Military of Chile

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Military of Chile
Coat of arms of Chile.svg
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief President Sebastián Piñera
Minister of Defense Rodrigo Hinzpeter
Manpower
Military age 18 years of age
Available for
military service
Males age 15-49: 3,815,761 (2005 est), age 15–49
Fit for
military service
Males age 15-49: 3,123,281 (2005 est), age 15–49
Reaching military
age annually
Males: 150,084 (2005 est)
Active personnel 60,560 (ranked 59th)
Expenditures
Budget US$7.392 billion (2011 est)[1]
Percent of GDP 3.0% of GDP (2011 est)[1][2]
Industry
Domestic suppliers FAMAE
ENAER
ASMAR
DTS
SISDEF
DESA
LINKTRONIC
Detroit Chile
Foreign suppliers  United States
 Germany
 United Kingdom
 Netherlands
 Switzerland
 Israel
 Spain
 France
 Brazil
 Canada[3]
 Russia (rarely)

The Armed Forces of Chile (Fuerzas Armadas de Chile) are subject to civilian control exercised by the president through the Minister of Defense. This conscription service can be postponed for educational or religious reasons. In recent years and after several major reequipment programs, the Chilean Armed Forces have become one of the most technologically advanced and professional armed forces of South America[citation needed].

Contents

Structure [edit]

Army [edit]

The current commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army is General de Ejército Sr. Juan Miguel Fuente-Alba Poblete. The 45,000-person army is organized in seven divisions and one air brigade. The army hi German Leopard 1 and 2 tanks as its main battle tanks. The recent purchase of 140 second-hand Leopard 2A4s from the German army is now being delivered.

Navy [edit]

Admiral Edmundo González Robles directs the 25,000-person Chilean Navy, including 4,800 Marines. Of the fleet of 66 surface vessels, eight are major combatant ships and they are based in Valparaíso. The navy operates its own aircraft for transport and patrol; there are no fighters or bomber aircraft but they have attack helicopters. The Navy also operates four submarines based in Talcahuano.

Air Force [edit]

Gen. Jorge Rojas Avila heads 11,000 strong Chilean Air Force. Air assets are distributed among five air brigades headquartered in Iquique, Antofagasta, Santiago, Puerto Montt, and Punta Arenas. The Air Force also operates an airbase on King George Island, Antarctica.

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b "Military Expenditure of Chile". The SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. SIPRI. 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012. "2011 Military Expenditure of Chile In constant (2010) US$7.392 m SIPRI Estimate" 
  2. ^ "Chile GDP, current prices US dollars". World Economic Outlook Database. International Monetary Fund. April 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012. "Chile GDP, current prices $USD 248.411 billion" 
  3. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Background2011 (see the help page).

Louis E.V. Nevaer, Latin America Divided Over Ties with China, Jan 26, 2011, New American Media, http://newamericamedia.org/2011/01/latin-america-divided-over-ties-with-china-growing-suspicions-over-chinese-presence-in-latin-america.php

External links [edit]

Flag of Chile.svg
 
Chilean Armed Forces
Coat of arms of Chile-(Non-3D).svg
Coat of arms of the Chilean Army.svg Ejército de Chile (Army)   Coat of arms of the Chilean Navy.svg Armada de Chile (Navy)   Coat of arms of the Chilean Air Force.svg Fuerza Aérea de Chile (Air Force)