His Majesty's Armed Forces (Tonga)
His Majesty's Armed Forces (HMAF) is the military of Tonga. It is composed of three operational components and two support elements (logistics and training groups).
| His Majesty's Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
Coat of arms of His Majesty's Armed Forces | |
Flag of the Armed Forces | |
| Motto | Terra Marique (Latin) ("Land and Sea") |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Current form | 2013 |
| Service branches | Tongan Land Component Maritime Force Tongan Air Wing Tongan Training Command Tongan Support Unit |
| Headquarters | Vilai Barracks, Nuku'alofa |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | HM King Tupou VI |
| Minister for HMAF | Siaosi Sovaleni |
| Chief of Defense Staff | Brigadier General Lord Fielakepa |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Conscription | None |
| Available for military service | 34,254 males, age 16-49 (2010 est.), 32,974 females, age 16-49 (2010 est.) |
| Fit for military service | 27,404 males, age 16-49 (2010 est.), 28,509 females, age 16-49 (2010 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | 1,448 males (2010 est.), 1,392 females (2010 est.) |
| Active personnel | 500 |
| Expenditures | |
| Percent of GDP | 0.9% GDP (2006 est.) |
The mission of HMAF is to: "Defend the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Tonga".
The HMAF is partially supported by defence co-operation agreements with Australia, the United States, China, India and New Zealand. The co-operation aims at capacity development through training of HMAF personnel in leadership, academic and trades while support for infrastructure development is another part of the security co-operation.
In recent years, members of HMAF have supported Coalition of the Willing in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands.