|
Ecuador Military Relations with the United States
Ecuador declared war on Japan immediately after the latter's
attack on United States forces at Pearl Harbor. Ecuador granted the
United States base rights in the Galápagos Islands, primarily for
the defense of the Panama Canal against possible Japanese attack;
and United States influence on Ecuadorian military policy
subsequently became significant. The United States constructed an
air base on one of the Galápagos Islands, manned it until the end
of World War II, and then turned it over to Ecuador. The FAE later
took over the Salinas base which the United States had also manned
during the war. Agreements signed in 1940 and 1944 also provided
for the transfer of military equipment. In 1952 an agreement
between the two governments resulted in the establishment of a
United States Military Group that incorporated the already existing
army, navy, and air force missions and led to the delivery of
significant amounts of United States military matériel. The United
States withdrew the military group in 1971 as a consequence of a
dispute over fishing rights but subsequently reestablished it.
Between 1950 and 1988, almost 8,000 Ecuadorian officers and
NCOs received training sponsored by the United States. Ecuadorian
military personnel attended training programs in the former Panama
Canal Zone and in the United States, including programs offered by
the United States Naval Academy.
Deliveries of United States military assistance to Ecuador
between 1950 and 1988, including credit sales, totaled almost
US$123 million. United States budgetary cutbacks limited military
assistance financing to only US$4 million in grant form in fiscal
year (FY--see Glossary) 1989.
Proposed aid in FY 1990 was limited
to US$3 million in credit financing. The United States tailored
much of the assistance in the late 1980s to the efforts to control
the northern border and the eastern jungle areas frequently crossed
by terrorist groups and narcotics traffickers. With the exception
of the credit sale of At-33 trainer aircraft, assistance consisted
largely of vehicles, medical equipment, communications items, small
arms, and support for existing inventories.
Between May and December 1987, almost 6,000 United States
National Guardsmen, reservists, and active-duty personnel rotated
to Ecuador at two-week intervals to assist in earthquake
reconstruction. The United States initially regarded the project as
a field-training exercise in road and bridge building. Although
plans originally called for restoration of roads in the Costa, the
earthquake resulted in a United States-Ecuadorian decision to shift
the project to the Oriente. United States forces encountered severe
weather problems affecting the movement of heavy equipment over the
Andes, carving a road through tropical jungle, and combating health
hazards. In addition, the presence of United States troops became
a source of political contention, as opposition forces in the
Ecuadorian National Congress (Congreso Nacional, hereafter
Congress) passed a resolution demanding the troops' immediate
departure. President Febres Cordero rejected the resolution but
nevertheless terminated the project earlier than planned.
Data as of 1989
|
