In previous articles, we talked about the armed forces of Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, which have always been considered the most combat-ready on the Central American "isthmus". Among the countries of Central America, about whose armed forces we will describe below, Honduras occupies a special place. For almost the entire 20th century, this Central American state remained the main US satellite in the region and a reliable conductor of American influence. Unlike Guatemala or Nicaragua, left-wing governments did not come to power in Honduras, and the guerrilla movements could not compare in their numbers and scale of activity with the Nicaraguan Sandinista National Liberation Front or the Salvadoran National Liberation Front. Farabundo Marty.
"Banana army": how the armed forces of Honduras were created
Honduras is bordered by Nicaragua in the southeast, El Salvador in the southwest and Guatemala in the west, washed by the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Over 90% of the country's population is mestizo, another 7% are Indians, about 1.5% are blacks and mulattoes, and only 1% of the population are whites. In 1821, Honduras, like other countries of Central America, was freed from the power of the Spanish crown, but was immediately annexed by Mexico, which at that time was ruled by General Augustin Iturbide. However, already in 1823 the Central American countries managed to regain independence and create a federation - the United States of Central America. Honduras also entered it. However, 15 years later, the federation began to fall apart due to serious political differences between local political elites. On October 26, 1838, the Legislative Assembly, meeting in the city of Comayagua, proclaimed the political sovereignty of the Republic of Honduras. The subsequent history of Honduras, like many other Central American countries, is a series of uprisings and military coups. But even against the background of its neighbors, Honduras was the most economically backward state.
By the beginning of the twentieth century. the country was considered the poorest and least developed on the Central American "isthmus", yielding to El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and other countries in the region. It was the economic backwardness of Honduras that caused it to fall into complete economic and political dependence on the United States. Honduras has become a real banana republic and this characteristic can not be taken into quotes, since bananas were the main export item, and their cultivation has become the main branch of the Honduran economy. Over 80% of Honduras' banana plantations were managed by American companies. At the same time, unlike Guatemala or Nicaragua, the Honduran leadership was not burdened with a dependent position. One pro-American dictator replaced another, and the United States acted as an arbiter, regulating relations between the opposing clans of the Honduran elite. At times, the United States had to intervene in the country's political life to prevent an armed conflict or another military coup.
As in other countries of Central America, in Honduras the army has always played the most important role in the political life of the country. The history of the armed forces of Honduras began in the middle of the 19th century, when the country gained political independence from the United States of Central America. In fact, the roots of the country's armed forces go back to the era of the struggle against the Spanish colonialists, when rebel groups were formed in Central America against the territorial battalions of the Spanish captaincy general of Guatemala. On December 11, 1825, the first head of state, Dionisio de Herrer, created the country's armed forces. Initially, they included 7 battalions, each of which was stationed in one of the seven departments of Honduras - Comayagua, Tegucigalpa, Choluteca, Olancho, Graciase, Santa Barbara and Yoro. The battalions were also named by the names of the departments. In 1865, the first attempt was made to create its own naval forces, but it soon had to be abandoned, because Honduras did not have the financial resources to acquire its own fleet. In 1881, the first Military Code of Honduras was adopted, which prescribed the fundamentals of army organization and management. In 1876, the country's leadership adopted the Prussian military doctrine as the basis for the construction of the armed forces. The reorganization of the country's military schools began. In 1904, a new military school was founded, which was then headed by the Chilean officer Colonel Luis Segundo. In 1913, an artillery school was founded, the head of which was appointed Colonel Alfredo Labro of French origin. The armed forces continued to play an important role in the life of the country. When the government conference of Central American countries was held in Washington in 1923, at which the "Treaty of Peace and Friendship" with the United States and the "Convention on the Reduction of Arms" were signed, the maximum strength of the armed forces of Honduras was set at 2,500 troops. At the same time, it was allowed to invite foreign military advisers to train the Honduran army. Around the same time, the United States began to provide significant military assistance to the government of Honduras, which suppressed peasant uprisings. So, in 1925, 3 thousand rifles, 20 machine guns and 2 million cartridges were transferred from the USA. Aid to Honduras increased significantly after the signing of the Inter-American Mutual Assistance Treaty in September 1947. By 1949, the armed forces of Honduras consisted of ground forces, air and coastal units, and their number reached 3 thousand people. The air force of the country, created in 1931, had 46 aircraft, and the naval forces - 5 patrol vessels. The next military assistance agreement was signed between the United States and Honduras on May 20, 1952, but a massive increase in US military aid to Central American states followed the Cuban Revolution. The events in Cuba seriously frightened the American leadership, after which it was decided to support the armed forces and police of Central American states in the fight against rebel groups.
