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Military of Eritrea has been playing a very vital role in gaining the independence of the country, as it was the armed forces that participated in the war with Ethiopia that continued for 20 years to fight for its right. The Eritrea Military forces are headed by the President of Ethiopia and is divided into three categories, the Eritrea army, the Eritrea navy and the Eritrea air force. All the three taken together is known as Eritrea Defence Force or simply EDF. The Eritrea Defense Force was the largest army in the world per capita by a 2001 report.
Military Training in Eritrea is imparted in the two training centers, the Kiloma Military Training center and the Sawa Defence Training Center. It is constitutionally mandatory for all citizens, man or woman to undergo military training in these camps for at least one and a half years and if required more. The extension in training period becomes mandatory in the times of national emergency. Of course the disabled and insane are exempted from all forms of military training in Eritrea. Apart from the 45,000 heads of the standing army, there are almost 2,50,000 supplementary heads, just in case a war breaks out.
The Military of Eritrea has been safeguarding and defending the Ethiopian border of the country and in doing so more than 40,000 lives have been deceased in the bloodshed and many remain unreported.
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