The Armed forces of
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay) consist of the
Paraguayan army
To win or to die
, march= Marcha al Mariscal Lopez
, mascot=
, equipment=
, equipment_label=
, battles= War of the Triple AllianceChaco WarParaguayan People's Army insurgency
, anniversaries= 24 of July (Mariscal Lopez Birthday)
, decorations=
, ba ...
,
navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
(including
naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases.
Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...
and
marine corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
) and
air force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
.
The
constitution of Paraguay
The Republic of Paraguay is governed under the constitution of 1992, which is the country's sixth since independence from Spain in 1811.
Independence
The recorded history of Paraguay began in 1516 with the failed expedition of Juan DÃaz de Solà ...
establishes the
president of Paraguay
The president of Paraguay ( es, Presidente del Paraguay), officially known as the President of the Republic of Paraguay ( es, Presidente de la República del Paraguay), is according to the Constitution of Paraguay the head of the executive bran ...
as the
commander-in-chief.
Paraguay has
compulsory military service
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
, and all 18-year-old males and 17-year-olds in the year of their 18th birthday are liable for one year of
active duty
Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service.
India
The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one ...
. Although the 1992 constitution allows for conscientious objection, no enabling legislation has yet been approved.
In July 2005, military aid in the form of U.S.
Special Forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
began arriving at Paraguay's
Mariscal Estigarribia
Mariscal Estigarribia () is a town in the Boquerón Department, Paraguay.
Strategic importance
Mariscal Estigarribia is home to Dr. Luis Maria Argaña International Airport (IATA code: ESG), which some media reports claim is a US military ba ...
air base, a sprawling complex built in 1982.
[US Marines put a foot in Paraguay](_blank)
'' El ClarÃn'', September 9, 2005
Army
In land forces the Paraguayan Army is composed of a Presidential Guards Regiment, composed two battalions (
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
and military police), an armored squadron, and a battery of field
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
, plus the operationally attached Mounted Ceremonial Squadron "Aca Caraya" (which serves independently but as the mounted escort in state events, and serves as part of the 4th Cavalry Regiment). Their equipment includes three Argentinean modified M-4 tanks, four EE-9 armored cars, four EE-11 armored personnel carriers (APCs), three M-9 half-tracks mounting 20mm guns, and four M-101 105 mm
howitzer
A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...
s. Arguably, this "flagship" of military rule is structurally and physically the strongest of the EP. The REP is an independent unit from other commands. The EP features two artillery groups (GAC 1–12 88 mm QF-25 and GAC 2–12 105mm M-101) and one
antiaircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
artillery group (GAA 13 40 mm L 40/60,
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models emplo ...
s, and six M-55 4x12, 7.0 mm).
Six battalions of
combat engineer
A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare ta ...
s, one communications battalion, one Special Forces battalion, seven regiments of infantry, six regiments of cavalry (R.C.-2 equipped with 12 M3A1, five operational, 20 M9 half-tracks modernized and R.C.-3: 24 EE-9 Cascavels, eight EE-11 Urutu APCs plus utility trucks for motorized infantry). This has little organic aviation available to it.
Each corps has a weapons school run by its command. The logistical command manages 10 addresses materials, mobilization, health care, etc. The command of the Army Institute of Education administers three schools, commissioned and noncommissioned officers, a military academy, and the CIMEFOR (a center for pre-military study that trains Reserve officers).
Each of the nine divisions that make up the three corps has one or two regiments of infantry or cavalry, its platoon of engineers, its communications section, military police units, etc.
Navy
![Naval Jack of Paraguay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Naval_Jack_of_Paraguay.svg)
Although Paraguay is a landlocked country, it has a strong naval tradition by virtue of the fact that it has access to the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
through the
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
–
Paraná rivers. The Paraguayan Navy has twelve bases. The main base is the Puerto Sajonia in
Asuncion, followed by Bahia Negra, Ciudad del Este, Encarnacion, Salto del Guaira. It also has facilities in Puerto Sajonia for helicopters and airplanes in SGAS. Naval personnel including Marine Corps aviation personnel, and the naval inward waters prefecture equal about 8,950. The Marine Corps have 800 marines, of which 400 are assigned to one commando unit with the rest being organized into a single battalion consisting of three
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
.
In terms of vessels, the Navy has 34 surface ships, some of which have reached centenarian age. (This is due in part to limited use and floating in fresh water.) The main vessels and the flagship of the Paraguay Navy is still
''Paraguay'', which was
commissioned prior to Paraguay's involvement in the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõ[patrol vessel
A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and they ...](_blank)
s, of which the oldest was commissioned in 1908 and the newest in 1985. The Navy has 17 patrol boats of various drafts, four of which were donated by
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
and the United States, while the other 13 were built locally. The rest of the fleet is composed of
tugboat
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
s,
barge
Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
s,
landing craft
Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...
