Mexican Army

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 69.235.198.92 (talk) at 03:39, 11 October 2008 (→‎Assault rifles). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Military of Mexico
Components
Personnel
History and awards

The Mexican Army is the land branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defence Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle (The Mondragón rifle) in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue weapons, in 1910. In September 2007 the Secretary of Defense reported that the Mexican Army consisted of 181,356 men and women serving (ca. 0.16 per cent of the population), but the IISS Military Balance 2007 listed the active duty force as 183,700.[1]

Since the early 2000s the Army has steadily modernised to become competitive with the armies of other Latin American countries.[2] An interesting proof of the Army's increased budget is domestic production of the new FX-05 Assault Rifle.

Organization

File:Ejercito Mexicano.jpg
Mexican Army 2008

The Army is under authority of the National Defense Secretariat or SEDENA. It has three components: a national headquarters, territorial commands, and independent units. The Minister of Defence commands the Army via a centralized command system and many general officers. The Army uses a modified continental staff system in its headquarters. The Mexican Air Force is a branch of the Mexican Army.

Regional organization

México is divided into twelve Military Regions composed of forty-four sub-ordinate Military Zones [the 2007 ed. of the IISS lists 12 regions, 45 zones], the enumeration is for nominal designation. There is no fixed number of zones in a region, therefore operational needs determine how many or how few, with corresponding increases and decreases in troop strength.

The President of Mexico appoints Military Zone commanders, usually on the secretary of defence's recommendation. The senior zone commander also is commander of the military region containing the military zone. A military zone commander has jurisdiction over every unit operating in his territory, including the Rurales (Rural Defense Force) that occasionally have been Federal political counterweight to the power of state governors. Zone commanders provide the national defence secretary with socio-political conditions intelligence about rural areas. Moreover, they traditionally have acted in co-ordination with the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) on planning and resources deployment.

Región Militar Sede Estados que la conforman
I México, D.F. Distrito Federal, Hidalgo, Estado de México, Morelos.
II Mexicali, B.C. Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora.
III Mazatlan, Sin. Sinaloa, Durango.
IV Monterrey, N.L. Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas.
V Guadalajara, Jal. Aguascalientes, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Zacatecas.
VI Veracruz, Ver. Puebla, Tlaxcala, parte centro y norte de Veracruz.
VII Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chis. Chiapas, Tabasco.
VIII Ixcotel, Oax. Oaxaca, parte sur de Veracruz.
IX Cumbres de Llano Largo, Gro. Guerrero.
X Mérida, Yuc. Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán.
XI Torreón, Coah. Chihuahua, Coahuila.
XII Irapuato, Gto. Guanajuato, Michoacán, Querétaro.

Zones

Tactical units

The primary units of the Mexican army are six brigades and a number of independent regiments and infantry battalions.

File:Presidente ante ejercito mexicano.jpg
Mexican President Felipe Calderón with a Mexican army brigade.

The Brigades, all based in and around the Federal District (encompassing the Mexico City area), are the only real maneuver elements in the army. With their support units, they are believed to account for over 40 percent of the country's ground forces. According to The Military Balance, published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Oklahoma City, the army has six brigades: one armored, two infantry, one motorized infantry, one airborne, and the Presidential Guard Brigade. The Third military police brigade was transferred to the Federal Preventive Police in 2008. The armored brigade is one of two new brigades formed since 1990 as part of a reorganization made possible by an increase in overall strength of about 25,000 troops. The brigade consists of three armored and one mechanized infantry regiment.

Distinct from the brigade formations are independent regiments (all regiments are battalion sized) and battalions assigned to zonal garrisons. These independent units consist of one armored cavalry regiment, nineteen motorized cavalry regiments, one mechanized infantry regiment, seven artillery regiments, and three artillery and eighteen infantry battalions. Infantry battalions are small and are each composed of approximately 300 troops, generally are deployed in each zone. Certain zones also are assigned an additional motorized cavalry regiment or one of the seven artillery regiments. Smaller detachments often are detailed to patrol more inaccessible areas of the countryside, helping to maintain order and resolve disputes.

Garrisons

Guarnición Militar
El Ciprés, B.C.
Tecate, B.C.
San Felipe, B.C.
San Luis Río Colorado, Son.
Agua Prieta, Son.
Sonoyta, Son.
Cd. Juárez, Chih.
Ojinaga, Chih.
Palomas, Chih.
Cd. Acuña, Coah.
Piedras Negras, Coah.
Nuevo Laredo, Tamps.
Matamoros, Tamps.
Manzanillo, Col.
Lázaro Cárdenas, Mich.
Puerto Escondido, Oax.
Coatzacoalcos, Ver.
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chis.
Cozumel, Q. Roo.
Cancún, Q. Roo.
Palenque, Chis.
Comitán de Domínguez, Chis.
Melaque, Jal.

Special Forces

Equipment

Vehicles and other land equipment

Active combat equipment of The Mexican Army

Assault rifles

Submachine guns

Shotguns

Machine guns

Sniper rifles

Pistols

Grenade Launchers

Anti-Aircraft Missle

Anti-tank missile systems

Anti-tank gun

Anti-tank rocket weapon system

  • B-300 80 mm light anti-tank rocket
  • Blindcide 83 mm light anti-tank rocket fully retired by 2010
  • M72 LAW being replaced by Panzerfaust 3
  • AT4 84 mm anti-tank rocket replacing the Blindcide anti-tank rocket

Artillery

Mortars

See also

References

  1. ^ IISS Military Balance 2007, p.79
  2. ^ Jornada: report From General Guillermo Galván, Minister of Defense
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mexican_Army&oldid=244505765"