The Nicaraguan Armed Forces are the military forces of

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...

. There are three branches: the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

, the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, 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 ...

History

National Guard, 1925–1979

The long years of strife between the liberal and conservative political factions and the existence of private armies led the United States to sponsor the National Guard as an apolitical institution to assume all military and police functions in Nicaragua.Tartter, Jean R. "National Guard, 1927-79". In . The marines provided the training, but their efforts were complicated by a guerrilla movement led by Augusto César Sandino. Sandino opposed the United States-backed military force, which was composed mostly of his political enemies, and continued to resist the marines and the fledgling National Guard from a stronghold in the mountainous areas of northern Nicaragua. Upon the advent of the United States Good Neighbor Policy in 1933, the marines withdrew. Having reached a strength of about 3,000 by the mid-1930s, the guard was organized into company units, although the Presidential Guard component approached battalion size. Despite hopes for an apolitical force, however, the National Guard soon became the personal tool of the Somoza dynasty. Expanded to more than 10,000 during the civil war of 1978–79, the guard consisted of a reinforced battalion as its primary tactical unit, a Presidential Guard battalion, a mechanized company, an engineer battalion, artillery and antiaircraft batteries, and one security company in each of the country's sixteen departments. The National Guard's main arms were rifles and machine guns, later augmented by antiaircraft guns and mortars. Although Nicaragua was not actively involved in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, it qualified for United States Lend-Lease military aid in exchange for U.S. base facilities at Corinto. Additional shipments of small arms and transportation and communication equipment followed, as well as some training and light transport aircraft. United States military aid to the National Guard continued under the Rio de Janeiro Treaty of Mutual Defense (1947), but stopped in 1976 after relations with the administration of

Anastasio Somoza Debayle Anastasio "Tachito" Somoza Debayle (; 5 December 1925 – 17 September 1980) was the President of Nicaragua from 1 May 1967 to 1 May 1972 and from 1 December 1974 to 17 July 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was ''de facto'' ruler of t ...

(1967–72, 1974–79) worsened. Some United States equipment of World War II vintage was also purchased from other countries—Staghound armored cars and M4 Sherman medium tanks from

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and F-51 Mustang fighter aircraft from Sweden. Except for minor frontier skirmishes with

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

in 1957 over a border dispute, the National Guard was not involved in any conflict with its neighbors. The guard's domestic power, however, gradually broadened to embrace not only its original internal security and police functions but also control over customs, telecommunications, port facilities, radio broadcasting, the merchant marine, and civil aviation.

Military under the Sandinista government, 1979–1990

To replace the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

, the Sandinistas established a new national army, the

Sandinista Popular Army The Sandinista Popular Army (SPA) (or People's Army; , EPS) was the military forces established in 1979 by the new Sandinista government of Nicaragua to replace the Nicaraguan National Guard, following the overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. I ...

''(Ejército Popular Sandinista—EPS)'', and a police force, the Sandinista Police ''( Policía Sandinista)''.Bras, Marisabel. "Consolidation of the Revolution, 1979-80". In . These two groups, contrary to the original Puntarenas Pact were controlled by the Sandinistas and trained by personnel from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union. Opposition to the overwhelming FSLN influence in the security forces did not surface until 1980. Meanwhile, the EPS developed, with support from Cuba and the Soviet Union, into the largest and best equipped military force in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. Simultaneously, with the introduction of Patriotic Military Service (1983), a conscription system, EPS forces reached approximately 80,000 active-duty members by 1990. Patriotic Military Service required males, ranging in age from seventeen to twenty-six, to serve four years in the military (two years active duty and two years in the reserves).Tartter, Jean R. "Sandinista People's Army, 1979-90". In . This conscription system did not require women to enlist; however, they could do so voluntarily. The Patriotic Military Service system was an extremely unpopular initiative taken by the Sandinista government. Draft dodging was rampant as young men fled the country in order to avoid conscription. Additionally, massive demonstrations and antidraft protests plagued the country. The unpopularity of the draft was believed to have been a large factor in the Sandinista election defeat in 1990. Armed Forces performed very well in terms of human rights under the Sandinistas. Upon visiting Nicaragua, human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Americas Watch, and the Human Rights Commission of the Organization of American States found “little evidence of the extreme types of human rights violations so common under…US-backed regimes.” These organizations were also unable to find any examples of: state-sponsored death squads, use of physical torture propagated by the state, and very few disappearances/executions. Although, the investigations led by human rights organizations excluded unruly soldiers acting violently on their own accord. In this context, it was discovered that the government's “usual response…was to investigate and discipline those responsible.”

