Royal Cambodian Armed Forces
កងយោធពលខេមរភូមិន្ទ
Emblem of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces
Motto	ជាតិ សាសនា ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ ("Nation, Religion, King")
Founded	9 November 1953; 70 years ago (1953-11-09) (original)
Current form	24 September 1993; 30 years ago (1993-09-24)
Service branches	Royal Cambodian Army Royal Cambodian Navy Royal Cambodian Air Force Royal Cambodian Gendarmerie
Headquarters	Ministry of National Defence, Georgi Dimitrov Blvd, Phnom Penh 12156
Leadership
Supreme Commander	King Norodom Sihamoni
Prime Minister	Hun Manet
Minister of National Defence	General Tea Seiha
Commander-in-Chief	General Vong Pisen
Personnel
Active personnel	194,300
Reserve personnel	100,000
Expenditures
Budget	$770 million (2.5% GDP) (2023)
Industry
Foreign suppliers	China  Czech Republic  North Korea  Poland  Russia  Ukraine  Vietnam
Related articles
History	Military history of Cambodia
Ranks	Military ranks of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces

The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF; Khmer: កងយោធពលខេមរភូមិន្ទ, ខ.ភ.ម, UNGEGN: Kâng Yoŭthôpôl Khémôrôphumĭnt, K.P.M, ALA-LC: Kang Yodhabal Khemarabhūmind, K.B.M) is Cambodia's national military force. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief is King Norodom Sihamoni. Since 2018, General Vong Pisen has been the Commander-in-Chief of the RCAF as head of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Gendarmerie.^[1][2] The armed forces operate under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defence. Under the country's constitution, the RCAF is charged with protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia.^[3]

It was created in 1993 by a merger of the Cambodian People's Armed Forces (CPAF) and the National Army of Democratic Kampuchea (NADK) which included the Khmer Rouge, the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) and the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia (Front uni national pour un Cambodge indépendant, neutre, pacifique, et coopératif, FUNCINPEC). The forerunner of the CPAF was the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (KPRAF), established in 1979 with support from the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).^[4]

History

Royal Khmer Armed Forces (RKAF)

Khmer National Armed Forces (FANK)

Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea (RAK)

Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (KPRAF)

Cambodian People's Armed Forces (CPAF)

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF)

The RCAF was established in 1993 after the democratic election of a government consisting of two prime ministers. The armed forces of all parties except the NADK were integrated into a national armed force.

To resolve security problems, the government began a "Win-Win policy" in mid-1995 of national reconciliation and unity efforts under the Monarchy of Cambodia. Defections of NADK units began in early 1996 up until the death of Pol Pot in 1998.

Branches

The RCAF has four branches: the Royal Cambodian Army, the Royal Cambodian Navy, the Royal Cambodian Air Force and the Royal Gendarmerie of Cambodia.

The Royal Cambodian Army (RCA) is the largest RCAF branch, with troops stationed in each of the country's 25 provinces. The Royal Cambodian Navy (RCN), the second-largest branch and operates in the Gulf of Thailand, along the Mekong and Bassac rivers and in the Tonlé Sap lake. The Royal Cambodian Air Force (RCAF), the smallest service branch with 5,000 members, operates in every province which has an airport.^[5] The Royal Gendarmerie is the national gendarmerie force of the Kingdom of Cambodia. It is a branch of the RCAF and it is responsible for the maintenance of public order and internal security. It has a strength of 30,000 members deployed in all provinces.