Armed Forces of Guatemala
The Guatemalan Armed Forces consists of the National Army of Guatemala (Ejercito Nacional de Guatemala, ENG), the Guatemalan National Defense Navy (Marina de la Defensa Nacional, includes Marines), the Guatemalan Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Guatemalteca, FAG), and the Presidential Honor Guard (Guardia de Honor Presidencial).
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. As of 2017 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.
The Día del Ejército (Army Day or Armed Forces Day) is celebrated on 30 June, although if it occurs on a Tuesday or Wednesday it is celebrated on the prior Monday, and if it occurs on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday it moves to the following Monday.
The Armed Forces today number at around 39,000 active personnel.
The "Constitutive Law of the Army of Guatemala", in its title II Organization of the Army of Guatemala,
Chapter I, Article 13, literally says: "The President of the Republic in his capacity as
General Commander of the Army, the Minister of National Defense and the Chief of the
National Defense Staff , constitute the High Command of the Army of Guatemala ".
The Army of Guatemala is an institution destined to maintain the independence, sovereignty and honor of Guatemala, the integrity of the territory, peace and internal and external security. It is unique and indivisible, essentially professional, apolitical, obedient and non-deliberative. It is made up of land, air and sea forces. Its organization is hierarchical and is based on the principles of discipline and obedience.
Service branches
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Guatemalan Army
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Guatemalan Air Force
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Guatemalan Navy
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Presidential Honor Guard
Military age 18
Active personnel 106,114
Reserve personnel 90,000
Budget USD $120 million (FY99)
Percent of GDP 0.6% (FY99)
Ref: Wikipedia; mindef.mil.gt.
Fuerzas Armadas de Guatemala
Guatemalan Air Force
Guatemalan
Army
Guatemalan
Navy
Presidential Honor Guard
Guatemalan Air Force
The Guatemalan Air Force is a small air force composed mostly of U.S.-made aircraft throughout its history. The FAG is a subordinate to the Guatemalan Military and its commanding officer reports to the Defence Minister.
The mission of the Guatemalan Air Force is to "plan and conduct aerial operations to maintain and guarantee the sovereignty of the national air space, through aerial combat, supporting ground units, with the purpose of dissuading, neutralizing or destroying any threat against national obrectives, as well as cooperating with the other State institutions to accomplish national efforts."
The vision of the Guatemalan Air Force is "The Guatemalan Air Force will transform its Air Commands, its Training and Professionalization Centers, as well as its Air Reserve, to turn them into units with a greater mobilization, coordination and communication between them, to maximize their administrative and operational capacity, basing on a centralized command, and a descentralized execution, and a series of coordinated efforts, to adequately maintain itself organized, equipped and trained to plan, conduct and execute the actions that the Military Defence of the State imposes on the use of air power, as well as participating in military operations in service to the Nation, such as peace maintenance and/or natural disaster prevention. All of this within the legal statutes of our country, and the search for the most efficient use of assigned resources."
The Guatemalan Air Force was restructured in 2003, along with the rest of the Guatemalan Army. Now it is composed of three operational commands, along with 2 schools, a Hospital (Hospitalito de la Fuerza Aerea Guatemalteca), a Presidential Transport Squadron (Escuadron Presidencial), and a Headquarters Command (Comandancia de la Fuerza Aerea Guatemalteca). The three operational commands are: Comando Aereo Central (Central Air Command) located in La Aurora in Guatemala City and sharing space with the Comandancia de la Fuerza Aerea Guatemalteca, the Comando Aereo del Sur (Southern Air Command) located in Retalhuleu and the Comando Aereo del Norte (Northern Air Command) located in Mundo Maya. The two schools are the Escuela Militar de Aviacion (Military Aviation School, or EMA) which trains new pilots and standardizes pilots trained in other countries. The school is based in Retalhuleu, but does temporary detachments all over the country for training. The other school is the Escuela Tecnica Militar de Aviacion (Technical Military Aviation School, ETMA) which is a military high school that trains all of the FAG's new mechanics and is located at La Aurora. The Hospital and Presidential Transport Squadron are also located in La Aurora but are not located within the Comando Aereo Central.
Further, the Air Force personnel are separated into four main specialties: Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing, Maintenance, and Air Defence. These four specialties form Squadrons or Units which are represented in every Command and operating location.