In 1962, Honduras became a member of the Central American Defense Council (CONDECA, Consejo de Defensa Centroamericana), where it remained until 1971. The training of Honduran military personnel in American military schools began. So, only in the period from 1972 to 1975. 225 Honduran officers were trained in the United States. The number of the country's armed forces was also significantly increased. In 1975, the number of the armed forces of Honduras was already about 11, 4 thousand military personnel. 10 thousand soldiers and officers served in the ground forces, another 1200 people served in the air force, 200 people served in the naval forces. In addition, the National Guard numbered 2,500 troops. The Air Force, which had three squadrons, was armed with 26 training, combat and transport aircraft. Three years later, in 1978, the size of the Honduran armed forces increased to 14 thousand people. The ground forces numbered 13 thousand people and consisted of 10 infantry battalions, a battalion of the presidential guard and 3 artillery batteries. The air force, which had 18 aircraft, continued to serve 1,200 troops. The only example of the war waged by Honduras in the second half of the twentieth century is the so-called. "Football War" - a conflict with neighboring El Salvador in 1969, the formal reason for which was riots organized by football fans. In fact, the reason for the conflict between the two neighboring states was territorial disputes and the resettlement of Salvadoran migrants to Honduras as a less populated, but larger country. The Salvadoran army managed to defeat the armed forces of Honduras, but in general, the war caused great damage to both countries. As a result of hostilities, at least 2 thousand people died, and the Honduran army proved to be much less agile and modern than the armed forces of El Salvador.
Modern army of Honduras
Since Honduras managed to avoid the fate of its neighbors - Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador, where large-scale guerrilla wars of communist organizations against government forces were going on, the country's armed forces could undergo "baptism of fire" outside the country. So, in the 1980s. The Honduran army has repeatedly sent armed units to help the Salvadoran government forces fighting the rebels of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front. The Sandinista victory in Nicaragua prompted the United States of America to pay even closer attention to its main satellite in Central America. The volume of financial and military assistance to Honduras has increased sharply, as the number of the armed forces has also grown. In the 1980s. the number of personnel of the armed forces of Honduras increased from 14, 2 thousand to 24, 2 thousand people. Additional teams of US military advisers, including instructors from the Green Berets, who were to train Honduran commandos in anti-guerrilla warfare methods, arrived to train Honduran army personnel. Another important military partner of the country was Israel, which also sent about 50 military advisers and specialists to Honduras and began to supply armored vehicles and small arms for the needs of the Honduran army. An air base was established in Palmerola, 7 airstrips were repaired, from which helicopters took off with cargo and volunteers for the contras detachments waging a guerrilla war against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. In 1982, joint US-Honduran military exercises began and became regular. First of all, in front of the armed forces of Honduras in the 1980s. the tasks of fighting the partisan movement were set, since the American patrons of Tegucigalpa rightly feared the spread of the revolutionary movement to the neighboring countries of Nicaragua and the emergence of the Sandinista underground in Honduras itself. But this did not happen - backward in socio-economic terms, Honduras lagged behind in politics - the Honduran left never had an influence in the country comparable to the influence of the Salvadoran or Nicaraguan left organizations.
Currently, the number of the armed forces of Honduras is about 8, 5 thousand people. In addition, 60 thousand people are in the reserve of the armed forces. The armed forces include the ground forces, the air force and the naval forces. The ground forces number 5, 5 thousand servicemen and include 5 infantry brigades (101st, 105th, 110th, 115th, 120th) and the command of the Special Operations Forces, as well as separate parts of the army - 10th Infantry Battalion, 1st Military Engineering Battalion and a separate logistics support team for the ground forces. The 101st Infantry Brigade includes the 11th Infantry Battalion, the 4th Artillery Battalion and the 1st Armored Cavalry Regiment. The 105th Infantry Brigade includes the 3rd, 4th and 14th Infantry Battalions and the 2nd Artillery Battalion. The 110th Infantry Brigade includes the 6th and 9th Infantry Battalions and the 1st Signal Battalion. The 115th Infantry Brigade includes the 5th, 15th and 16th Infantry Battalions and an army military training center. The 120th Infantry Brigade includes the 7th Infantry and 12th Infantry Battalions. The Special Operations Forces include the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions, the 1st Artillery Battalion, and the 1st Special Forces Battalion.