Nicaraguan Armed Forces, 1990–1995

Under an agreement between President-elect

Chamorro Chamorro may refer to: * Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific * Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas * Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mari ...

of the National Opposition Union (Unión Nacional Oppositora – UNO) and the defeated FSLN party, General Humberto Ortega, former defense minister and commander in chief of the EPS under the Sandinistas, remained at the head of the armed forces.Tartter, Jean R. "Armed forces after 1990". In . By a law that took effect in April 1990, the EPS became

subordinate A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important ...

to President Chamorro as commander in chief. Chamorro also retained the Ministry of Defense portfolio. Chamorro's authority over the EPS was very limited. There were no Ministry of Defense offices and no vice ministers to shape national defense policies or exercise civilian control over the armed forces. Under the Law of Military Organization of the Sandinista Popular Army enacted just before Chamorro's election victory, Humberto Ortega retained authority over promotions, military construction, and force deployments. He contracted for

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

s procurement and drafted the military

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environme ...

presented to the government. Only an overall budget had to be submitted to the legislature, thus avoiding a line-item review by the National Assembly. Sandinista officers remained at the head of all general staff directorates and military regions. The chief of the army, Major General

Joaquín Cuadra Lacayo Joaquín or Joaquin is a male given name, the Spanish version of Joachim. Given name * Joaquín (footballer, born 1956), Spanish football midfielder * Joaquín (footballer, born 1981), Spanish football winger * Joaquín (footballer, born 1982) ...

, continued in his pre-Chamorro position. Facing domestic pressure to remove Humberto Ortega and the risk of curtailment of United States aid as long as Sandinistas remained in control of the armed forces, Chamorro announced that Ortega would be replaced in 1994. Ortega challenged her authority to relieve him and reiterated his intention to remain at the head of the EPS until the army reform program was completed in 1997. This date was later advanced to the first half of 1995. The army reform measures were launched with deep cuts in personnel strengths, the abolition of conscription, and disbanding of the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. The size of the army declined from a peak strength of 97,000 troops to an estimated 15,200 in 1993, accomplished by voluntary discharges and forced retirements. Under the Sandinistas, the army general staff embodied numerous branches and directorates artillery, combat readiness, communications, Frontier Guards, military construction, intelligence, counterintelligence, training, operations, organization and mobilization, personnel, and logistics. Most of these bodies appear to have been retained, although they have been trimmed and reorganized. The Nicaraguan Air Force and

were also subordinate to the army general staff. Since 1990 the mission of the EPS has been to ensure the security of the

national border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political border ...

s and to deal with internal disturbances. Its primary task has been to prevent disorder and violence wrought by armed bands of former Contra and Sandinista soldiers. In November and December 1992, the EPS was deployed alongside the National Police to prevent violence during demonstrations by the National Workers' Front for improved pay and benefits. The EPS and the Frontier Guards also assist the police in

narcotic The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "to make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

s control. A small EPS contingent works alongside demobilized Contras in a Special Disarmament Brigade to reduce the arsenal of weapons in civilian hands.

National Army of Nicaragua, 1995–2006

In 1995, the National Army of Nicaragua (Ejército de Nicaragua), having never previously been fully apolitical evolved, through constitutional reforms, into a more traditional Central American military. As ties to the FSLN weakened, military leaders turned over power regularly without “fuss,” refrained from becoming involved in the political realm, and the overall size of the military significantly decreased.

