The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF; ) are the combined military forces of Ethiopia. The ENDF consists of 8 command forces which are controlled by the Defense Commanders Council that is chaired by the Chief of General Staff.

Strategic Commanders

Strategic commanders are senior military leaders responsible for planning and directing a country’s overall defense strategy, coordinating large-scale operations and commanding the entire security forces in Ethiopia.

Commander in Chief – Taye Atske Selassie

Prime Minister – Abiy Ahmed Ali

Chief of the General Staff – Field Marshal Birhanu Jula Gelelcha

Deputy Chief of the General Staff – General Abebaw Taddese Asres

Notable High Commanders –

General Getachew Gudina Selbana- Chief of the intelligence of the Army General Alemshet Degife Balcha- Advisor of the CDF and Chief of the Shooting Management Lieutenant General Solomon Etefa- Chief Commander of South Command Lieutenant General Mesele Meseret Tegegn- Chief Commander of the Western Command Lieutenant General Shuma Abdeta Hika- Chief Commander of the Commando and Airborne Command Lieutenant General Mohammed Tesema- Chief Commander of the Eastern Command Lieutenant General Asefa Chekol- Chief Commander of the Northeast Command Lieutenant General Yilma Merdassa Napa- Chief Commander of the Ethiopian Airforce Lieutenant General Abdurahman Ismael Alo- Commander of Head of Logistics Lieutenant General Zewdu Belay Malefya- Chief Commander of Central Command Lieutenant General Birhanu Bekele Bedada- Chief Commander of Northwest Command Lieutenant General Hachaalu Sheleme Merga- Commander of Head of Human resource Lieutenant General Desalegn Teshome Abitew- Inspector General Lieutenant General Desta Abiche- Commander of Head of Engineer Corps Major General Kefyalew Amde- Chief Commander of the Mechanised command Major General Birhanu Tilahun- Chief Commander of the 6th Command Major General Admasu Alemu- Chief Commander of the 11th Command Rear Admiral Kindu Gezu- Chief of the Navy Force All of the commanders listed above are member of defense council and Strategic commander of Ethiopia defense force.

Highest award Ethiopia presents this award for citizens who have a Great contribution and incredible achievement.

There are two highest awards presented by President of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Prime minister of the Federal Democratic republic of Ethiopia (Government of Ethiopia).

These are

1. The Black Lion Heroes High Medal

2. The Adwa heroes High Medal

The Black Lion award is presented to

- Field Marshal Birhanu Jula Gelelcha

- General Abebaw Taddesse Asres

- General Bacha Debele Buta

- Lieutenant General Alemshet Degife Balcha by the President of Ethiopia and Prime Minister of Ethiopia (Government of Ethiopia) on Jan 9, 2022 for their Greatest and Tremendous achievement during Tigray war.

The Adwa Heroes medal is presented to

- General Getachew Gudina Selbana

- Lieutenant General Zewdu Belay Malefya

- Lieutenant General Solomon Etefa Lemu

- Lieutenant General Mesele Meseret Tegegn

- Lieutenant General Yilma Merdassa Napa

- Lieutenant General Abdurahman Ismael Alo

- Lieutenant General Shuma Abdeta Hika

- Lieutenant General Belay Seyoum Akele by the President of Ethiopia and the Prime minister of Ethiopia (Government of Ethiopia) on Jan 9, 2022, for their Greatest and Tremendous achievement during Tigray War.

Defense Commanders Council The Defense commander's Council have the following powers and functions-

1, Discusses and makes decisions on operational and strategic plans and the organization of the army.

2, Provides Opinion on the budget allocation of the army.

3, The council will present and discusses on the candidates for the rank of Brigadier General.

4, Discusses on the performance of officers nominated for the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel and approves the promotion.

5, Consults the Chief of the General staff regarding members nominated to Major General and The council may give opinion on the nomination Lieutenant General

6, Provides Advice on the dismissal of Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel who is dismissed before reaching retirement age due to incapacity, structural changes, operational improvements.

7, Discusses with the Chief of the General Staff on Military Matters

Members of the Defenses Commanders Council are -

1, Chief of the General Staff (Chair)

2, Deputy Chief of the General Staff (Member)

3, Force Chief Commanders (Members)

4, Command Chief Commanders (Members)

5, Heads of Main Department (Members)

6, Inspector General (Member)

Equipment

History

Ethiopian is the only uncolonized country in Africa. The Ethiopian army's origins and military traditions date back to the earliest history of Ethiopia. Due to Ethiopia's location between the Middle East and Africa, it has long been in the middle of Eastern and Western politics and has been subject to foreign invasion and aggression. In 1579, the Ottoman Empire's attempt to expand from a coastal base at Massawa during the Ottoman conquest of Habesh was defeated. The Army of the Ethiopian Empire was also able to defeat the Egyptians in 1876 at Gura, led by Ethiopian Emperor Yohannes IV. Clapham wrote in the 1980s that the "Abyssinians [had suffered] from a 'superiority complex' which may be traced to Gundet, Gura and Adwa".Clapham, Christopher 1987. Transformation and Continuity in Revolutionary Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Crabites, Pierre.

