-propelled assets comprise Russian 2S1 Gvozdika, 2S3 Akatsiya, and 2S19 Msta-S track-mounted howitzers, alongside truck-mounted Chinese SH-15 155mm self-propelled howitzers. Rocket artillery capabilities rely on BM-21 Grad, Chinese PHL-03, and AR2 heavy multiple launch rocket systems. Ground-based air defense relies on short- to medium-range missile platforms, including Russian Pantsir-S1 and Pantsir-S2 systems, Chinese HQ-64 systems, and truck-mounted variants of the S-75 and S-125. Point defense is provided by ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and Igla series man-portable air defense systems.

Domestic defense production and heavy equipment overhaul are conducted by state enterprises under the Defense Engineering Industry Corporation. The Bishoftu Automotive Engineering Industry refurbishes and upgrades armored vehicles, tanks, and transport platforms. Infantry weapons, including the locally modified ET-97 assault rifle series, machine guns, and vehicle mountings, are produced by the Gafat Armament Engineering Complex, while heavy munitions and field artillery ammunition are manufactured by the Homicho Ammunition Engineering Complex. Equipment modernization focuses on acquiring wheeled self-propelled artillery, protected mobility vehicles, and unmanned systems, alongside local engineering programs aimed at sustaining aging armored assets.