, transports, and a
presidential yacht
Presidential yacht may refer to a vessel of a country's navy that would be specially used by the country's president. It is common for a vessel to be designated as the presidential yacht during a fleet review.
Some countries (below) have vessels p ...
. The new additions are four Croc-class riverine vessels from Australia, plus 43 locally built riverline patrol vessels constructed from 2006 to 2009. For air support, one
Helibras HB350
Helibras or ''Helicópteros do Brasil'' S.A. (Helicopters of Brazil, Inc.) is a Brazil-based helicopter manufacturer which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus Helicopters, a division of Airbus.
Helibras has produced and delivered more than 800 ...
helicopter is used to provide
SAR
SAR or Sar may refer to:
Places
* Sar (river), Galicia, Spain
* Sar, Bahrain, a residential district
* Sar, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran
* Sar, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region of China
* Å ar Mountains, in southeastern Europe
...
,
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...
and utility work
Paraguay (C1) has a sister ship, Humaita (C2), that was turned into a museum ship after she ceased operations in 1983, but hasn't functioned as such this last decade. Humaita is in poor shape. (ABC Color News, 12/28/22)
Order of battle
COMANFLOT: .(Fleet Forces Command)
COMIM: .(Fleet Marine Command)
*Marine Forces Regiment
**BIM 1 - Rosario
**BIM 2 - Vallemi
**BIM 3 - Carapegua
** Marine Commando Battalion
* COMAVAN(Naval Aviation Command)
(GAHE), Sajonia
(EHA)
(EPG)
![Cañonero ARP C-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Ca%C3%B1onero_ARP_C-1_%22Paraguay%22.jpg)
(GAPROGEN)
(GAEN)
* COAPCOM: .(Combat Support Command)
* CINAE: . (Naval Education and Training Command)
* PGN: .(General Naval Prefecture)
(Command)
(HQ)
(Pilar Naval Prefecture)
(Alberdi Naval Prefecture)
(Central Naval Prefecture)
(Cencepcion Naval Prefecture)
(Olimpo Naval Prefecture)
* DIRMAT: (Material Directorate)
* DIAPSER: (Service Support Directorate)
As of 2022, the Commander of the Paraguayan Navy is Rear Admiral Carlos Diaz. He is "Contraalmirante, Comandante de la Flota de Guerra de la Armada". (ABC Color, 12/28/22: "Gunboat 'Humaita' returns to its normal position after worrying inclination")
Air Force
![Roundel of Paraguay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Roundel_of_Paraguay.svg)
The air force, the newest and smallest of the services, has about 1,100 personnel as of 2012.
[IISS (2012), p. 399] The Paraguayan Air Forces is organised in an Air Brigade of seven air groups and a brigade of paratroopers on battalion level. Almost all operating units are based in premises at
Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
Silvio Pettirossi International Airport is an international airport in Luque, Paraguay, which serves Paraguay's capital city, Asunción, and indirectly serves the nearby city of Clorinda, Formosa in Argentina. The airport is named after Paraguay ...
(SGAS) in Asunción.
The units comprising the force are: the (TAG) with three fighter squadrons (numbered 1 to 3), respectively equipped with the MB-326, T-33 and EMB-312. The first two are in storage or operating either by withdrawal of this aircraft. The squadron "Moros", equipped with Tucanos, has only one squadron (3 airplanes active). The Air Transport Group (GTA) operates aircraft of the CASA, DHC-6, and Beechcraft types. The Helicopter air group (HLG) has a SAR squadron, a utility squadron, and a squadron of attack craft, and is equipped with ex-Taiwanese UH-1H and Brazilian HB-350B aircraft. The Air Group Instruction (AFI) has materials and T-25 and T-35 aircraft. Photogrammetric called air group (GAF) and group aviation maintenance section (SEMAER) do not have aircraft assigned. The Parachute Brigade operates CASA aircraft. Paraguayan Helicopters constantly flew the skies of Asuncion during the visit of Pope Francis in July 2015
Besides these groups is a command of Institutes of Education and one of regions air, this latter has nominal jurisdiction over 12 tracks and airports as six of these are considered Air Bases.
Per Arasunu (December 2021-No. XVI), the magazine of the PAF, the current organizational structure:
- Comandante Interino de la Fuerza Aerea Paraguaya (CC-Gral Div Aer)
-- Jefe del Estado Mayor General de la Fuerza Aerea Paraguaya (CV-Gral Div Aer)
--- Comandante de la Brigada Aerea (Gral Brig Aer)
--- Comandante del Comando de Regiones Aereas (Gral Brig Aer)
--- Comandante Interino de la Brigada Aerotransportada "SP" (CNEL DCEM)
--- Comandante Interino del Comando de Instituteos Aeronauticos de Ensenanza (CNEL DCEM)
--- Comandante Interino de la Brigada Logistica (CNEL DCEM)
The current PAF/CC is Arturo Javier Gonzalez Ocampo. The PAF/CV is Ruben Dario Piris Fernandez.
