Military of Belize
The Belize Defence Force (BDF) is the military of Belize, and is responsible for protecting the sovereignty of Belize. The BDF, along with the National Forensic Science Service, the National Coast Guard, and the Immigration Department, is a department of the Ministry of National Security, which is headed by Carlos Perdomo; the BDF itself is commanded by Brigadier General Dario Tapia. In 2005, the Belizean government spent $1.2 million on the military, constituting 1.87% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).[1]
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[edit] History
The military of Belize dates back to 1817, when the Prince Regent Royal Honduras Militia, a volunteer organization, was founded; this militia became the Belize Volunteer Guard of the British Territorial Army. The BDF was founded in 1978 following the disbanding of the Belize Volunteer Guard and the Police Special Force the year before.[2]
After Belize achieved independence in 1981 the United Kingdom maintained a deterrent force in the country to protect it from invasion by Guatemala (see Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory). The main British force left in 1994, three years after Guatemala recognised Belizean independence, but the United Kingdom maintains a training presence via the British Army Training and Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) and 25 Flight Army Air Corps.[2] The BDF Maritime Wing became part of the Belizean Coastguard in November 2005.[3]
[edit] Organization
The BDF consists of:
- Ground Forces
- First Infantry Battalion
- Second Infantry Battalion
- Air Wing
- Troop Transport
- Freight Transport
- Search and Rescue (Casualty/Medical Evacuation)
- Reconnaissance
- Exclusive Economic Zone Patrol
- Parachute Resupply
- Light Ground Attack
- Showing of the Belizean Flag
- Air Wing Cadet Corps
- Volunteer Guard
- Volunteer Battalion
The Belize National Police is a quasi-military unit in Belize.
[edit] Equipment
- Browning Hi-Power L-9A-1
Belgium - Smith & Wesson Model 10
United States - Sterling submachine gun MK-IV\L-2A-3
United Kingdom - 400 x M16 rifle M16A1 United States
- 200 x M16 rifle M16A2 United States
- 54 x M4 carbine United States
- FN FAL L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle Belgium United Kingdom
- 15 x M14 rifle United States
- 66 x FN Minimi United States Belgium
- 28 x M249 light machine gun A2 United States Belgium
- FN MAG 60-20 Inf.T-6\L-7A-2 Belgium United Kingdom
- 15 x FN MAG 60-20 L-37A-2 Belgium United Kingdom
- 10 x M1919 Browning machine gun Vektor MG-4CA (for Eland-90 ARVs) United States
South Africa - Bren light machine gun MK-III L4A4 United Kingdom
- 10 x M2 Browning United States
- 60 x M72 LAW M72A3 United States
- 8 x Carl Gustav recoilless rifle
Sweden - L16 81mm Mortar United Kingdom}
- 15 x Fox armoured reconnaissance vehicle Daimler FV721 Fox 30mm L-21 Rarden gun 4x4 ARVs United Kingdom
- 10 x Eland Mk7 90mm 4x4 ARVs South Africa
France - Land Rover Defender 4x4 United Kingdom
- Bedford MK trucks United Kingdom
[edit] Facilities
- Mountain Pine Ridge Training Area
- Price Barracks
- Fairweather Camp
- Orange Walk
- Belizario Camp
- Corozal Training Centre
- Dangriga Training Centre
- Phillip SW Goldson International Airport
[edit] Aircraft
Aircraft Inventory as of January 26, 2009
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[4] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counter-insurgency | ||||||
| Britten-Norman Defender |  United Kingdom |
Counter-insugency | BN-2B-21 | 2 | In service since 1983 | |
| Trainers | ||||||
| Slingsby T-67 Firefly | United Kingdom |
Trainer | T67M-260 | 1 | In service since 1996 | |
| Transports | ||||||
| Britten-Norman Islander | United Kingdom |
Utility transport | BN-2A | 1 | ||
| Cessna 182J |  United States |
Utility transport | 182J | 1 | In service since 1996 | |
| Obsolete Aircraft | ||||||
| Dornier Do 27 |  Germany |
Utility transport | Do.27 | 0 | 1 in service from 1987 to 1990 | |
| Beechcraft King Air | United States |
Utility transport | A90 | 0 | 1 in service from 2004 to 2006 | |
| Ayres Thrush | United States |
Trainer | S-2R | 0 | 3 were in service | |
| Bell UH-1 Iroquois | United States |
Utility helicopter | UH-1 | 0 | 1 was in service | |
| Cessna 208 Caravan | United States |
Utility transport | 208 | 0 | 1 was in service | |
| Cessna O-2 Skymaster | United States |
Observation aircraft | 337\O-2 | 0 | 1 was in service | |
[edit]
Personnel: year 2008, 152
- 13 Boats (including 6 Wasp-class PCs United Kingdom ).
[edit] References
- ^ "Belize", CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bh.html
- ^ a b Dion E. Phillips , "The Military of Belize" http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/belize/conference/papers/phillips.html, 2002
- ^ "Channel 5 Belize", http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=15230 December 13, 2007.
- ^ Aviation Week & Space Technology 2009, 26 January 2009 240. Web.11 August 2009. <http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/sourcebook/content.jsp?channelName=pro&story=xml/sourcebook_xml/2009/01/26/AW_01_26_2009_p0240-112924-14.xml&headline=World%20Military%20Aircraft%20Inventory%20-%20Belize>.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.
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