As of 2000, the 'national armed forces of Venezuela' (FAN, ) comprised 87,500 individuals in four service branches--the Army, Navy (including the Marine Corps), Air Force, and the Armed Forces of Cooperation (FAC), commonly known as the National Guard.
Organization
As of 2005, about 100,000 soldiers were integrated in the military through a fifth service branch, the Armed Reserve, although some of this force is more of a militia than a formal, professional armed corps.
In 2001, a civilian was appointed Minister of Defense for the first time in many decades. His role is largely policy-oriented, and operational command remains with a uniformed services commander.
As of 2006 the FAN will be transformed into six service branches, the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard, National Reserve and the Territorial Guard. The Army, Navy, Air Force and National Guard will serve under the Strategic Operational Command (''Comando Estratégico Operacional''), the National Reserve and the Territorial Guard will serve under the National Reserve and Mobilization Command (''Comando General de la Reserva Nacional y Movilizacion Nacional'')
The Venezuelan army bears the title "''Forjador de Libertades''" or "Creator of Freedoms". This apparently refers to Venezuelan armies fighting Venezuela's independence war, as well as the independence wars of five other countries, namely
Colombia,
Ecuador,
Perú,
Panamá (then part of
New Granada, present day Colombia) and
Bolivia.
Branches
National Armed Forces (''Fuerza Armada Nacional'' or FAN) includes:
★
Ground Forces or Army (''Fuerzas Terrestres'' or ''Ejercito'')
★
Naval Forces (''Fuerzas'' Navales or Armada)
★
Venezuela Air Force (''Fuerzas Aereas'' or ''Aviacion'')
★ Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (''Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion'' or ''Guardia Nacional'')
★ National Reserve (''Reserva Nacional'')
★ Territorial Guard (''Guardia Territorial'')
Rank
The army's officer rank system is unremarkable, but the system of non-commissioned ranks is notably complicated, with eighteen non-commissioned ranks from ''Distinguido'' to ''Maestro Técnico Supervisor''. (For comparison, there are seven
NATO non-commissioned ranks (OR-3 to OR-9) and six British non-commissioned army ranks.)
Procurements
The Venezuelan government has embarked on a massive military modernization and purchases that greatly expand their defensive and offensive capabilities, including negotiations for
German submarines and transport aircraft, several agreements with
Russia (outlined ahead), transport aircraft and naval vessels from
Spain, radars from
China, home-made and designed armored light vehicles and rocket launchers, studies for
Leopard 2 main battle tanks, amongst many others.
In 2005 Venezuela signed agreements with Spain to procure 12 naval
transport and
reconnaissance aircraft and eight naval
patrol vessels. The deal is worth $1.5-2 billion
dollars to the Spanish
defense industry, as well as an estimated 900 new jobs.
Venezuela has also recently purchased 100,000
AK-103 assault rifles and 53 russian helicopters
[1], including 12
Mi-17 military helicopters.
[2]
The government of Venezuela has also announced its intention to obtain about 3 dozen more Russian helicopters, including Mi-17 "Hip",
Mi-26 "Halo" and
Mi-35 "Hind", as well as announcing the procurement of 24
Su-30MK Interceptors with future possible purchases of
Su-35 fighters.
[3] Russia earned from Venezuela US$5.3 billion just with the above mentioned sales
[1].
Venezuela is studying Antonov transport aircraft to revamp its aging fleet of transport craft, which includes
IAI Aravas and
Skytrucks, as well as Ground Attack Planes, like the
Su-25 "Frogfoot".
Venezuela has announced the purchase of 3 batteries of the
TOR-M1 system, with the possible acquistion of 600 armored vehicles - possibly the
BMP 3 or the Sabiex Iguana FV4.
[5] Border defense systems are being purchased from
Brazil, plus
Steyr anti-riot trucks and expanded
Tiuna purchases.
A co-operative research into
UAV between Venezuela and Iran is also underway.
[6]
In 2007, the Belarusian military optics industry will be supplying the Venezuelan army with night vision devices, and to be installed on - as
Hugo Chavez described: "every single rifle in the Venezuelan army."
[7]
In June, 2007 President
Hugo Chavez confirmed that Russia will deliver 5
diesel submarines to Venezuela.
[1]
On August 19, 2007 President
Hugo Chavez announced the purchase of 5,000
Dragunov sniper rifles from the russian
Rosoboronexport, adding that Venezuela must ready itself for a "possible US invasion"
[1].
Controversy with the United States
These acquisitions and other projects have been greeted with criticism from the
United States, which opposes the government of President
Hugo Chávez. The U.S. accuses Venezuela of starting an arms race, which they fear will destabilize the military equilibrium in South America. Venezuela is also accused of supplying small arms to neighboring Colombian
guerrilla organizations including
FARC, which is sympathetic to Chávez.
