Mali gained independence from France in 1960. In October of that year, the Malian armed forces were formed by a combination of Malian conscripts and volunteer veterans of the French Armed Force. 

In the years following independence, the military relied on the Soviet Union for support and training. 

Weakened by the collapse of the Soviet Union and a rebellion by Tuareg separatists, the army has been rebuilt with assistance from France and the USA. Today Mali is an active contributor to peacekeeping forces in West and Central Africa as befits the eighth-largest country in Africa.  

In recent years, the importance of the army has been underlined by their efforts to subdue Islamist militants in eastern Mali, with 24 soldiers killed in an attack in November 2019.