Honduran Army

Last updated
Honduran Army
Ejército de Honduras
Escudo del Ejercito de Honduras.svg
The Honduran Army's emblem
FoundedDecember 11, 1825;199 years ago (1825-12-11)
Country Honduras
Type Army
Role Land warfare
Size18,000 active (2024)
65,000 reserve (2024)
Part of Armed Forces of Honduras
Patron Our Lady of Suyapa
Motto(s)Honor, Lealtad, Sacrificio ("Honor, Loyalty, Sacrifice")
Anniversaries3 October (Honduran Soldier Day)
11 December (Honduran Army Day)
Engagements
Commanders
Commander General of the Armed Forces Logo de la Presidencia de Honduras.png Xiomara Castro
Minister of DefenceJosé Manuel Zelaya Rosales
Army CommanderBrigadier General Carlos Efraín Aguilar Hernández
Insignia
Army flag Flag of the Honduran Army.svg

The Honduran Army is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of Honduras, as established by the 1982 Constitution. Its recruits are all volunteers. [1]

Contents

History

Honduran cadets in 1884 Cadetes de la Academia militar de Honduras en 1884 en Comayaguela.jpg
Honduran cadets in 1884

The Honduran Army has its roots in the post-independence years, in the early 19th century. In 1831, the first Military School was founded in the San Francisco Barracks  [ es ], an old nunnery. [2] [3] In the next few decades many wars were fought against neighbouring countries [4] . There were also filibusters [5] , hundreds of internal rebellions, and civil wars. [6]

In 1909, the Corporals and Sargeants School was created, aiming to organize the army's troops over the Prussian doctrine. Nearly a decade later, in 1917, the National Military School was created to form cadets and officers for the army which was based in Toncontin, Tegucigalpa. [2]

In 1937, a Machine Gun Corps was established (some 22 years after the British Machine Gun Corps had been established, and 15 years after it had been disestablished), and in 1946 the Basic Weapons School was created. In 1949, a Corporals and Sargeants School was created. [2] Three years later, the General Francisco Morazán Honduran Military Academy  [ es ] was established in Tegucigalpa. [7]

By 1983, the army was made up by circa 13.5 thousand soldiers, distributed along three infantry brigades (each made up by two infantry battalions and one artillery battalion), six independent infantry battalions, an armoured cavalry regiment, an engineer battalion, a logistic support command, infantry schools, paratroopers and communications, [2] , together with a Combined General Staff [8] with officers from all three branches of the Armed Forces. [9]

Honduran Army special forces troopers at range practice FF.EE HN.jpg
Honduran Army special forces troopers at range practice

Peacekeeping

The Honduran Army has participated in various humanitarian missions headed by the UN, namely:

The Army also sent a battalion to Iraq during the Iraq War, Tarea Xatruch, which made up part of the Plus Ultra Brigade. [13]

Structure

Arms

The Army's units are divided as follows:

Infantry

The infantry is provisioned with an adjustable rifle, bayonet, and survival equipment. They are divided into brigades, which then are divided into battalions, platoons, and squads. Though when the army was formed flintlocks were still the standard infantry weapon, soon Remington rifles were adopted, and then M1 Garands. World War II represented a turning point for Honduran infantry tactics, with the success of American firepower based tactics in Europe. [2]

United States trainers from the 36th Infantry Division at target practice with Honduran soldiers 36 INF DIV Instructors.jpg
United States trainers from the 36th Infantry Division at target practice with Honduran soldiers

Artillery

The artillery is the troop charged with the use of mortars, howitzers, rockets, missiles, etc., in offensive or defensive actions; it also is tasked with anti-air defense. The Honduran Army's modern artillery arm dates to 1971, when it was created based on the First Artillery Battalion, a unit which had been formed two years prior around a battery of 75mm guns received from the United States in 1949 and 120mm mortars. [14] Nowadays, there are three battalions of artillery in the Honduran Army. [15]

Cavalry

Around 1750, a Horse Grenadier Corps was created in the province of Honduras by the Spanish colonial authorities, based in the city of Comayagua, though the Honduran Army's cavalry traces its roots to the Morazán Cavalry, a unit raised by President Francisco Morazán in the 19th century, famed for its mobility and performance in battle. The Army's cavalry was expanded from that unit, and maintained its organization until the end of World War I, which demonstrated the limits of traditional cavalry. Soon, armoured cars and tanks were adopted by the country's cavalry.

The Football War, fought in 1969, demonstrated, however, the limitations of the armoured cavalry model adopted by the Army. In 1977, a new model was adopted where the cavalry was reformed, starting to be reorganized into Mechanized Groups, formed mostly by officers and enlisted men taken from infantry units. The first of these was equipped with 12 RBY Mk 1 Israeli light reconnaissance vehicles. Also in 1977 their designation was switched to Reconnaissance Squadrons, and then, finally, in 1981, they were merged into a single Armoured Cavalry Regiment. That year, some tens of British Scorpion, Sultan and Scimitar armoured vehicles were obtained, and construction started and ended on a base for the regiment, located at the Francisco Morazán Department. [16]

In 1983, tensions with Nicaragua made Army command order the regiment's second squadron into the Valle Department; there, it fought skirmishes against the Salvadoran Army, however. In 1984, some of its tanks were handed to infantry units, in order to bolster their capabilities. That same year, 72 Saladin armoured cars were bought from West Germany, allowing the Army to reorganize its Armoured Cavalry into two regiments, with the second being deployed to the Choluteca Department, bordering Nicaragua. [17]

