Combined military forces of Honduras
Armed Forces of Honduras
|
---|
|
Coat of arms of the Honduran Armed Forces
|
Founded
| 1825
; 199 years ago
(
1825
)
|
---|
Service branches
| Honduran Army
Honduran Air Force
Honduran Navy
|
---|
Website
| Official website
|
---|
|
Commander-in-Chief
| Xiomara Castro
|
---|
Minister of Defence
| Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales
|
---|
Chief of the Armed Forces
| RADM Jose Jorge Fortin Aguilar
|
---|
|
Military age
| 18 for voluntary 2?3-year service
|
---|
Available for
military service
| 1,868,940
[1]
males, age 16?49,
1,825,770 (2008 est.) females, age 16?49
|
---|
Fit for
military service
| 1,397,938 males, age 16?49,
1,402,398 (2009 est.) females, age 16?49
|
---|
Reaching military
age annually
| 92,638 males,
88,993 (2009 est.) females
|
---|
Active personnel
| 52,225
[2]
|
---|
|
Budget
| $405,000,000
[3]
|
---|
Percent of GDP
| 1.1% as of 2012
[3]
|
---|
|
Foreign suppliers
|
Brazil
Canada
Czech Republic
France
India
Indonesia
Israel
Italy
Japan
South Korea
Mexico
Taiwan
United Kingdom
United States
|
---|
|
Ranks
| Military ranks of Honduras
|
---|
The
Armed Forces of
Honduras
(
Spanish
:
Fuerzas Armadas de Honduras
), consists of the Honduran Army, Honduran Navy and
Honduran Air Force
.
History
[
edit
]
Pre-1979
[
edit
]
The Armed Forces of Honduras were created through article 44, subsection 4 of the First Constitution of the Legislative Chamber in 1825, with the First Supreme Head of State being the Attorney
Dionisio de Herrera
, for which, they ordered the effective birth of the Honduran army in dated December 11, 1825 and for its greater mobility, it was divided into battalions with the name of each of the seven departments Comayagua the capital, Tegucigalpa, Choluteca, Olancho, Yoro, Gracias and Santa Barbara that were in charge of strategically and tactically covering order and defense of the state, under French military doctrine. In 1831 the Military School was created with a seat at the San Francisco Barracks, and Colonel Narciso Benitez of Colombian origin was appointed director; From this school graduated:
Francisco Morazan
,
Jose Antonio Marquez
,
Diego Vigil
,
Liberato Moncada
,
Joaquin Rivera
and
Jose Santos Guardiola
who were presidents of Honduras, among others.
The first weaponry used was flintlock and gunpowder, the product of mixing sulfur, saltpeter, and coal in relative quantities: the
Remington
single-load rifle was one of the first bullet rifles that were introduced into the country during the government of General Jose Maria Medina. .
The second stage of the Armed Forces is between the years 1842 and 1876 when the collective uniform emerged in the mid-1840s when the troops of General Jose Santos Guardiola faced those of General Nicolas Angulo, in 1845 in the " Combate del Obrajuelo ", in
San Miguel
, El Salvador.
In 1865 the first attempt was made to organize a
Naval Force
with its respective regulations; however, the cost of this service made it unsustainable; However, there were several attempts to reactivate the idea and one of them was carried out by Doctor
Policarpo Bonilla
, who ordered the construction of the Tatumbla steamship in the Kiel shipyard, Germany on November 22, 1895 and then in 1896 respectively, General Manuel Bonilla had the 'Hornet built. While he administered Honduras, the Doctor and General Don
Tiburcio Carias Andino
also ordered the construction of the steamers Bufalo and El Tigre. On January 1, 1881, the first Military Code of the Honduran army was issued, a legal instrument to govern its own organization.
During the twentieth century, Honduran military leaders frequently became presidents, either
through elections
or by
coups d'etat
. General
Tiburcio Carias Andino
was elected in 1932, he later on called a constituent assembly that allowed him to be reelected, and his rule became more authoritarian until an election in 1948.