National Army of Nicaragua, 2006–present

Under President Ortega, multiple changes have occurred strengthening FSLN control over the national military. During 2010, the national assembly “passed changes that allowed hepoliticization of the country’s security forces, while expanding these agencies’ domestic powers.” This change effectively erased the shift towards being an apolitical force from 1995 to 2006. Then in 2014, President Ortega supported a constitutional reform removing the defense and governance ministries “from the security forces’ chain of command, reducing oversight and leaving residentOrtega in charge of appointing military and police commanders.” This action enhanced President Ortega’s political and personal control over the nation’s security forces and personnel. President Ortega has also strengthened his ability to control the general population through two different national security initiatives. In 2015, the Sovereign Security Law, “erased barriers between internal and external security, and gave the Ortega government wide discretion to use coercion against any person or entity deemed a threat to the state, society, or economy.” The Sovereign Security Law provided the Ortega administration the right to infringe upon the basic human rights protected in the Nicaraguan constitution, if deemed necessary. Also, CPCs “have been replaced by Family, Community, and Life Cabinets (Gabinetes).” These cabinets are linked to the police and provide the government with a means to keep communities under constant surveillance. In the contemporary period, multiple changes have taken place in the military regarding purpose and structure. The military currently serves as a force for national defense, public security, civil defense, and national development. In 2014, an expansion of institutional powers granted the military with the opportunity for greater involvement in international security initiatives. The National Army of Nicaragua also has the highest public approval ratings of any Nicaraguan institution.

Army equipment

Light equipment

Degtyaryov machine gun The Degtyaryov machine gun (russian: Пулемёт Дегтярёвa Пехотный, Pulemyot Degtyaryova Pekhotny literally: "Degtyaryov's infantry machine gun") or DP-27/DP-28 is a light machine gun firing the 7.62×54mmR cartridge that was ...

* Makarov PM *

M1911 pistol The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for t ...

* Smith & Wesson Model 10 *

Browning Hi-Power The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol available in the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at FN Herstal ...

* Glock 17 * Jericho 941 *

Heckler & Koch MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...

PPSh-41 The PPSh-41 () is a Soviet submachine gun designed by Georgy Shpagin as a cheaper and simplified alternative to the PPD-40. A common Russian nickname for the weapon is "''papasha''" (), meaning "daddy", and it was sometimes called the "burp gun" ...

IMI Uzi The Uzi (; he, עוזי, Ūzi; officially Letter case, cased as UZI) is a family of Israeli open bolt, open-bolt, blowback (arms), blowback-operated submachine guns and machine pistols first designed by Major Uziel Gal, Uziel "Uzi" Gal in the l ...

* IMI Mini Uzi *

FN FAL The FAL (a French acronym for (English: "Light Automatic Rifle")), is a battle rifle designed in Belgium by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by FN Herstal (simply known as FN). During the Cold War the FAL was adopted by many countries of th ...

Heckler & Koch G3 The Heckler & Koch G3 (''Gewehr'' 3) is a 7.62×51mm NATO, select-fire battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K) in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CET ...

* AK-74MS * Type 58 rifle * Type 56 assault rifle *

Pistol Mitralieră model 1963/1965 The Pistol Mitralieră model 1963/1965 (abbreviated PM md. 63 or simply md. 63) is a Romanian 7.62x39mm assault rifle. Developed in the late 1950s, the PM md. 63 was a derivative of the Soviet AKM produced under license. It was the standard iss ...