Organization

Honduran Army gunners together with United States trainers from the 5-206th Field Artillery in field exercises in the Francisco Morazan Department 5-206th FA Howitzer Section Trains with Honduran Army.jpg
Honduran Army gunners together with United States trainers from the 5-206th Field Artillery in field exercises in the Francisco Morazán Department

Human rights record

During the 1980s, especially during the tenure of General Gustavo Álvarez Martínez as head of the armed forces, as the Contra War was fought in Nicaragua, the Honduran Army was responsible for a number of human rights violations, especially its Battalion 3-16, trained and supported by the CIA. Said battalion was a specialized intelligence and counter-intelligence unit, formed by hand-picked officers tasked with profiling and capturing those deemed to be traitors, such as supposed communist infiltrators. Human rights groups have deemed Battalion 3-16 as a death squad, attributing more than 100 civilian deaths to it. [24]

Equipment

Armored vehicles

NameImageTypeOriginQuantityStatusNotes
FV101 Scorpion [25] Scorpion TNI-AD.jpg Light tank Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 12
RBY Mk 1 [25] RBY-MkI-latrun-2.jpg Reconnaissance vehicle Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 10
Alvis Saladin [25] Saladin RAF Museum Cosford.jpg Armoured car Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 70
FV107 Scimitar [25] Scimitar Light Tank MOD 45149231.jpg Reconnaissance vehicle Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3

Artillery

NameImageTypeOriginQuantityNotes
M101 howitzer [25] JGSDF 105mm Howitzer M2A1(Type 58 105mm Howitzer) left front view at Camp Nihonbara October 1, 2017.jpg Howitzer Flag of the United States.svg  United States 24
M116 howitzer [25] M116 75 mm Pack Howitzer M1, CFB Gagetown, NB (2).JPG Howitzer Flag of the United States.svg  United States 12Received from the United States in 1949. [14]
Soltam M-66 [25] Soltam-Mortar-160mm-beyt-hatotchan-2.jpg Mortar Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 24Originally acquired in 1976. [14]
M29 mortar [26] [25] Mortar M29.jpg Mortar Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Soltam K6 [25] 160808-F-VH066-018.jpg Mortar Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
M2 mortar [25] M2-Mortar.jpg Mortar Flag of the United States.svg  United States

Anti-tank weapons

NameImageTypeOriginCaliberNotes
Carl Gustav M2 [25] A Dutch Marine aims at his target as he looks through the sight of his 84mm Carl Gustaf anti-tank system. The Dutch Marines are participating in the NATO exercise Northern Wedding DM-ST-82-09946.jpg Recoilless rifle Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 84mm
M18 recoilless rifle [25] M18 57mm Recoilless Rifle pic1.JPG Recoilless rifle Flag of the United States.svg  United States 57mm

Small arms

NameImageCaliberTypeOriginNotes
Pistols
Browning FN-35 [27] FN Hi Power museum.jpg 9×19mm Semi-automatic pistol Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Submachine guns
Beretta 93R [27] B93R (2).jpg 9×19mm Machine pistol Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Heckler & Koch MP5 [27] HK MP5 noBG.png 9×19mm Submachine gun Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Uzi [27] Uzi-nobg.png 9×19mm Submachine gun Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Uzi and Mini-Uzi variants.
Rifles
FN FAL [27] FN-FAL belgian.jpeg 7.62×51mm Battle rifle Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Purchased in the aftermath of the Football War. [28]
Ruger Mini-14 [27] Mini14GB noBG.jpg 5.56×45mm Battle rifle Flag of the United States.svg  United States
M14 rifle [27] IWI 3686.jpg 7.62×51mm Battle rifle Flag of the United States.svg  United States
M16 rifle [27] M16A2 rightside noBG.jpg 5.56×45mm Assault rifle Flag of the United States.svg  United States M16A1 variant.
Machine guns
FN MAG [27] FN MAG white background.jpg 7.62×51mm General-purpose machine gun Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Purchased in the aftermath of the Football War. [28]
M60 [27] M60 Medium Machine Gun (7414626098).jpg 7.62×51mm General-purpose machine gun Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Browning M2 [27] PEO Browning M2E2 QCB (c1).jpg .50 BMG Heavy machine gun Flag of the United States.svg  United States

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank groupGeneral / flag officersSenior officersJunior officers
Flag of the Honduran Army.svg  Honduran Army [29]
DivEjerHonGD.svg DivEjerHonGB-01.svg DivEjerHonCor-01.svg DivEjerHonTenCor.svg DivEjerHonMayor-01.svg DivEjerHonCap.svg DivEjerHonTen-01.svg DivEjerHonSubTen-01.svg
General de división General de brigada Coronel Teniente coronel Mayor Capitán Teniente Subteniente

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank groupSenior NCOsJunior NCOsEnlisted
Flag of the Honduran Army.svg  Honduran Army [29]
Blank.svg Blank.svg 04-Nicaragua Army-SFC.svg 03-Nicaragua Army-SGT.svg 02-Nicaragua Army-CPL.svg 01-Nicaragua Army-PVT.svg
Sargento mayorSargento primeroSargento segundoSargento rasoCaboSoldado

See also

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