In service with the country's ground forces are: 12 light tanks of British production "Scorpion", 89 BRM ((16 Israeli RBY-1, 69 British "Saladin", 1 "Sultan", 3 "Simiter"), 48 artillery weapons and 120 mortars, 88 anti-aircraft guns The Honduran Air Force has 1,800 troops The Air Force has 49 combat aircraft and 12 helicopters. Among the combat aircraft of the Honduran Air Force should be noted 6 old American F-5 (4 E, 2 combat training F), 6 American anti-guerrilla light attack aircraft A-37B. In addition, there are 11 French Super Mister fighters, 2 old AC-47 and a number of other aircraft Transport aviation is represented by 1 C-130A, 2 Cessna-182, 1 Cessna-185, 5 Cessna-210, 1 IAI-201, 2 PA-31, 2 Czech L-410, 1 Brazilian ERJ135. In addition, a significant number of old transport aircraft are in storage. Honduran pilots are learning to fly on 7 Brazilian aircraft EMB-312, 7 American MXT-7-180. In addition, the country's Air Force has 10 helicopters - 6 American Bell-412, 1 Bell-429, 2 UH-1H, 1 French AS350.
The Honduran naval forces have about 1,000 officers and sailors and are armed with 12 modern patrol and landing boats. Among them, it should be noted 2 boats of the Dutch construction of the "Lempira" type ("Damen 4207"), 6 boats "Damen 1102". In addition, the Navy has 30 small boats with weak weapons. These are: 3 Guaimuras boats, 5 Nakaome boats, 3 Tegucigalpa boats, 1 Hamelekan boat, 8 Pirana river boats and 10 Boston river boats. In addition to the crew, the Honduran Navy also includes 1 Marine battalion. Sometimes, units of the armed forces of Honduras take part in operations conducted by the American army on the territory of other states. So, from August 3, 2003 to May 4, 2004, a Honduran contingent of 368 troops was in Iraq as part of the Plus-Ultra brigade. This brigade consisted of 2,500 troops from Spain, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, and was part of the Center-West Division under the command of Poland (more than half of the brigade's troops were Spanish, the rest were officers and soldiers from Central America).
The recruitment of the armed forces of Honduras is carried out by conscription for military service for a period of 2 years. The officers of the Armed Forces of Honduras are trained in the following military educational institutions: Honduras Defense University in Tegucigalpa, Honduras Military Academy. General Francisco Morazana in Las Tapias, the Military Aviation Academy at the Comayagua Air Base, the Honduran Naval Academy in the port of La Ceiba on the Caribbean Sea, and the Northern Higher Military School in San Pedro Sula. The country's armed forces have military ranks similar to the hierarchy of military ranks in other Central American countries, but with their own specifics. In the ground forces and the Air Force, in general, identical, but with some differences, ranks are established: 1) divisional general, 2) brigadier general, 3) colonel (aviation colonel), 4) lieutenant colonel (aviation lieutenant colonel), 5) major (major aviation), 6) captain (aviation captain), 7) lieutenant (aviation lieutenant), 8) sub-lieutenant (aviation sub-lieutenant), 9) sub-officer class 3 commander (sub-officer class 3 chief aviation master), 10) sub -Officer class 2 commander (class 2 sub-officer senior master of aviation), 11) sub-officer class 1 commander (class 1 sub-officer aviation master), 12) sergeant major 13) first sergeant 14) second sergeant 15) third sergeant, 16) corporal (air security corporal), 17) soldier (air security soldier). In the Honduran naval forces, the ranks are established: 1) vice admiral, 2) rear admiral, 3) ship captain, 4) frigate captain, 5) corvette captain, 6) ship lieutenant, 7) frigate lieutenant, 8) frigate alferes, 9) countermaster class 1, 10) countermaster class 2, 11) countermaster class 3, 12) naval sergeant major, 13) naval first sergeant, 14) naval second sergeant, 15) naval third sergeant, 16) naval corporal, 17) sailor.
Command of the country's armed forces is exercised by the President through the Secretary of State for National Defense and the Chief of the General Staff. Currently, Brigadier General Francisco Isayas Alvarez Urbino holds the post of Chief of the General Staff. The Commander of the Ground Forces is Brigadier General Rene Orlando Fonseca, the Air Force is Brigadier General Jorge Alberto Fernández López, and the Naval Forces is the captain of the ship Jesús Benítez. Currently, Honduras continues to be one of the key US satellites in Central America. The American leadership views Honduras as one of the most obedient allies in Latin America. At the same time, Honduras is one of the most problematic countries of the "isthmus". There is a very low standard of living, a high level of crime, which prompts the government of the country to use the army, first of all, to perform police functions.