Order of battle
*
**
**, no longer active
**, no longer active
** (Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron; ): EMB-312
** (Instrucción Air Group) 'Escuadrón Fenix': T-25A
**: T-35A/B
Aircraft
Current inventory
Retired
Previous notable aircraft flown were of the
Aermacchi MB-326
The Aermacchi or Macchi MB-326 is a light military jet trainer designed in Italy. Originally conceived as a two-seat trainer, there have also been single and two-seat light attack versions produced. It is one of the most commercially successf ...
,
Aerotec T-23,
AW F.K.8,
AT-6 Harvard,
Super King Air
The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketing, marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropp ...
,
Bell H-13 Sioux,
Bell UH-1
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helic ...
,
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 20, ...
,
Stearman Model 75
The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane formerly used as a military Trainer (aircraft), trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing i ...
,
Breda Ba.65
The Breda Ba.65 was an Italian all-metal single-engine, low-wing monoplane used by ''Aviazione Legionaria'' during the Spanish Civil War and '' Regia Aeronautica'' in the first half of World War II. It was the only Italian ground-attack aircr ...
,
Bréguet 14
The Bréguet XIV (in contemporary practice) or Bréguet 14 was a French biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. It was built in very large numbers and production continued for many years after the end of the war.
The Brégue ...
,
CANT 26
The CANT 26 was an Italian two-seat biplane trainer built by CANT.
Design and development
The CANT 26 was an unusual product of CANT as it was a landplane. It was a two-seat biplane with tailwheel landing gear and powered by a 60 kW (80&nb ...
,
Caproni A.P.1,
Caproni Ca.309
The Caproni Ca.309 ''Ghibli'' was an Italian aircraft used in World War II. Its nickname 'Ghibli' refers to a desert wind that later served as the inspiration for animation Studio Ghibli's name.
Development
The Caproni Ca.309 was designed by C ...
,
Cessna T-41,
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...
,
DHC-6 Twin Otter
The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...
,
Douglas C-47
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in f ...
,
Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with th ...
,
PT-19
The Fairchild PT-19 (company designation Fairchild M62) is an American monoplane primary trainer aircraft that served with the United States Army Air Forces, RAF and RCAF during World War II. Designed by Fairchild Aircraft, it was a contempora ...
,
Fiat CR.20
The Fiat CR.20 was an Italian biplane fighter used during the 1920s and 1930s. Designed by Celestino Rosatelli, it represented an intermediate step from the early biplane CR.1 and the later, successful series CR.30, CR.32 and CR.42.
Desig ...
,
Fokker S-11
The Fokker S-11 Instructor is a single-engine two-seater propeller aircraft designed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.
History
One of the first activities undertaken by Fokker after World War II was the design of a new ...
,
Hanriot HD.1,
Hiller UH-12
The Hiller OH-23 Raven is a three-place, military light observation helicopter based on the Hiller Model 360. The Model 360 was designated by the company as the UH-12 ("UH" for United Helicopters),Donald, David. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of W ...
,
Junkers A50
The Junkers A50 ''Junior'' was a German sports plane of the 1930s.
Development
The Junkers A50 was the first sportsplane designed by Hermann Pohlmann in Junkers works. Krzyżan, Marian. ''Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929-1934'' nternation ...
,
Lockheed T-33
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...
,
Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris
The Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris is a French four-seat jet trainer and liaison aircraft designed and manufactured by Morane-Saulnier.
The Paris was based upon an earlier proposed trainer aircraft, the MS.755 Fleuret. Following the failure of t ...
,
Muniz M-9,
Piper J-3 Cub
The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Pi ...
,
Potez 25
Potez 25 (also written as Potez XXV) was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane designed during the 1920s. A multi-purpose fighter-bomber, it was designed as a line aircraft and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort mission ...
,
SPAD S.XX
The Blériot-SPAD S.20 (originally known as the SPAD S.XX) was a French fighter aircraft developed near the end of World War I. Too late to serve in the war, almost 100 of these aircraft equipped the French Air Force in the years immediately ...
,
Vultee BT-13
The Vultee Aircraft Corporation became an independent company in 1939 in Los Angeles County, California. It had limited success before merging with the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1943, to form the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporat ...
and the
Wibault 7
The Wibault 7 was a 1920s French monoplane fighter designed and built by '' Société des Avions Michel Wibault''. Variants were operated by the French and Polish military and built under licence for Chile as the Vickers Wibault.
Development ...
.
Military ranks
Commanders
See also
*
Francisco López Military Academy
The Francisco López Military Academy (officially, the ''Marshal Francisco Solano López Military Academy''; Spanish: ''Academia Militar Mariscal Francisco Solano López'') is a service academy in Capiatá, Paraguay.
History
The school was esta ...
*
List of wars involving Paraguay
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Federation of American Scientists: Latin American Light Weapons National InventoriesMinistry of National Defence
{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Of Paraguay
Government of Paraguay