5 Euros 50 Years of the Armed Forces of Malta

The Armed Forces of Malta were established in 1970, two years before Malta severed its constitutional ties with the British Crown and became a republic. The force absorbed personnel and infrastructure from the departing British garrison, which had maintained a significant military presence on the islands since the Napoleonic era. Malta's declaration of neutrality in its 1987 constitution complicated the AFM's mandate considerably — it operates without a formal alliance structure, responsible for maritime patrol, search and rescue, and border enforcement in some of the busiest and most migration-stressed waters in the Mediterranean.

Copper-nickel €5 commemoratives from the Central Bank of Malta are issued in modest quantities and see negligible circulation.