* Romanian RPK version of the MD. 63 is called the MD. 64 * Pistol Mitralieră model 1990 * Puşcă Mitralieră model 1964 ("model 1964 light machine gun") * AIM/AIMS * AIM - 7.62×39mm * PM.md.65 with cleaning rod removed – 7.62×39mm. An early version of the AIMS with an under folding stock and inward curved grip * AIMS - 7.62×39mm * AIMS with 75-round drum magazine - 7.62×39mm * AIMR * First model AIMR with 20-round magazine – 7.62×39mm. The original Romanian designation for this rifle is the PM md. 80 * AIMR – 7.62×39mm. The original Romanian designation for this rifle is the PM md. 90 cu țeavă scurtă (short barrelled) * AIMR – 5.56×45mm. The original Romanian designation for this rifle is the PA md. 97 cu țeavă scurtă (short barrelled) * AIMR – 5.56×45mm. The original Romanian designation for this rifle is the PA md. 97 cu țeavă scurtă (short barrelled) * Romanian AK Draco Pistol - 7.62×39mm. This is a US import variant of the AIMR and can be identified by its lack of a stock, a plain hand guard without palmswell and 2 position selector switch * Romanian AK Draco Carbine - 7.62×39mm. This is a Draco pistol fitted with an AIMS folding stock to replicate the original AIMR, however it still lacks the palmswell hand guard and 3 position selector switch * PM md. 80 Pistol Mitralieră model 1980 * PM md. 90Pistol Mitralieră model 1990 * AK-103 Used by Nicaraguan Special Forces. *

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...

* Type I AK-47, hybrid stamped/milled receiver with prototype slab sided magazine - 7.62×39mm * Type II AK-47 (note stock mounting bracket) with prototype slab sided magazine - 7.62×39mm *

Type II AK-47 - 7.62×39mm Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

* Type III AK-47 with prototype slab-sided magazine - 7.62×39mm * AKM *

AKMS The AKM () is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It is the most ubiquitous rifle of the Kalashnikov rifles. It was developed as a replacement to the AK-47 introduced a decade prior. Introduced ...

/ MPiKMS * AKMSK * Zastava M70 * Zastava M-70A – milled receiver, underfolding stock *M-70A1 – milled receiver, underfolding stock, mount for night or optical sights *M-70B1 – stamped receiver, fixed stock *M-70AB2 – stamped receiver, underfolding stock *M-70B1N – stamped receiver, fixed stock, mount for night or optical sights *M-70AB2N – stamped receiver, underfolding stock, mount for night or optical sights *M-70AB3 – stamped receiver, underfolding stock, rifle grenade sight removed and replaced with a BGP 40mm underslung grenade launcher *M-70B3 – stamped receiver, fixed stock, rifle grenade sight removed and replaced with a BGP 40mm underslung grenade launcher * M-92 – carbine, the shorter variant of the M-70AB2 * PAP M-70 – semi-automatic variant intended for the civilian market * MPi-KM/MPi-KMS-72 * MPi-KMS * East German MPi-KM-72 with fixed stock – 7.62×39mm. This was the transitional MPi-KM-72 that still used the wooden lower hand grip from the MPi-KM. These were common from 1965 to 1972. The Side folding stock was not widely distributed until 1973 * East German MPi-KM with plastic stock – 7.62×39mm * East German MPi-KMS-72 with sling and side-folding stock – 7.62×39mm * M-92 – carbine, the shorter variant of the M-70AB2 * PAP M-70 – semi-automatic variant intended for the civilian market * AK-74 – Assault rifle * AKS-74 – Side-folding stock * AK-74N (AKS-74N) – Night scope rail * AKS-74U – Compact carbine * AKS-74UN – Night scope rail * AK-63 * AK-63F (AMM in Hungarian service): The basic fixed-stock copy of the Soviet AKM. * AK-63D (AMMSZ in Hungarian service): An AKMS copy with an under-folding steel stock. * AK-63MF: Modernised AK-63D with telescopic stock and MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail. * SA-85M: A semi-automatic-only version intended for civilian sales in the United States; imported by Kassnar in both pre- and post-ban versions. *

IMI Galil The IMI Galil ( he, גליל) is a family of Israeli-made automatic rifles chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges. Originally designed by Yisrael Galili and Yakov Lior in the late 1960s, the Galil was first produced ...

– 10,000 * IMI Micro Galil * IMI Micro Galil * IMI MAR Galil * IMI SAR Galil * IMI ARM Galil * IMI AR Galil * T65 * M16A1 & M16A2 rifle – 6,000 *

SIG SG 540 Sig used as a name may refer to: *Sig (given name) * Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River * Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon *Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra sig ( ...