During the
following decades
, the military of Honduras carried out several coups d'etat, starting in October 1955. General
Oswaldo Lopez Arellano
carried out the next coup in October 1963 and a second in December 1972, followed by coups in 1975 by
Juan Alberto Melgar Castro
and in 1978 by
Policarpo Paz Garcia
.
1980s
[
edit
]
Events during the 1980s in
El Salvador
and
Nicaragua
led
Honduras
? with
US
assistance ? to expand its
armed forces
considerably, laying particular emphasis on its
air force
, which came to include a squadron of US-provided
F-5s
.
The military unit
Battalion 316
carried out political
assassinations
and the
torture
of suspected political opponents of the government during this same period. Battalion members received training and support from the United States
Central Intelligence Agency
, in
Honduras
, at U.S. military bases
[4]
and in
Chile
during the presidency of the dictator
Augusto Pinochet
.
[5]
Amnesty International
estimated that at least 184 people
"disappeared"
from 1980 to 1992 in Honduras, most likely due to actions of the Honduran military.
[6]
1990s
[
edit
]
The resolution of the civil wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua, and across-the-board budget cuts made in all ministries, has brought reduced funding for the Honduran Armed Forces. The abolition of the draft has created staffing gaps in the now all-volunteer armed forces. The military is now far below its authorized strength, and further reductions are expected. In January 1999, the Constitution was amended to abolish the position of military Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, thus codifying civilian authority over the Military.
2000s
[
edit
]
Since 2002, soldiers have been involved in crime prevention and law enforcement, patrolling the streets of the major cities alongside the national police.
2009
[
edit
]
On 28 June 2009, in the context of a
constitutional crisis
, the Military, acting on orders of the Supreme Court of Justice,
arrested the President Manuel Zelaya
, after which they forcibly removed elected President Zelaya from Honduras. See the article
2009 Honduran constitutional crisis
regarding claims regarding legitimacy and illegitimacy of the event, and events preceding and following the removal of Zelaya from Honduras.
The military's chief lawyer, Colonel Herberth Bayardo Inestroza Membreno, made public statements regarding the removal of Zelaya. On June 30, he showed a detention order, apparently signed June 26 by a Supreme Court judge, which ordered the armed forces to detain the president.
[7]
Colonel Inestroza later stated that deporting Zelaya did not comply with the court order: "In the moment that we took him out of the country, in the way that he was taken out, there is a crime. Because of the circumstances of the moment this crime occurred, there is going to be a justification and cause for acquittal that will protect us."
[8]
He said the decision was taken by the military leadership "in order to avoid bloodshed".
[9]
Following the 2009 ouster of the president, the Honduran military together with other government security forces were allegedly responsible for thousands of allegedly
arbitrary detentions
[10]
and for several forced disappearances
and
extrajudicial executions
of opponents to the
de facto
government, including members of the
Democratic Unification Party
. However, evidence about these actions has yet to be provided and there has been some questioning in local media about the actual perpetrators, suggesting that they could actually be related to disputes within the leftists organizations themselves.
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
Army
[
edit
]
| This section
needs expansion
with: How large is the army, how is it structured, where are army bases located.. You can help by
adding to it
.
(
July 2015
)
|
The
Honduran Army
(
Spanish
:
Ejercito de Honduras
,
lit.
'Army of Honduras') is the
land
service branch
of the Armed Forces of Honduras.
Air Force
[
edit
]
The FAH operates from four air bases located at:
With the exception of Soto Cano Air Base, all other air bases operate as dual civil and military aviation facilities.
Additionally, three air stations are located at:
- Catacamas
- Alto Aguan (bomb range)
- Puerto Lempira airstrips serve as forward operations locations-FOL.
Also a radar station operates at:
Navy
[
edit
]
The Navy is a small force dealing with coastal and riverine security.
The Navy has 71 patrol boats, interceptors and landing craft units.
