Police Information Technology Training School School of Logistics Pay Corps Training School Army School of Physical Training and Sports (Commandant: Lt. Col. Camble Sithole) Personnel These are the Zimbabwe National Army ranks authorised for use today and their equivalent Commonwealth designations. The ranking order is largely based on the British system, with the Air Force of Zimbabwe maintaining separate titles inherited from the Rhodesian Air Force. Commissioned Officers The ZNA lost many of its best trained and experienced officers in the early 1990s, failing to recruit or instruct enough personnel to make up for the imbalance caused by death, emigration, or retirement. By the outbreak of the Second Congo War, only a handful of the officer corps had seen action. An interim measure was the rapid promotion of troops from non-combat units, often selected for their political connections rather than leadership competence. Theoretically, promotions continue to be based on the pre-independence system, which dictates officers below the rank of lieutenant colonel pass a proficiency examination to qualify for advancement. In times of downscaling, those with poorer marks must retire or accept an immediate demotion. Previous Army Commanders Lt. Gen. Edzai Absolom Chanyuka Chimonyo (December 2017 to July 2021). Lt. Gen. Philip Valerio Sibanda (January 2004 to December 2017) Lt. Gen. Constantine Guveya Chiwenga (July 1994 to 31 December 2003) Lt. Gen. Vitalis M. 'Fox' Gava Zvinavashe (1992 to 1994) Gen. T. R. Solomon Mujuru (1981 to 1992) Lt. Gen. Alistair ‘Sandy’ C. L. Maclean (18 April 1980 to 1981) Enlisted personnel Equipment At its formation in 1980, the ZNA was overburdened with a surplus of arms due to having inherited the inventories of the former Rhodesian Army as well as the two constituent insurgent factions of the Patriotic Front. Especially problematic was the integration of Soviet and Chinese weapons with the Rhodesian NATO standard arms, which had different gauges and calibers. The Zimbabwean government initially ordered that the guerrillas' Soviet or Chinese arms be placed into storage, hoping to simplify maintenance and logistics by re-issuing only former Rhodesian weapons and ammunition. This decision was later overturned when it became clear that the Rhodesian era weapons were insufficient to equip the ZNA, especially after a significant percentage of its 7.62×51mm NATO ammunition stockpiles were destroyed in a sabotage action around 1981. The guerrillas' former arms were brought out of storage and re-issued to individual units, being supplemented by additional supplies of