Most FAG Aircraft are based at La Aurora, but perform detachments as necessary to other bases as operations require. The exception for this is the EMA aircraft, the Presidential aircraft, and a few aircraft permanently based at the two other Operational Commands.
Founded 1921;
Size 34 aircraft
Ref: Wikipedia.
Equipment
Utility Aircraft
Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca
National Army of Guatemala
The Ground Forces is the majority component of the Guatemalan Army. It is made up of a set of legally created units and through the use of the resources with which it is endowed, it serves to conduct the defense of the Nation. It must conform to certain standards of conduct, treatment, operation and protocol, with more or less circumstantial variants and with the modifications and changes that are imposed by new trends, means of transport and new ways of life that revolutionize each era and each Nation. In the performance of its functions, it adapts its organization, means and training to a deployment and adequate performance to the territorial division in force in peacetime.
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.
The preservation of the territorial integrity, the terrestrial deterrence, the organization for the military defense of the Nation, as well as the structuring of the human, territorial, economic and material resources that the State assigns. In peacetime it will dedicate its main effort to education, training, strategic readiness, peacekeeping operations and the conduct of humanitarian support missions, internally and externally. In time of war, it will be used under a unified command within a defense strategy, depending on the nature of the threat or opponent, without losing sight of the factors of location, time, space and technological advance.
In addition to this, it includes organizing, training and equipping the necessary forces to react effectively and develop military operations (territorial integrity, deterrence and land military defense) that the higher authority orders.
Ref: Wikipedia; mindef.mil.gt
Equipment
FUERZAS DE TIERRA
National Defense Navy
The National Defense Navy was founded on January 15, 1959 by order of the General Lord and Engineer Miguel Idígoras Fuentes, Constitutional President of the Republic of Guatemala, when the presidential agreement that protects its creation is issued. This is created in the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla and with it, the history of the Caribbean Naval Command, together with the Merchant Navy of the country. It was Lieutenant Colonel of Artillery Manuel Francisco Sosa Ávila, who began commanding the new Navy Base, to guide the young Guatemalan sailors into their new profession, directing them along the paths of preparation and the fulfillment of duty, to preserve the maritime interests of the nation.
The afloat units that started the National Defense Navy, from that memorable January 15, 1,959, were three mid-engined whaling-type vessels, fifty (50) feet in length and were used under the names of: Retalhuleu , Mazatenango and Escuintla, in honor of the departments of our country. Brigadier General Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Constitutional President of the Republic in a government agreement dated January 14, 1972, founded the Pacific Naval Base based in the village of Sipacate, municipality of La Gomera, department of Escuintla with the purpose of to maintain control of both oceans.
On October 28, 1983, Major General Oscar Humberto Mejía Victores, Head of State and Minister of National Defense, considers that for tactical and strategic reasons he issues Government Agreement number 790-83, which orders the change of headquarters of the Pacific Naval Base, from the village of Sipacate, La Gomera municipality to Puerto Quetzal, Puerto de San José municipality, where it is currently located in order to maintain better control in the Pacific Sea. On August 8, 2013, in Government Agreement No. 288-2013, of the Ministry of National Defense, created the Marine Infantry Brigade, based in the municipality of Puerto Barrios, department of Izabal, as a strategic brigade, with operational responsibility in inland waters (lake and river) and on the coastlines of the entire Republic.
On July 17, 2017, the Naval Special Force Command was created as a Strategic Naval Command, under the operational control of the National Defense Navy Command and at the command of the National Defense Chief of Staff.
In a very brief way, the history of the National Defense Navy is summarized, these being the units that make it up and that allow it to fulfill its constitutional mission, as well as being at the service of all Guatemalans.
Ref: mindef.mil.gt
Equipment
Marina de la Defensa Nacional
Presidential Honor Guard
Guardia de Honor Presidencial
The Presidential Honor Guard is a branch of the Armed Forces of Guatemala. which is responsible for ceremonial duties of state as well as the protection of the President of Guatemala and his/her Vice President. It currently has its headquarters at Avenida De La Barranquilla.
The Presidential Guard is made up of around 350 military personnel, and forms the third security ring for the Guatemalan presidency. Since 1998, the security of the president and his/her family has been led by the Secretariat of Administrative Affairs of the Presidency and the Presidential General Staff. In April 2008, it was announced that it will be converted into a special anti-drug group.
Ref: Wikipedia.
Equipment