* Ithaca 37 * Remington-870 shotgun *

M67 grenade The M67 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the United States military. The M67 is a further development of the M33 grenade, itself a replacement for the M26-series grenades used during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the older M ...

* M59 grenade * M34 grenade * M26A1 grenade * AN M14 * AN M18 *

M79 grenade launcher The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40×46mm grenade, which uses what the US Army calls the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the V ...

– 64 *

Heckler & Koch HK69A1 The HK69A1 is a 40 mm grenade launcher developed and produced by the German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K). The weapon was designed to engage enemy troops and strongpoints out to a distance of 350 m; it can also be used to deploy smoke gr ...

/ MZP-1 * FAMAE SAF – Standard and mini-versions * HK MP5 sub-machine guns *

RPK The RPK (russian: Ручной пулемёт Калашникова/РПК, Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, link=no, English: "Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun"), sometimes retroactively termed the RPK-47, is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine ...

* RPKS (folding stock) * RPKS-74M * RPKS-74 * RPKS-74N * RPKSN *

RPK-74m The RPK (russian: Ручной пулемёт Калашникова/РПК, Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, link=no, English: "Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun"), sometimes retroactively termed the RPK-47, is a Soviet 7.62×39mm light machine ...

* RPKN * RPD * RPK(S)N night scope rail * RPK(S)Lflash suppressor& night scope rail * RPKM (modernized) * RPK-203 (export variant) * RPK-204 (7.62×51mm NATO) * AGS-17 Plamya * AGS-30 Atlant light automatic grenade launcher

Armoured vehicles

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks h ...

– MBT – 20 T-72Bs delivered 2016 *

T-54/55 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Ta ...

– 62 – 156 delivered (20 T-54 & 136 T-55) some via Bulgaria & Libya * PT-76B LT – 22 *

BMP-1 The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle, in service 1966–present. BMP stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty 1'' (russian: link=no, Боевая Машина Пехоты 1; БМП-1), meaning "infantry fighting ve ...

– IFV – some *

AMX-VCI The AMX-VCI (french: Véhicule de Combat d'Infanterie) is one of the many variants of the French AMX-13 light tank. It was the front line APC of the French Army until replaced by the AMX-10P. It is still used by some countries, for example Mexic ...

– APC – 30 – (planning modernisation) * BTR-152 – APC – 120 * BTR-40 – APC – 20 *

BTR-50 The BTR-50 (BTR stands for ''Bronetransporter'' (БТР, Бронетранспортер), literally "armored transporter") is a Soviet amphibious armored personnel carrier (APC) based on the PT-76 light tank. The BTR-50 is tracked, unlike mos ...

U CP Version- 1 * BTR-60PB 8x8 APC – 82 *

BRDM-2 The BRDM-2 (''Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina'', Боевая Разведывательная Дозорная Машина, literally "Combat Reconnaissance/Patrol Vehicle") is an amphibious armoured scout car used by states that we ...

– 4 – modernised * T17E1 Staghound 4x4 37mm ARV via – 20

Vehicles

* Land Rover Defender * Caterpillar Inc. wheeled bulldozers * Dodge M37 * M35A2 2½ ton cargo truck * Willys M38A – 1 MD *

AIL M325 Command Car The AIL M325 Command Car is a 4x4 military truck produced by the Automotive Industries Limited (AIL) of Nazareth in Israel from 1970 to 1993 for use by the Israel Defense Forces. The M325 is a light, versatile truck designed for carrying up to 12 ...

Toyota Land Cruiser The (also sometimes spelled as LandCruiser) is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models. , the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than ...

Pegaso Pegaso (, " Pegasus") was a Spanish manufacturer of trucks, buses, tractors, armored vehicles, and, for a while, to train apprentices, and have a good brand image, some sports cars. The parent company, Enasa, was created in 1946 and based in ...

