Commander of the Defence Force (Zambia)

Commander of the Zambian National Defence Force
Reports to	Minister of Defence
Appointer	President
Formation	1976
First holder	Kingsley Chinkuli
Final holder	Benjamin Ndabila Mibenge
Abolished	1980
Deputy	Deputy commander

The Commander of the Zambian National Defence Force was the professional head of the Zambian National Defence Force. They were responsible for the administration and operational control of the unified military. The position was abolished due to resentment from the Zambian Air Force and Zambia National Service, as most senior positions in the defence staff were filled by army officers.^[1]

List of officeholders

No.	Portrait	Name (born–died)	Term of office			Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		General Kingsley Chinkuli (born 1944)	13 June 1976	24 April 1977	315 days	[2]
2		General Benjamin Ndabila Mibenge (1942–2020)	31 December 1978	8 September 1980	1 year, 252 days	[3][4]

References

1. Chewe, Innocent (2014). "An Examination of Professionalism in the Zambia Army" (PDF). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. p. 39. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
2. "The First Indigenous Zambia Army Commander – General Kingsley Chinkuli". Zambian Observer. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
3. Munamunungu, Hamwiinde (8 April 2023). "Remembering Benjamin Mibenge". Zambia Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023.
4. "Arm commander mourns Gen Mibenge". The Independent Observer. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2025.