[10]
United States criticism is met with skepticism by Venezuelan authorities, who claim the weapons are needed to update the basic equipment in the armed forces. In some cases, Venezuelan armaments like the
FN FAL have been in service more than 50 years. The government also claims that the US has been the one to initiate arms races and de-stabilize countries by supplying subversive groups in
Latin America throughout the past century (referring to the
Cold War and the
contra affair, among
numerous other incidents).
In the 1990s Venezuela requested a batch of F-16C/Ds to update its F-16 fighter fleet, but the U.S. government blocked the request.
[11] In October 1997 the US government approved the sale of the two crash replacement F-16s, but subsequently halted the sale.
[12] In 2005 a contract with
Israel Aircraft Industries to upgrade Venezuela's F-16s was frozen following U.S. pressure.
[13] Chavez subsequently accused the U.S. of delaying the sale of spare parts to maintain Venezuela’s F-16s. After remarks by Chavez that he would sell or lend the 'unused' F-16's to any country that wanted them, including
Iran the US Government agreed to supply the spare parts; however, the shipment was detained at the Customs Office in Maiquetia International Airport due to security concerns.
[14][15]
U.S. military embargo
The government of the United States announced an
embargo of
military material and equipments to Venezuela; no
US made
weapons or
technology can be sold to Venezuela by any country or
company.
[16] This embargo has harmed several Venezuelan purchases, as not only are US technology goods unavailable, but other nations friendly to the US have chosen to block sales of arms to Venezuela, as well. This is also considered one of the reasons Venezuela has turned to Russia and China for arms, in a move reminiscent of the
Cold War.
Below is a list of acquisitions frustrated directly or indirectly by the US embargo:
[17]
★
L-159 Jets from
Czech Republic: the Czech government forbade
Aero Vodochy, the manufacturer, from creating a variant with
French avionics and
Ukranian engines, specially requested by Venezuela.
★
Saab AB, a
Swedish arms company announced it would honor the US embargo, and would not sell arms to Venezuela.
Carl Gustav recoilless rifles,
AT4 AT weapons, as well as
RBS-70 AA systems are in service in the Venezuelan military.
★ Spanish company
EADS CASA halted the sale of several transport planes that contained extensive US technology.
★ Brazil was forced to cancel the sale of
Embraer Super Tucano airplanes to the Venezuelan Air Force due to its use of
Pratt & Whitney engines.
★ Embraer was also forced to cancel the sale of AEW&C equipped planes.
★ France decided to block the sale of
Scorpene submarines to Venezuela.
★ Russian companies
Rosoboronexport and
Sukhoi have been sanctioned by the US government for procuring arms for Venezuela.
Standard equipment
★ An average soldier will have a
FN FAL and a
Glock 17 as a sidearm and the crew service will carry a
FN MAG instead of the FAL, although the FAL's are now being replaced by the
AK-103 in just about every branch.
★ A frontier soldier will have a
Glock 18 and a
Mossberg 500 or instead a
IMI Uzi.
References
1. http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Mundo/0,,MUL90712-5602,00.html
2. http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/2005/11/16/internacionales/5876
3. http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/16-06-2006/82082-Venezuela-0
4. http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Mundo/0,,MUL90712-5602,00.html
5. http://www.fav-club.com/flash/fcn44/favclubnews44.htm
6. http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/01/30/en_eco_art_30A830041.shtml
7. http://www.eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=5241
8. http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Mundo/0,,MUL90712-5602,00.html
9. http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Mundo/0,,MUL90712-5602,00.html
10. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/031006/6venezuela_3.htm][http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,12716,1396985,00.htm
11. http://www.airtoaircombat.com/background.asp?id=8&bg=59
12. http://www.f-16.net/f-16_users_article25.html
13. http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/2005/10/us-roadblocks-re-the-venezuelaisrael-f16-upgrade-politics-or-protectionism/
14. http://peacejournalism.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=10543
15. http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-08-28T225206Z_01_N28369566_RTRUKOC_0_US-VENEZUELA-USA.xml&archived=False
16. http://www.webislam.com/?idn=5813
17. http://www.fav-club.com/
External links
★
Sitio oficial del Ministerio del Poder Popular para Defensa de Venezuela
★
Sitio oficial del Ejército Libertador (Venezuela)
★
Sitio oficial de la Armada de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela
★
Sitio oficial de la Aviación Militar de Venezuela
★
Sitio oficial de la Guardia Nacional de Venezuela
★
Sitio oficial de la Aviación del Ejército de Venezuela
★
Sitio no oficial de la Fuerza Armada de Venezuela
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