Costa Rica: the most peaceful country and its Civil Guard
Costa Rica is the most unusual country in Central America. Firstly, here, in comparison with other countries in the region, a very high standard of living (2nd place in the region after Panama), and secondly, it is considered a "white" country. "White" descendants of European immigrants from Spain (Galicia and Aragon) make up 65.8% of the population of Costa Rica, 13.6% are mestizos, 6.7% are mulattos, 2.4% are Indians and 1% are blacks … Another highlight of Costa Rica is the absence of an army. The Costa Rican Constitution, adopted on November 7, 1949, prohibited the creation and maintenance of a permanent professional army in peacetime. Until 1949, Costa Rica had its own armed forces. By the way, unlike other countries in Central and South America, Costa Rica escaped the war of independence. In 1821, after the proclamation of independence by the Captaincy General of Guatemala, Costa Rica also became an independent country, and its inhabitants learned about the country's sovereignty with a delay of two months. At the same time, in 1821, the construction of the national army began. However, Costa Rica, relatively calm by Central American standards, was not much puzzled by military issues. By 1890, the country's armed forces consisted of a regular army of 600 soldiers and officers and a reserve militia with more than 31,000 reservists. In 1921, Costa Rica tried to present territorial claims to neighboring Panama and sent part of its troops into Panamanian territory, but the United States soon intervened in the conflict, after which Costa Rican troops withdrew from Panama. In accordance with the "Treaty of Peace and Friendship" with the United States and the "Convention on the Reduction of Arms", signed in 1923 in Washington, Costa Rica pledged to have an army of no more than 2 thousand troops.
By December 1948, the total strength of the Costa Rican armed forces was 1,200. However, in 1948-1949. there was a civil war in the country, after the termination of which a decision was made to liquidate the armed forces. Instead of the armed forces, the Costa Rican Civil Guard was created. In 1952, the Civil Guard numbered 500 people, another 2 thousand people served in the National Police of Costa Rica. Civil Guard officers were trained at the School of the Americas in the Panama Canal Zone, and police officers were trained in the United States. Despite the fact that formally the Civil Guard did not have the status of the armed forces, armored personnel carriers were at the disposal of the guard units, and in 1964,an aviation squadron was created as part of the Civil Guard. By 1976, the number of the Civil Guard, including the coast guard and aviation, was about 5 thousand people. The United States continued to provide the most significant military-technical, financial and organizational assistance in strengthening the Costa Rican Civil Guard. So, the United States supplied weapons, trained officers of the Civil Guard.
The United States has been most active in helping Costa Rica to strengthen the Civil Guard since the early 1980s, after the Sandinista victory in Nicaragua. Although there was no guerrilla movement in Costa Rica, the United States nevertheless did not want to spread revolutionary ideas to this country, for which great attention was paid to strengthening the police services. In 1982, with the help of the United States, the DIS - Security and Intelligence Directorate was created, two anti-terrorist companies of the Civil Guard were formed - the first company was stationed in the San Juan River area and consisted of 260 troops, and the second was deployed on the Atlantic coast and consisted of 100 troops. Also in 1982, a volunteer society OPEN was created, in 7-14-week courses of which everyone was taught how to handle small arms, the basics of combat tactics and medical assistance. This is how the 5-thousandth reserve of the Civil Guard was prepared. In 1985, the 800-strong Relampagos Border Guard Battalion was created under the guidance of instructors from the American Green Berets. and a 750-man special forces battalion. The need to create special forces was explained by the growing conflicts with the militants of the Nicaraguan Contras, several camps of which operated on the territory of Costa Rica. By 1993, the total number of the armed formations of Costa Rica (civil guard, sea guard and border police) was 12 thousand people. In 1996, a reform of the country's security forces was carried out, in accordance with which the Civil Guard, the Maritime Guard and the Border Police were merged into the “Community Forces of Costa Rica”. The stabilization of the political situation in Central America contributed to the reduction of the number of armed formations in Costa Rica from 12 thousand people in 1993 to 7 thousand people in 1998.