Class
|
Origin
|
Type
|
Versions
|
In service
|
Fleet
|
ISRAEL SHIPYARDS
Sa'ar 62-class offshore patrol vessel
62.0 meters / 204 feet
|
Israel
|
Ocean patrol vessel
|
OPV-62M
|
1
|
FNH-2021
General Trinidad Cabanas
Delivered by Israel Shipyard and arrived in country December 2019
|
Damen Stan Patrol Boat
42.8 meters / 140 feet
|
Netherlands
|
Coastal patrol vessel
|
4207
|
2
|
FNH-1401
Lempira
FNH-1402
General Francisco Morazan
|
LANTANA BOATYARD Guardian Patrol Boats
32.3 meters / 107 feet
|
United States
|
Coastal patrol craft
|
|
3
|
FNH-1071
Tegucigalpa
[18]
FNH-1072
Copan
FNH-1073 unknown name
|
SWIFTSHIPS Patrol Boats
32.0 meters / 105 feet
|
United States
|
Coastal patrol craft
|
|
3
|
FNH-1051
Guaymuras
FNH-1052
Honduras
FNH-1053
Hibueras
|
IAI Dabur Type Patrol Boat
26.0 meters / 85 feet
|
Israel
United States
|
Coastal patrol craft
|
|
1
|
FNH-8501
Chamelecon
|
SWIFTSHIPS Patrol Boats
20.0 meters / 65 feet
|
United States
|
Coastal patrol craft
|
|
5
|
FNH 6501
Nacaome
FNH 6502
Goascoran
FNH 6503
Patuca
FNH 6504
Ulua
FNH 6505
Choluteca
|
BOSTON WHALER Interceptors BW370
11.4 meters / 38 feet
|
United States
|
Interceptor boat
|
Guardian class
|
10
|
N/A
|
DAMEN Interceptors 1102 UHS
11.0 meters / 36 feet
|
Netherlands
|
Interceptor boat
|
1102 UHS
|
6
|
FNH-3601 to FNH-3606
|
SAFE BOATS 35MMI Multi Mision Interceptor
10.7 meters / 35 feet
|
Colombia
United States
|
Interceptor boat
|
35 MMI
|
2
[19]
|
FNH-3501
FNH-3502
|
EDUARDONO Patrullero 320
10.0 meters / 32 feet
|
Colombia
|
Interceptor boat
|
|
25
|
FNH-3201 to FNH-3225
|
NAPCO Pirana Patrol Boats
4.0 meters / 13 feet
|
United States
|
Riverine ops boat
|
Pirana class
|
8
|
|
LANTANA BOATYARD Landing Craft Unit
45.5 meters / 149 feet
|
United States
|
Coastal transport
|
|
1
|
FNH-1491
Punta Caxinas
|
COTECMAR BAL-C Short Range Logistic Support Ship
49.0 meters / 161 feet
|
Colombia
|
Short Range Logistic Support Ship
|
BAL-C
|
1
|
FNH-1611
Gracias a Dios
[20]
[21]
[22]
|
SWIFTSHIPS LCM-8 Landing Craft Unit
22.9 meters / 75 feet
|
United States
|
Landing craft
|
|
3
|
FNH-7301
Warunta
FNH-7302
Rio Coco
FNH-7303 unknown name
|
The Honduran navy has 4 naval bases:
- Base Naval Puerto Cortes ? main repair and logistics base on the Caribbean Sea
- Base Naval Puerto Castilla ? main operating base of patrol boats on the Caribbean Sea
- Base Naval Amapala ? main operating base of coastal patrol craft on the north end of the island and only base on the Pacific Ocean side of Honduras
- Base Naval Caratasca ? new base to deal with drug trafficking
Additionally, the Honduran navy has the following unit and schools:
- 1st. Marine Infantry Battalion ? only marine unit located at La Ceiba
- Honduras Naval Academy ? Trains officers for the Honduras Navy at La Ceiba
- Naval Training Center ? NCO and Sailor training facility
Military-civilian relations and leadership
[
edit
]
According to a statement in July 2009 by a legal counsel of the Honduras military, Colonel Herberth Bayardo Inestroza, part of the elite Honduran Military generals were opposed to President
Manuel Zelaya
, whom the Military had removed from Honduras via a military
Coup d'etat
, because of his
left-wing politics
. Inestroza stated, "It would be difficult for us [the military], with our training, to have a relationship with a leftist government. That's impossible."
