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Logistics - FARK - Forces Armées Royales Khmères

Responsibility for planning and controlling the procurement of supplies and equipment rested with the Ministry of National Defense. Little procurement of materiel for the armed forces was undertaken within the country itself, however, as logistic support for the military was almost entirely dependent on foreign aid and assistance. Virtually all arms and equipment must originate outside of the country, as there was no internal capability for the manufacture of weapons, munitions, vehicles or other heavy items of military hardware.

Until 1955 most military supplies were provided by France, and from 1955 until 1963 the United States was the principal source of arms and equipment. Since the termination of United States aid in 1963, the country was largely dependent on assistance from the Communist bloc, but France continued to provide limited support in some categories. There was a fairly steady flow of materiel from Communist China and the Soviet Union, and earlier stocks of French and United States equipment were gradually replaced by more modern materiel from these sources.

Storage and issue procedures were centrally controlled by the Ministry of National Defense. Central depots are maintained for each of the technical services, mostly in the vicinity of Phnom Penh, and these served as stock control and distribution points for filling requisitions from the army, navy or air force. In most supply matters the army generally served the other components, but both the navy and the air force had small logistic activities to handle their own specialized needs.

The separate organizational structure of the support elements, which placed their functions outside of the operational chain of command, required complex and time-consuming procedures. Requests for supplies must be requisitioned through the Ministry of National Defense and, consequently, channeled from the field back through the Chief of the General Staff and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. In practice, however, there was actually some decentralization; numerous field stations had been set up in various parts of the country for the direct issue of ammunition, fuel and medical supplies without requiring formal requisitioning procedures.

The major support facility was the logistic center at Lovek, some 80 miles north of the capital, which was the maintenance center for all ordnance and quartermaster materiel. It included over 80 separate structures and provides a modern installation where major repairs could be performed on weapons, vehicles and other equipment. The center also had facilities for the manufacture of shoes and clothing in small quantities. In general, there were adequate quantities of basic items, such as uniforms and personal equipment for routine operations. Sufficient quantities of individual weapons were available, and they were maintained in reasonably good condition. Few depots were able to maintain adequate stock levels. The logistic services were marginally adequate for peacetime needs, but they would have had difficulty meeting requirements of a wartime situation.