Currently, the leadership of the security forces of Costa Rica is carried out by the head of state through the Ministry of Public Security. Subordinate to the Ministry of Public Security are: Civil Guard of Costa Rica (4,500 people), which includes the Air Surveillance Service; National Police (2 thousand people), Border Police (2, 5 thousand people), Coast Guard (400 people). Operating as part of the Costa Rican Civil Guard, the Air Surveillance Service is armed with 1 DHC-7 light aircraft, 2 Cessna 210 aircraft, 2 PA-31 Navajo aircraft and 1 PA-34-200T aircraft, as well as 1 MD 600N helicopter. … The ground forces of the Civil Guard include 7 territorial companies - in Alayuel, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas and San Jose, and 3 battalions - 1 presidential guard battalion, 1 border security battalion (on the border with Nicaragua) and 1 anti-terrorist counter-guerrilla battalion … In addition, there is an anti-terrorist group of special actions, numbering 60-80 fighters, divided into assault groups of 11 people and teams of 3-4 people. All of these forces are called upon to ensure the national security of Costa Rica, to fight crime, drug trafficking and illegal migration, and, if necessary, to protect the borders of the state.
Panama: when the police replaced the army
Costa Rica's southeastern neighbor, Panama, has also not had its own armed forces since 1990. The liquidation of the country's armed forces was the result of the American military operation of 1989-1990, as a result of which the President of Panama, General Manuel Noriega, was overthrown, arrested and taken to the United States. Until 1989the country possessed a fairly large military force by Central American standards, the history of which was inextricably linked with the history of Panama itself. The first paramilitary units in Panama appeared in 1821, when Central America fought against the Spanish colonialists. Then the lands of modern Panama became part of Greater Colombia, and after its collapse in 1830 - into the Republic of New Granada, which existed until 1858 and included the territories of Panama, Colombia, as well as part of the lands that are now part of Ecuador and Venezuela.
Since about 1840s. the United States of America began to show great interest in the Isthmus of Panama. It was under American influence that Panama separated from Colombia. On November 2, 1903, ships of the US naval forces arrived in Panama, and on November 3, 1903, Panama's independence was proclaimed. Already on November 18, 1903, an agreement was signed between Panama and the United States, according to which the United States received the right to deploy its armed forces in Panamanian territory and to control the Panama Canal zone. Since that time, Panama has become a complete satellite of the United States, in fact, under external control. In 1946, in the Panama Canal zone, on the territory of the American military base Fort Amador, the Latin American Training Center was created, later moved to the Fort Gulik base and renamed the School of the Americas. Here, under the guidance of instructors from the US Army, military personnel from many countries of Central and South America were trained. The defense and security of Panama at that time was provided by the units of the national police, on the basis of which the Panama National Guard was created in December 1953. In 1953, the National Guard consisted of 2,000 military personnel armed with small arms, mostly of American production. The Panama National Guard regularly participated in the suppression of student and peasant uprisings in the country, including in battles with small guerrilla groups that became active in the 1950s and 1960s.
On October 11, 1968, a military coup took place in Panama, organized by a group of National Guard officers who sympathized with left-wing nationalist and anti-imperialist ideas. Lieutenant Colonel Omar Efrain Torrijos Herrera (1929-1981) came to power in the country - a professional military man who, since 1966, served as executive secretary of the Panama National Guard, and before that commanded the 5th military zone that covered the northwestern province of Chiriqui. A graduate of the military school. Gerardo Barrios in El Salvador, Omar Torrijos practically from the first days of his service began to create an illegal revolutionary officer organization in the ranks of the National Guard. With the arrival of Torrijos, relations between Panama and the United States cracked. So, Torrijos refused to renew the US lease agreement for a military base in Rio Hato. In addition, in 1977, the Panama Canal Treaty and the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Canal Treaty were signed, providing for the return of the canal to Panama's jurisdiction. The social reforms and achievements of Panama under Omar Torrijos require a separate article. After the death of Torrijos in a plane crash, clearly orchestrated by his enemies, the actual power in the country fell into the hands of General Manuel Noriega (born 1934) - the head of the Military Intelligence and Counterintelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the National Guard, who became the commander of the National Guard and, without formally occupying the post of head states, nevertheless, exercised real leadership of the country. In 1983, the National Guard was reorganized into the Panama National Defense Force. By this time, Panama was no longer using US military assistance. Realizing perfectly well that the complication of relations with the United States is fraught with intervention, Noriega increased the strength of the National Defense Forces to 12 thousand people, and also created the Dignidad volunteer battalions with a total strength of 5 thousand.people armed with small arms from the warehouses of the National Guard. By 1989, the Panama National Defense Forces included the ground forces, the air force and the naval forces. The ground forces numbered 11.5 thousand servicemen and included 7 infantry companies, 1 paratrooper company and militia battalions, were armed with 28 armored vehicles. The Air Force, numbering 200 troops, had 23 aircraft and 20 helicopters. The naval forces, numbering 300 people, were armed with 8 patrol boats. But in December 1989, as a result of the American invasion of Panama, General Noriega's regime was overthrown.