[8]
The current Head of the Armed Forces is
Carlos Antonio Cuellar
, graduate of the
General Francisco Morazan Military Academy
and the
School of the Americas
. In January 2011, the General Rene Arnoldo Osorio Canales, former Head of the Presidential Honor Guard, was appointed Commander.
As of 2012 the Honduran Military has the highest
military expenditures
of all
Central America
. They have 52,225 troops in their Army, they have 16,500 troops in their Air Force, and 5,300 troops in their Navy.
[
citation needed
]
Equipment
[
edit
]
Small arms
[
edit
]
Anti-tank weapons
[
edit
]
Tanks
[
edit
]
Reconnaissance
[
edit
]
Armored personnel carriers
[
edit
]
Utility vehicles
[
edit
]
Artillery
[
edit
]
Air defence systems
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"CIA World Factbook"
. 8 September 2023.
- ^
"NationMaster.com"
.
- ^
a
b
"Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)"
. Archived from
the original
on 2015-01-04.
- ^
Cohn, Gary; Ginger Thompson (1995-06-11).
"When a wave of torture and murder staggered a small U.S. ally, truth was a casualty"
.
The Baltimore Sun
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-05-22
. Retrieved
2009-07-27
.
- ^
Equipo Nizkor
,
LA APARICION DE OSAMENTAS EN UNA ANTIGUA BASE MILITAR DE LA CIA EN HONDURAS REABRE LA PARTICIPACION ARGENTINO-NORTEAMERICANA EN ESE PAIS.
,
Margen
(in Spanish)
- ^
"Honduras: Still waiting for justice"
.
Amnesty International
. 1998
. Retrieved
2009-07-27
.
- ^
Lacy, Marc (July 1, 2009).
"Leader's Ouster Not a Coup, Says the Honduran Military"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
July 3,
2009
.
- ^
a
b
English summary of interview with the legal counsel of the Honduras armed forces, Colonel Herberth Bayardo Inestroza,
Robles, Frances (2009-07-03).
"Top Honduran military lawyer: We broke the law"
.
Miami Herald
.
Archived
from the original on 2009-09-06
. Retrieved
2009-09-06
.
; original
Dada, Carlos; Jose Luis Sanz (2009-07-02).
"Cometimos un delito al sacar a Zelaya, pero habia que hacerlo ("
(in Spanish). El Faro.net, El Salvador. Archived from
the original
on 2009-09-06
. Retrieved
2009-09-06
.
- ^
"Ejercito de Honduras reconocio que cometio un delito al sacar a Zelaya"
.
www.cooperativa.cl
(in Spanish). Compania Chilena de Comunicaciones S.A
. Retrieved
2009-07-05
.
- ^
"Preliminary Observations on the IACHR Visit to Honduras"
.
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
. 2009-08-21.
Archived
from the original on 2009-08-30
. Retrieved
2009-08-26
.
- ^
"Informe Preliminar Violaciones A Derechos Humanos En El Marco Del Golpe De Estado En Honduras"
.
Comite de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras
. 2009-07-15.
Archived
from the original on 2009-10-29
. Retrieved
2009-07-30
.
- ^
"International Observation Mission for the Human Rights Situation in Honduras Preliminary Report ? Confirmed systematic human rights violations in Honduras since the coup d'etat"
. Upside Down World. 2009-08-06.
Archived
from the original on 2009-08-09
. Retrieved
2009-08-09
.
- ^
Perez, Luis Guillermo; et al. (2009-08-06).
"Gobierno de facto viola derechos humanos"
(in Spanish). Agencia Latinoamerica de Informacion.
Archived
from the original on 2009-12-03
. Retrieved
2009-08-26
.
- ^
"International Mission denounces the brutal repression of pacific demonstrations"
. Agencia Latinoamerica de Informacion. 2009-07-30. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-24
. Retrieved
2009-08-02
.
