Unlike the media aura that is always devoted to the Algerian military industry, the media in the eastern neighbor did not talk at all about the country of the “million martyrs” manufacturing and developing war missiles, thus joining the Algerian army to the club of armies that possess missile manufacturing programs, according to what It was reported by the French website "Mina Defense", which specializes in the military industry and military production.
war missiles
The intention of “the country of the generals” to enter the field of military missile manufacturing was not disclosed by the Algerian military institutions, especially the Directorate of Military Industries and the Department of National Defense, but it was mentioned in the last issue of the Algerian Official Gazette, albeit in a veiled manner, so that Presidential Decree No. 19-200 reveals For the creation of the Institution for the Development of Technical Systems of an Industrial Nature affiliated to the Economic Sector of the People's National Army.
The aforementioned institution was placed under the tutelage of the Minister of National Defense, and was entrusted with the task of developing designs, engineering projects and manufacturing special weapons systems and special munitions, and then the military institution monitors the operations of buying, selling, importing and exporting various military equipment. The institution is also made up of a set of structures; Among them are the Directorate of Military Industries, the Central Directorate of Equipment, the Staff of the People's National Army, the Directorate of Financial Interests, and others.
The actual goals of the new institution, which was established by a presidential decree, can be absorbed through the nature of its shareholders and its international partners, the website specialized in military affairs clarifies, drawing attention to the fact that the People’s National Army is the most prominent traditional actor, along with the Central Directorate of Military Industry and the Directorate of Supplies within the Ministry of Defense The National People's Army, as well as the Central Directorate of Army Security for the Staff of the People's National Army.
foreign partners
Mokhtar Said Mediouni, a retired Algerian colonel, highlighted that “Russia plays a pivotal role in everything related to Algerian armament, as the country seeks to develop its military industry in the future, by incorporating advanced technologies in the military field,” stressing that “the National Army does not want to use Not only the military apparatus, but he would also like to understand the military systems.”
In an interview with the Russian “Sputnik” agency, the Algerian colonel explained that “Algeria seeks to understand and master advanced technological systems, which would develop a private industry, based on its own resources, so that the national army wants to obtain these technologies and make them more effective,” adding that the fields What the army wants to develop are “military vehicles, drones and helicopters, as well as launching technical research centers.”
It will also be among the military's partners, according to the same source, the Algerian joint company for the manufacture of electronic systems for the army; It is a company specialized in the manufacture of border control radars and various electronic communication systems, as well as the industrial complex for the production of explosive materials, and then the National Explosives Office of the National Defense, noting that these institutions have a wide network of foreign partners in the military field; Like China, Germany and Serbia, the list is long.
crazy armament
In this regard, Abdel-Rahman Makkawi, a Moroccan expert in military and strategic affairs, said that “Mena Defense spoke about Algeria’s planning for a project to manufacture medium and long-range missiles, specifically in the Rouiba and Chlef region in Algeria, on the grounds that it (Algeria) has many Of the old missiles with a range of up to 200 km, she bought them in the 1970s and 1980s from the Soviet Union and some socialist countries.”
Mekkawi added, in a statement to Hespress electronic newspaper, that "Algeria is in the process of manufacturing a missile with foreign funding and German expertise, but the Directorate of Military Industry in Algeria, headed by General Rachid Chouaki, did not reveal any details about this industry," stressing that "most countries are interested, now." , with two types of weapons: missiles and drones (unmanned aircraft)," referring to "the crazy race towards military production in Algeria".
secret complexes
The latest issue of the "Army" magazine, issued by the People's National Army, sheds light on Algeria's "armament fever", as it included many military visits made by foreign delegations to the Republic during the month of July, led by the Chinese delegation that was briefed on the pedagogical structures The multi-technical military school abounds, as well as the Serbian delegation that arrived at the headquarters of the Republican Guard, along with the delegations of Portugal, Egypt and the United States of America.
Makkawi stressed that "Algeria is trying to achieve self-sufficiency, during the end of this year, in terms of ammunition, especially light weapons and projectiles of 106 mm and 120 mm caliber, which belong to tanks and some guns. It is noted that there are four military complexes scattered in Algeria, some of which are well-known, Whether it is the nature of the partners or the funds, while other complexes remain secret, with expertise that may be from North Korea or Iran.”
ruled out war
The same military expert believes that “everyone has come to consider that missiles and drones will be the lethal weapons in any military conflict between countries, although war is excluded in the region during the current situation, due to the internal problems that Algeria is witnessing, as well as the result of the explosion in Libya and the countries of the Sahel. “.
Over the past years, foreign military reports have indicated that the Kingdom of Morocco also intends to manufacture military missiles, through negotiations with French, Spanish, British and American companies, but secrecy always prevails regarding Moroccan military production. It is a policy adopted by the Royal Armed Forces since its establishment, unlike the Algerian Republic, which promotes the military equipment that it acquires from time to time.
Two opposite approaches
Regarding the extent to which Morocco has embarked on the manufacture of weapons, Makkawi affirmed that he does not have accurate information about military production or the defense industry in Morocco, “because all the information comes to us from foreign military studies centers; American, Canadian, French, Spanish and English, as well as through military industry vehicles that announce the conclusion of manufacturing agreements or the purchase of some weapons, but the extreme secrecy and complete secrecy characterize the issue in Morocco.”
Makkawi considered that this “comes within the framework of the strategy of retaining military information, in contrast to what Algeria is doing through the media hype witnessed by these war industries, especially with regard to the statements made by General Rachid Shawaki, director of the military industry in Algeria, while Morocco pursues a different policy. Its basis is complete secrecy on the matter, which puts us in front of two opposing approaches, although Algeria retains some military industries that it does not publicize, such as its cooperation with South Africa, Iran and North Korea, according to foreign studies.