On February 10, 1990, the new pro-American President of Panama, Guillermo Endara, announced the disbandment of the armed forces. Currently, the Ministry of Public Security is responsible for ensuring national security of Panama. Under his command are the Civil Security Forces: 1) Panama National Police, 2) Panama National Air and Maritime Service, 3) Panama National Border Service. The Panama National Police has 11,000 employees and includes 1 presidential guard battalion, 1 military police battalion, 8 separate military police companies, 18 police companies and a special forces detachment. The air service employs 400 people and is armed with 15 light and transport aircraft and 22 helicopters. The naval service numbers 600 people and is armed with 5 large and 13 small patrol boats, 9 auxiliary ships and boats. Panama's National Border Service has over 4,000 troops. It is this paramilitary structure that is entrusted with the main tasks of defending the borders of Panama, but in addition, border guards are involved in ensuring national security, constitutional order and in the fight against crime. Currently, Panama's National Border Guard Service includes 7 combat battalions and 1 logistics battalion. On the border with Colombia, 6 battalions - the Caribbean battalion, the Central battalion, the Pacific battalion, the River battalion, the battalion named after V. I. General José de Fabregas and the logistics battalion. On the border with the Republic of Costa Rica, a western special-purpose battalion is deployed, which also includes 3 companies of special forces - anti-drug, jungle operations, attacks and the introduction of "Cobra".
Thus, Panama currently has a lot in common with Costa Rica in terms of ensuring the country's defense - it has also abandoned the regular armed forces, and is content with paramilitary police forces, which, however, are comparable in size to the armed forces of other Central American states.
Defense forces of the smallest country "Isthmus"
Concluding our review of the armed forces of Central America, we will also tell you about the army of Belize - the seventh country of the "Isthmus", which is not often mentioned in the media. Belize is the only English-speaking country on the Isthmus. This is a former British colony, until 1973 called "British Honduras". Belize gained political independence in 1981. The population of the country is more than 322 thousand people, while 49.7% of the population are Spanish-Indian mestizos (speaking English), 22.2% - Anglo-African mulattoes, 9.9% - Maya Indians, 4, 6% - for "garifuna" (Afro-Indian mestizos), another 4, 6% - for "whites" (mainly - Germans-Mennonites) and 3, 3% - for immigrants from China, India and Arab countries. Belize's military history dates back to the colonial era and dates back to 1817, when the Royal Honduran Militia was created. Later this structure underwent many renaming and by the 1970s. was called the "Volunteer Guard of British Honduras" (since 1973 - the Volunteer Guard of Belize). In 1978 g.the Belize Defense Force was established on the basis of the Belize Volunteer Guard. The main assistance in the organization, provision of military equipment and weapons, financing of the Belize Defense Forces is traditionally provided by Great Britain. Until 2011, British units were stationed on the territory of Belize, one of the tasks of which was, among other things, to ensure the country's security from territorial claims from neighboring Guatemala.
Currently, the Belize Defense Force, Police Department and National Coast Guard are subordinate to the Belize Ministry of National Security. The Belize Defense Force has 1,050 troops. Recruitment is carried out on a contract basis, and the number of those wishing to enter the military service is three times the number of available vacancies. The Belize Defense Forces are composed of: 3 infantry battalions, each of which, in turn, consists of three infantry companies; 3 reserve companies; 1 support group; 1 aircraft wing. In addition, the country has a Belize Police Department with 1,200 police officers and 700 civil servants. The Belize Defense Forces are assisted in training and maintaining military equipment by British military advisers stationed in the country. Of course, the military potential of Belize is insignificant and in the event of an attack on this country, even the same Guatemala, the country's Defense Forces have no chance of winning. But, since Belize is a former British colony and is under the protection of Great Britain, in the event of a conflict, the country's Defense Forces can always count on the operational assistance of the British army, air force and navy.