- ^
Quixote Center Emergency Delegation of Solidarity, Accompaniment and Witness (2009-08-07).
"Letter to Honduran Attorney General Rubi"
. Quixote Center. Archived from
the original
on 2010-11-27
. Retrieved
2009-08-09
.
- ^
Human Rights Watch
(2009-08-25).
"Honduras: Rights Report Shows Need for Increased International Pressure"
.
Human Rights Watch
.
Archived
from the original on 2009-08-28
. Retrieved
2009-08-28
.
- ^
"Academia Militar de Aviacion"
. Archived from
the original
on 2009-04-18.
- ^
"FNH 1071 Tegucigalpa UNITAS 2016"
.
www.infodefensa.com
.
- ^
"La Fuerza Naval de Honduras le compro a Cotecmar dos botes interceptores multimision MMI 35 - Webinfomil"
. 19 October 2018.
- ^
"Cotecmar entrego a la Fuerza Naval de Honduras el buque logistico FNH 'Gracias a Dios'
"
.
www.webinfomil.com
. 29 September 2017.
- ^
"Honduras firma contrato con COTECMAR para la construccion de buque naval"
.
COTECMAR
. Archived from
the original
on 2017-02-02
. Retrieved
2017-01-28
.
- ^
"Colombia, Honduras sign contract for COTECMAR vessel"
.
IHS Jane's 360
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
Jones, Richard D.
Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010
. Jane's Information Group; 35th edition (January 27, 2009).
ISBN
978-0-7106-2869-5
.
- ^
a
b
"Police Small Arms Arsenals in the Northern Central American Triangle"
.
Small Arms Defense Journal
. Vol. 7, no. 5. 4 December 2015.
- ^
Jones, Richard D.; Ness, Leland S., eds. (2009).
Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010
(35th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. p. 514.
ISBN
978-0-7106-2869-5
.
- ^
"¡Asi Vamos!"
(PDF)
.
Indumil
(in Spanish).
- ^
"Equiparan mas unidades con MTAR 21"
. elheraldo.hn. Archived from
the original
on 2012-03-31
. Retrieved
2012-04-17
.
- ^
"Equiparan mas unidades con MTAR 21"
. elheraldo.hn. Archived from
the original
on 2012-03-31
. Retrieved
2012-04-17
.
- ^
Alvaro Diaz.
"Las Fuerzas Armadas de Honduras comenzaran el 2014 con nueva cupula militar. El pais busca en Israel asistencia tecnica para repotenciar los F-5"
.
Defensa.com
.
Archived
from the original on 11 November 2014
. Retrieved
11 November
2014
.
- ^
Gander, Terry J.; Hogg, Ian V.
Jane's Infantry Weapons 1995/1996
. Jane's Information Group; 21 edition (May 1995).
ISBN
978-0-7106-1241-0
.
- ^
Jones, Richard; Ness, Leland S., eds. (2009).
Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009?2010
. Jane's Information Group. pp. 893?901.
ISBN
978-0710628695
.
- ^
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.
Jane's Information Group
. p. 318.
- ^
"country-data.com > Honduras > Appendix"
.
- ^
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. Archived from
the original
on 2019-04-12.
- ^
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The Military Balance 2016
. London: IISS. pp. 257?471.
ISBN
978-1857438352
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Annex C Appendix II".
US Army Technical Manual of Foreign Military Sales: Battlefield Damage Assessment and Repair
(PDF)
. Washington, D.C. 18 December 1987. p. 262. TM 9-2320-356-BD.
Archived
(PDF)
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. Retrieved
15 June
2013
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
a
b
"A$10.5 million order for Ashok Leyland from Honduras"
. Machinist.in. 16 January 2009. Archived from
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on 18 January 2009
. Retrieved
5 July
2009
.
- ^
a
b
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.
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. p. 876.
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a
b
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.
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. Retrieved
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.
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.
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.
Archived
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. Retrieved
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.
External links
[
edit
]
Military of North America
|
---|
Sovereign states
| |
---|
Dependencies and
other territories
| |
---|
|