Airmed Forces o Guatemala

The **Guatemalan Airmed Forces** conseest o the Naitionsl Airmy o 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), an the Presidential Honour Gaird (*Guardia de Honor Presidencial*).

The Meenistry o Naitional Defence is the agency o the Guatemalan govrenment responsible for the budget, training an policy o the airmed forces. Based in Guatemala Ceety, the Defence Meenistry is heivily gairded, and the Preses o Guatemala frequently veesits.   the Meenister o Naitional Defence is Major General Luis Miguel Ralda Moreno.

The Meenister o Defence is responsible for policy. Day-tae-day operations are the responsibility o the militar chief o staff an the national defense staff.

## History

Guatemala is a signatory tae the Rio Pact an wis a member o the Central American Defence Cooncil (CONDECA). The Preses o the Republic is commander-in-chief.

Prior tae 1945 the Defence Meenistry was titled the Secretariat o War (*Secretaría de la Guerra*).

An agreement signed in September 1996, which is ane o the substantive peace accords, mandatit that the mission o the airmed forces chynge tae focus exclusively on external threats. Preses Álvaro Arzú an his successors Alfonso Portillo, Óscar Berger an Álvaro Colom, hae uised a constitutional clause tae order the airmy on a temporary basis tae support the police in response tae a naitionwide wave o violent crime, a product o the Mexican criminal organisations gaein across the north-wast region.

The peace accords call for a ane-third reduction in the airmy's authorised strength an budget &mdash; achieved in 2004 &mdash; an for a consteetutional amendment tae permit the appointment o a ceevilian meenister o defence. A consteetutional amendment tae this end wis defeatit as pairt o a mey 1999 plebiscite, but discussions atween the executive an legislative branches continue on hou tae achieve this objective.

In 2004 the airmy haes gone beyond its accord-mandatit target, an has implemented troop reductions frae an estimatit 28,000 tae 15,500 truips, including\ subordinate air force (1,000) an navy (1,000) elements. It is equipped wi airmament an material frae the United States, Israel, Taiwan, Argentinae, Spain, an Fraunce. As pairt o the airmy dounsizin, the operational structure o 19 military zones an three strategic brigades are being recast as seiveral militar zones are eliminatit an thair aurie o operations absorbed bi ithers. The air force operates three air bases; the navy haes twa port bases.

The Guatemalan airmy haes a special forces unit (specialisin in anti-insurgent jungle warfare) kent as the Kaibiles. In 2011, a Guatemalan coort convictit fower members of the Kaibiles, o killing mair nor 200 ceevilians in the Dos Erres massacre in 1982. Each man wis sentenced tae 6,050 years in prison. Thair convictions for thair roles in the massacre nearly 30 years prior, in which sodgers killed mair nor 200 men, weemen, an childer, waud nae hae happened if nae for the courage o victims o violence an Guatemala's attorney general, Claudia Paz y Paz. Efter the convictions o the Dos Erres fower, based on a Guatemalan govrenment's commitment tae reorganise its special forces units, the U.S. Depairtment o Defense resumed militar aid.

The Airmed Forces today nummered at aroond 39,000 active personnel.

## References

* Official Website of Guatemala's Military 
* http://www.fas.org/asmp/campaigns/smallarms/lainven.html 
*Raul Sohr. ‘’Centroamérica en guerra.’’ Alianza Editorial. México. 1988.
*Christopher F. Foss. ‘’Jane's tank and combat vehicles recognition guide. ‘’Harper Collins Publishers. UK. 2000.