Following the order of the emperor of Ethiopia, Nikolay Leontiev directly organized the first battalion of the regular Ethiopian army in February 1899. Leontiev formed the first regular battalion, the kernel of which became the company of volunteers from the former Senegal shooters, which he chose and invited from Western Africa, with the training of the Russian and French officers. The first Ethiopian military band was organized at the same time.

Ethiopian Empire

Battle of Adwa The Battle of Adwa is the best-known victory of Ethiopian forces over foreign invaders. It maintained Ethiopia's existence as an independent state. Fought on 1 March 1896 against the Kingdom of Italy near the town of Adwa, it was the decisive battle of the First Italo–Ethiopian War. Assisted by all of the major nobles of Ethiopia, including Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam, Ras Makonnen, Ras Mengesha Yohannes, Mikael of Wollo, and Menelik II struck a powerful blow against the Italian army.

Preserving Ethiopian independence During the Scramble for Africa, Ethiopia remained the only nation that had not been colonized by European colonial powers, due in part to their defeat of Italy in the First Italo-Ethiopian War. However, with Ethiopia surrounded by European colonies, the necessity of ensuring that the Ethiopian army was well-maintained became apparent to the Ethiopian government. The Ethiopian government trained its troops to a very high degree, with Imperial Russian Army officer Alexander Bulatovich writing thus:

"Many consider the Ethiopian army to be undisciplined. They think that it is not in any condition to withstand a serious fight with a well-organized European army, claiming that the recent war with Italy doesn't prove anything. I will not begin to guess the future and will say only this. Over the course of four months, I watched this army closely. It is unique in the world. And I can bear witness to the fact that it is not quite so chaotic as it seems at first glance, and that on the contrary, it is profoundly disciplined, though in its own unique way. For every Abyssinian, war is normal business, and military skills and rules of army life in the field enter in the flesh and blood of each of them, just as do the main principles of tactics. On the march, each soldier knows how to arrange necessary comforts for himself and to conserve his strength; but on the other hand, when necessary, he shows such endurance and is capable of action in conditions which are difficult even to imagine. You see remarkable expediency in all the actions and skills of this army, and each soldier has an amazingly intelligent attitude toward managing the mission of the battle. Despite such qualities, because of its impetuousness, it is much more difficult to control this army than a well-drilled European army, and I can only marvel at and admire the skill of its leaders and chiefs, of which there is no shortage."

In obedience to the agreement with Russia and the order of Menelik II, First Ethiopian officers began to be trained at the First Russian cadet school in 1901. 30 to 40 Ethiopian officers were trained in Russia from 1901 until 1913.

Under Haile Selassie I

Under the regency of Tafari Mekonnen, the army was modernized. He created an Imperial Bodyguard, the Kebur Zabagna, in 1917 from the earlier Mahal Safari who had traditionally attended the Ethiopian Emperor. Its elite was trained at the French Saint-Cyr military academy or by Belgian military advisers. He also created his own military school at Holeta in January 1935.

Ethiopian military aviation efforts were initiated in 1929 when Tafari Mekonnen hired two French pilots and purchased four French biplanes. By the time of the Italian invasion of 1935, the air force had four pilots and thirteen aircraft.

However, these efforts were not sufficient nor instituted in enough time to stop the rising tide of Italian fascism. Ethiopia was invaded and occupied by Italy during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia of 1935–36, marked for Ethiopia's first time being occupied by a foreign power. Ethiopia's patriots managed to resist and defeat the fascist Italian force after the 1941 East African Campaign of World War II with the help of British, South African and Nigerian forces. This made Ethiopia the only country in Africa that has never been colonized. After the Italians had been driven from the country, a British Military Mission to Ethiopia (BMME), under Major General Stephen Butler, was established to reorganize the Ethiopian Army. The Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement of 1944 removed the BMME from the jurisdiction of East Africa Command at Nairobi and made it responsible to the Ethiopian Minister of War.Spencer, Ethiopia at Bay, 2006, 148. Heads of the British Military Mission to Ethiopia were 1941-1943: Major General Stephen Seymour BUTLER, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., Reserve of Officers (b. 1880 – d. 1964); April 1943 – 1949: Major General Algernon Edward COTTAM, O.B.E., M.C. (b. 1893 – d. 1964).

Ethiopia bought twenty AH-IV tankettes from Czechoslovakia in the late 1940s. They were based on the Romanian R-1 variant and arrived in Djibouti on 9 May 1950 after which they were carried by rail to Addis Ababa. They were used until the 1980s when they participated in the fighting against Somalia.Kliment, Charles K.; Francev, Vladimír (1997). Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles. Atglen, PA: Schiffer. , 134.

Korean War

In keeping with the principle of collective security, for which Haile Selassie was an outspoken proponent, Ethiopia sent a contingent under General Mulugeta Buli, known as the Kagnew Battalion, to take part in the Korean War. It was attached to the American 7th Infantry Division, and fought in several engagements including the Battle of Pork Chop Hill.As described at the Ethiopian Korean War Veterans website. 3,518 Ethiopian troops served in the war, of which 121 were killed and 536 wounded.