Armed Forces of Guatemala


The Guatemalan Armed Forces consists of the National Army of Guatemala, the Guatemalan National Defense Navy, the Guatemalan Air Force, the Guatemalan Militia of 5-a-side football fame and the Presidential Honor Guard.
The Ministry of National Defence is the agency of the Guatemalan government responsible for the budget, training and policy of the armed forces. Based in Guatemala City, the Defence Ministry is heavily guarded, and the President of Guatemala frequently visits. the Minister of National Defence is Major General Luis Miguel Ralda Moreno.
The Minister of Defense is responsible for policy. Day-to-day operations are the responsibility of the military chief of staff and the national defense staff.

History

is a signatory to the Rio Pact and was a member of the Central American Defense Council. The President of the Republic is commander-in-chief.
Prior to 1945 the Defence Ministry was titled the Secretariat of War.
An agreement signed in September 1996, which is one of the substantive peace accords, mandated that the mission of the armed forces change to focus exclusively on external threats. Presidents Álvaro Arzú and his successors Alfonso Portillo, Óscar Berger and Álvaro Colom, have used a constitutional clause to order the army on a temporary basis to support the police in response to a nationwide wave of violent crime, a product of the Mexican criminal organizations going across the north-west region.
The peace accords call for a one-third reduction in the army's authorized strength and budget — achieved in 2004 — and for a constitutional amendment to permit the appointment of a civilian minister of defense. A constitutional amendment to this end was defeated as part of a May 1999 plebiscite, but discussions between the executive and legislative branches continue on how to achieve this objective.
In 2004 the army has gone beyond its accord-mandated target, and has implemented troop reductions from an estimated 28,000 to 15,500 troops, including subordinate air force and navy elements. It is equipped with armaments and material from the United States, Israel, Taiwan, Argentina, Spain, and France. As part of the army downsizing, the operational structure of 19 military zones and three strategic brigades are being recast as several military zones are eliminated and their area of operations absorbed by others. The air force operates three air bases; the navy has two port bases.
The Guatemalan army has a special forces unit known as the Kaibiles. In 2011, a Guatemalan court convicted four members of the Kaibiles, of killing more than 200 civilians in the Dos Erres massacre in 1982. Each man was sentenced to 6,050 years in prison. Their convictions for their roles in the massacre nearly 30 years prior, in which soldiers killed more than 200 men, women, and children, would not have happened if not for the courage of victims of violence and Guatemala's attorney general, Claudia Paz y Paz. After the convictions of the Dos Erres four, based on a Guatemalan government's commitment to reorganize its special forces units, the U.S. Department of Defense resumed military aid.

Organization

The Armed Forces today number at around 39,000 active personnel.

Service branches

Army

The Army or Land Forces are the oldest military branch of the armed forces. In the middle of the 19th century, General Rafael Carrera promoted it with the triumph in the Battle of San José La Arada, dated to 2 February 1851, a date that is today commemorated as the day of this branch.

Navy

It was founded on 15 January 1959, by the then President Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes, due to the need to protect the country's marine resources, which at the time were the object of illegal predation by fishing boats from neighboring countries. It is a state entity with functions as a police agency for seas and rivers.

Air Force

The Guatemalan Air Force constitutes the aviation portion of the Guatemalan Army. Founded in 1921, it is organized, equipped and trained to plan, conduct and execute the actions imposed by the State Military Defense in relation to the use of air power.

Honor Guard

The Presidential Honor Guard of Guatemala is a branch of the Guatemalan Land Forces, responsible for the care and protection of the President of the Republic, as well as the Vice President.

Equipment

Personal Equipment
FirearmCountry of OriginTypeVariantNumber in Service
.38 SpecialUnited States644
AR-10United StatesBattle rifle350
AKMSoviet UnionAssault rifle
AK-74Soviet UnionAssault rifleAKS-74U
Beretta 92ItalySemi-automatic pistol
Beretta M12ItalySubmachine gun
Browning Hi-PowerBelgium/United StatesSemi-automatic pistolMk III
CAR-15United StatesAssault rifleCAR-15 Colt Commando
Colt Model M733
Colt Model 723
Colt Model 727
CETME Model CSpainBattle rifle
FMK-3 submachine gunArgentinaSubmachine gun
FN F2000BelgiumBullpup Assault Rifle
FN Five-sevenBelgiumSemi-automatic pistol
FN MAGBelgiumGeneral-purpose machine gunModel 60-20
FN P90BelgiumPersonal defense weaponFN P90 TR20
IMI GalilIsraelAssault rifleAR\SAR\SAR339\MAR\Kjell50,000
IWI Jericho 941IsraelSemi-automatic pistol
IWI X95IsraelBullpup Assault Rifle
Glock 19AustriaSemi-automatic pistol
M1 GarandUnited StatesSemi-automatic rifle
M2 BrowningUnited StatesHeavy machine gun
M3United StatesSubmachine gun
M4 carbineUnited StatesCarbineM4/M4A1/Colt Model 933200
M16 rifleUnited StatesAssault rifleM16A1/M16A2/M16A316,200
M20 Super BazookaUnited StatesAntitank Rocket Launcher
M72 LAWUnited StatesLight Anti-Tank Weapon
M79 grenade launcherUnited StatesGrenade launcher
M203 grenade launcherUnited StatesGrenade Launcher Module1,000
M1911 pistolUnited StatesSemi-automatic pistol709
M1919 BrowningUnited StatesMedium Machine Gun
MAC-10United StatesMachine pistol
MAC-11United StatesMachine pistol
Madsen M-50DenmarkSubmachine gun
Mini UziIsraelMachine pistol
SIG Sauer P226GermanySemi-automatic pistol
Star Model BMSpainAutomatic pistol
Thompson submachine gunUnited StatesSubmachine gun233
UziIsraelSubmachine gun
Valtro PM-5/PM-5-350Italy12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun
Vz. 58CzechoslovakiaAssault rifle
Walther P38GermanySemi-automatic pistol
GPS SystemsUnited States
Night Vision GogglesUnited States

Vehicles

All data from World Military Intelligence
Armoured Vehicles
PhotoNameOriginTypeNumberNotes
M41Light tank12
ArmadilloAPC70
Cadillac Gage CommandoAPC7-12V-100
Dando 6x6 APC1
M113APC15
M8 GreyhoundArmoured car12Modernised
RBY MK 1Armoured Car25
HumveeArmoured Car"On loan" from the United States

Utility Vehicles
PhotoNameOriginTypeNumberNotes
AbirTransport Truck
Business Class M2
Freightliner Columbia
Hino 500 Series34+Donated by United States.
Hyundai H930CBackhoe Loader
Hyundai RobexExcavator
International 7000-MVTruck
Jeep CJ-7 4x4
Jeep J8 APVPatrol TruckDonated by United States
M35 2½-ton cargo truck2 1/2 Ton Cargo Truck
M373/4 Ton Truck
M151 Truck, Utility, 1/4-Ton, 4×41/4 ton vehicle
Sakai America SV520 SeriesRoad RollerSV520DF
Toyota Hiluxpickup25+

Artillery

Towed artillery