Royal Lao Army
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| Royal Army of Laos | |
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.svg) The Royal Flag of Laos |
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| Active | 1952- 2 December 1975 |
| Country | Kingdom of Laos |
| Size | 35,000 |
| Engagements | Laotian Civil War Vietnam War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Kong Le |
The Royal Lao Army (French: Armée Royal du Laos - ARL) was the armed forces of the Kingdom of Laos. Its predecessor was the National Laotian Army - NLA (French: Armée Nationale Laotienne - ANL) of the French Union, created in 1947 from 'maquis', or guerrilla units gathered by French commandos. It was created in 1954 after the French granted Laos complete autonomy. By July, 1959, it was known as Forces Army Laotienne, and in September, 1961, was renamed Royal Armed Forces (French: Forces Armées du Royaume - FAR).[1]
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[edit] Structure
The chain of command of the Royal Lao Army was placed under the Ministry of Defense in Vientiane. The country was divided into five military regions.
To meet the threat represented by the Pathet Lao, the Royal Lao Army depended on a small French military training mission, headed by a general officer, an exceptional arrangement permitted under the Geneva conventions. Military organization and tactical training reflected French traditions. Most of the equipment was of United States origin, however, because early in the First Indochina War, the United States had been supplying the French with matériel ranging from guns to aircraft.
In 1970 the combat elements of the Royal Lao Army were organized into fifty-eight infantry battalions and one artillery regiment of four battalions. The largest tactical unit was the battalion, which was composed of a headquarters, a headquarters company, and three rifle companies. Royal Lao Army units were devoted primarily to static defense and were stationed near population centers, lines of communication, depots, and airfields. These units were complemented by military police and armored, engineer, and communications units. Between 1962 and 1971, the United States provided Laos with an estimated US$500 million in military assistance, not including the cost of equipping and training irregular and paramilitary forces.
[edit] Royal Laotian Air Force
During the 1971-1975 period, it added about seventy-five T-28 Trojan light-strike or training aircraft, about twenty C-47s in both transport and gunship configurations, fewer than ten H-34 helicopters, and some small U-1 and U-17 aircraft.
[edit] Weapons
United Kingdom L1A1 SLR battle rifle- United Kingdom Sterling submachine gun
United States M16A1 Assault rifle- United States M60 Machine Gun
- United States M72 LAW Rocket launcher
- United States M79 Grenade Launcher
- United States Colt M1911 Automatic pistol
- United States Browning M1919 Medium machine gun
- United States Browning M2 Heavy machine gun
- United States M1 Garand battle rifle
- United States M2 Carbine converted to fully automatic
- United States M203 grenade launcher Attached on M16A1 rifle
- United States M1 Carbine
- United States Browning Automatic Rifle M1918 Light machine gun
- United States M67 Grenade
- United States M3 Grease Gun Submachine Gun
- United States Springfield M1903 bolt action rifle
- United States CAR-15 Assault carbine
[edit] Notes
- ^ War in Laos. pp. 5–7, 13.
[edit] References
- Kenneth Conboy and Simon McCouaig, The War in Laos 1960-75, men-at-arms series 217, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1989. ISBN 9780850459388.
- Kenneth Conboy, War in Laos, 1954-1975, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1994. ISBN 0897473159, 9780897473156.
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