– 3045 * Unimog – 406 * Tatra trucks * Ural trucks * Santana 88 Ligero Militar *

Tiuna The Tiuna UR-53AR50 is a Venezuelan multipurpose military vehicle, presented by CENARECA and assembled locally by Venezolana de Vehículos para la Defensa. The assembly plant is located at Fort Tiuna, Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela. The ...

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the or ...

Anti-tank weapons

* AT-3 Sagger 9K-11 Malyutka anti tank missiles-500 * BGM-71C TOW-some * B-11 107mm RCL * M40A1C1 106mm RCL * M67 90mm RCL * B-10 82mm RCL * M20 75mm RCL * M18 57mm RCL

Artillery

* D-30 2A18 122mm towed howitzer – 67 * M-30 122mm towed howitzer – 24 * D-20 M-1955 152mm towed howitzer – 60 * ZiS-2 M-1943 57mm anti tank gun – 354 * M101A 105mm towed howitzer – 12 * ZiS-3 M-1942 76mm divisional gun – 85 * BS-3 100mm filed gun – 24 * M-160 160mm heavy mortar – 4 * M-43 120mm heavy mortar – 24 *

Soltam M-65 The Soltam M-65 is a 120 mm mortar that was developed by Tampella in 1953 via introduction of new baseplate for 120 Krh/40 invented by Hans Otto Donner. In 1960s Soltam Systems of Israel bought a license. The mortar system comes in two versi ...

120mm heavy mortar – some Multiple rocket launchers * BM-21 Grad-1P – 100 * Type 63 – 33 * BM-21 – 30

Anti-aircraft equipment

ZSU-23-4 The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored Soviet self-propelled, radar-guided anti-aircraft weapon system ( SPAAG). Etymology The acronym "ZSU" stands for ''Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka'' (russian: Зенитная Самоходная Ус ...

Shilka \ Gundish – 44 sold to Ecuador * ZSU-57-2 – 10 *

FIM-92 Stinger The FIM-92 Stinger is an American man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground vehicles, and from helicopters as the Air-t ...

FIM-43 Redeye The General Dynamics FIM-43 Redeye is a man-portable surface-to-air missile system. It uses passive infrared homing to track its target. Production began in 1962 andin anticipation of the Redeye II, which later became the FIM-92 Stingerended in t ...

* ZU-23-2 – 20 *

SA-7 The 9K32 Strela-2 (russian: Cтрела, "arrow"; NATO reporting name SA-7 Grail) is a light-weight, shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile (or MANPADS) system. It is designed to target aircraft at low altitudes with passive infrared homing gui ...

B 9K32 Strela 2 Grail – 1,600 *

SA-14 The 9K34 Strela-3 (russian: 9К34 «Стрела-3», 'arrow', NATO reporting name: SA-14 Gremlin) is a man-portable air defense missile system (MANPADS) developed in the Soviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier 9K32 Str ...

9K34

Strela 3 The 9K34 Strela-3 (russian: 9К34 «Стрела-3», 'arrow', NATO reporting name: SA-14 Gremlin) is a man-portable air defense missile system (MANPADS) developed in the Soviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier 9K32 Str ...

Gremlin – 117 *

SA-16 The 9K38 Igla (russian: Игла́, "needle", NATO reporting name SA-18 Grouse) is a Russian/Soviet man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. A simplified, earlier version is known as the 9K310 Igla-1 (NATO: SA-16 Gimle ...

9K38 Igla The 9K38 Igla (russian: Игла́, "needle", NATO reporting name SA-18 Grouse) is a Russian/Soviet Union, Soviet MANPADS, man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. A simplified, earlier version is known as the 9K310 Igl ...

Gimlet TOTAL: – 360 MANPAD launchers. * 9K31 Strela-1 –

SA-9 The 9K31 ''Strela-1'' (russian: 9К31 «Стрела-1»; en, arrow) is a highly mobile, short-range, low altitude infra-red guided surface-to-air missile system. Originally developed by the Soviet Union under the GRAU designation 9K31, it is c ...

