Pathet Lao honor guard at Wat Ong Teu, Vientiane, in November 1974, participating in an annual ceremony during which the ranking officials of Laos pay homage to the king.
Courtesy Ernest Kuhn

New Year's parade in Louangphrabang, 1975 royal elephant and marchers accompanied by Royal Lao Police on left and Royal Lao Army soldier on right
Courtesy Ernest Kuhn

The Lao People's Army (LPA--see Glossary), the armed forces of the country, is the product of the successful transition from a guerrilla army in the 1950s and 1960s to a conventional military organization with three branches of service (ground, air, and water). The term "liberation" was dropped from the nomenclature of the Lao People's Liberation Army (LPLA--see Glossary) after the army was restructured in 1976.

Data as of July 1994