Military reform returns to Libya agenda

Libya’s Chief of General Staff Salah Al-Din Al-Namroush has called for building a professional army that serves all Libyans and remains free from political division, as reported by the Libyan News Agency on August 10th.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for military academy and college students at the Naval Studies Academy in Janzour, Al-Namroush said the Libyan army must be an institution for the whole country and a safeguard for every part of Libya.

His remarks placed military reform at the centre of the state building debate as Al-Namroush said maintaining the military institution and ensuring readiness requires investment in human capabilities, military expertise, modern education and advanced training.

He also said future plans would include sending officers and personnel to leading international institutions, in cooperation with advanced countries, the stated goal is to prepare a new generation of military personnel able to understand contemporary challenges and respond to them effectively.

The message reflects a wider argument inside western Libya, that the army should be rebuilt through formal institutions, professional standards and state command structures, rather than through fragmented armed formations or political loyalties.

The country remains divided between rival military structures, competing political authorities and armed groups whose power often exceeds the reach of formal institutions and, in that context, calls for professionalism are also calls for depoliticisation, discipline and national command.

Foreign cooperation can help improve technical capacity, doctrine and command standards but it can also become politically sensitive if external partnerships are seen as strengthening one camp rather than supporting a genuinely unified national army.

Libya’s military reform cannot be separated from the political settlement as a professional army requires more than trained officers, it requires a recognised chain of command, civilian oversight and agreement over who has the authority to direct the armed forces.

Al-Namroush’s speech offers a clear institutional vision of a modern army close to citizens, based on discipline and capable of meeting current security challenges.

Libyan News Agency, maghrebi.org