Gaskin *

SA-8 The 9K33 ''Osa'' (, literally "wasp"; NATO reporting name SA-8 ''Gecko'') is a highly mobile, low-altitude, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and fielded in 1972. Its export version na ...

9K33 Osa – 8 launchers \ 60 missiles via

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

KS-19 100 mm air defence gun KS-19 (russian: 100-мм зенитная пушка КС-19) was a Soviet anti-aircraft gun. Initially deployed aboard ships as the B-34 during the Second World War, a ground-mounted version was introduced into service ...

100mm AAGs – 18 *

Hispano-Suiza Hispano-Suiza () is a Spanish automotive–engineering company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and Damian Mateu as an automobile manufacturer and eventually had several factories in Spain and France that produced luxury cars, aircraft en ...

HS404\ TCM-20 2x20mm AAGs * M45 Quadmount 4x12,7mm

Browning Browning may refer to: Arts and entertainment * The Browning, an American electronicore band * ''Browning'', a set of variations by the composer William Byrd Places * Browning, Georgia, USA * Browning, Illinois, USA * Browning, Missouri, ...

M-2HB *

ZPU The ZPU (, meaning "anti-aircraft machine gun mount") is a family of towed anti-aircraft gun based on the Soviet 14.5×114mm KPV heavy machine gun. It entered service with the Soviet Union in 1949 and is used by over 50 countries worldwide. Qu ...

– 1\2\4 * S-60 57mm AAGs – 24

EW radars

* P-37 Bar-Lock – 2 * P-12 Spoon-Rest – 6 *

Son-9 SON-9 ( NATO reporting name Fire Can) is a type of Russian/Soviet fire director radar for air defence guns including the 57 mm, 85mm, and 100 mm, and 130mm anti-aircraft guns. The design was based on an older SON-4 Soviet design that was in turn ...

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Personnel

Military careers

The Nicaraguan military, Fuerzas Armadas de Nicaragua, exists in a top-down hierarchy and is partitioned into multiple ranks. In order to become a Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel, a candidate must attend Staff College (ESEM).. Alternatively, one may begin a military career as a Lieutenant, with the opportunity for advancement, by obtaining a bachelor's degree in Military Sciences. Individuals may also attend Officers School, to gain the rank of Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, and General Staff or Army General. The Nicaraguan navy offers training other than that offered through ESEM, a bachelor's degree in Military Sciences, and Officers School. Candidates seeking to advance in the Nicaraguan navy may attend navy-specific training to become Lieutenant Commanders, Commanders, Captains, fleet Admirals, Generals, Major Generals and Generals of the Army. Despite offering advancement through ESEM training, Officers School, and a bachelor's degree in Military Sciences, most high-ranking officers choose to receive their formal military education from training opportunities in Mexico, Spain, France, China, Russia, and Cuba.

Military size (manpower)

Nicaragua has a small military force with only 9,412 members as of 2010. This number includes 1,500 officers (16%), 302 non-commissioned officers (3%), and 7,610 troops (81%). This relatively small armed force is supported by an extremely small $41 million-dollar defense budget (2010). Such a small military budget has resulted in severe deficiencies in terms of manpower (i.e. cannot supply and employ) and modern weaponry. This budget represents approximately 2.84% of the country's overall expenditures.

Civilian police

The National Police of Nicaragua, established in 1979, was created to maintain domestic tranquility, prevent crime, ensure security for all civilians, prosecute offenders, and enforce any other nationally mandated laws. As a non-political, non-partisan, and non-deliberative organization, the National Police of Nicaragua was a revolutionary agency when created. This body is unaided by the national military, since it exists as a completely separate entity; however, in accordance with Article 92, the President may order the army to intervene on the National Police's behalf. There is also a volunteer police force that aids the National Police force, not just in times of dire need. The National Police Force is organized into several different tiers: the national specialized organizations (i.e. investigation departments), support organizations (i.e. Police Academy), police delegations (i.e. department, municipal), and advisory structures (i.e. National Council).. Those wishing to become members of the National Police Force must pass through rigorous hours of training and multiple examinations.