[2] The battalions of the Libyan Army Force were largely used as auxiliaries, constructing defensive works, patrolling, and guarding military installations and prisoners, though they saw combat during the siege of Tobruk.

[1] After the discovery of oil, the Royal Libyan Army was slowly expanded with British assistance and by 1969, it was estimated to have a strength of 6,500 men, about half the size of the armed police (largely recruited from tribes considered loyal by the king).

[1] King Idris, fearing a military led coup largely neglected the Royal Libyan Army,[3] refusing to provide it with tanks, artillery and armored personnel carriers that could potentially be used by mutineers against him,[4] relying instead on the Cyrenaica Defense Force and the Tripolitania Defense Force to protect his reign.

[5] After Gaddafi and his fellow Free Officers severed ties with the United States and the United Kingdom, France became the main supplier of weapons to Libya until 1974, when the Soviet Union agreed to sell vast amounts of weaponry to Libya, far exceeding the needs of the country armed forces.

[9] A high percentage remained in storage and a large amount of equipment has also been donated to friendly countries in the Middle East, Africa, South America, and North Korea as well.

The Libyan Army suffered great losses in these conflicts especially that of the Toyota War of 1987 largely due to poor tactics and western aid to Chad.

In February 2011, the First Civil War broke out and several units of the army mutinied and defected to the opposition, with battles taking place across much of the country.

[16] In 1968, King Idris signed a contract with the British for the installation of an air defense system to be delivered in five years at a cost of US$300 million.

The British would supply anti-air missile systems, radars, and provide training as well, but these plans were cancelled after the monarchy was overthrown in 1969, and Gaddafi sought Soviet assistance instead.

In the case of Uganda, Libya had intervened on Idi Amin's behalf during his first confrontation with neighboring Tanzania in 1972 by airlifting a contingent of 4000 troops.

During the invasion of Uganda by Tanzanian troops and Ugandan exiles in 1978, a new Libyan force estimated at 2,000 to 2,500 was sent, assisting in the defence of Entebbe and Kampala by covering road junctions with armored equipment.

Chad's victory was the result of a combination of Western funding, weapons and intelligence and Chadian courage, tactics and leadership.

The Chad forces displayed some remarkable tactical innovations: they used Toyota all-terrain vehicles, lightly armored French-made Panhard cars, and Milan antitank and Stinger antiaircraft missiles to destroy Libyan tanks and planes.

[32] On Saturday, 19 March 2011, France began enforcement of the resolution by deploying French fighter aircraft over Libyan airspace.