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Haiti NATIONAL SECURITY
Armed Forces: Haitian Armed Forces (Forces
Armées
d'Haïti--FAd'H) include army, navy, air corps, and some
police
forces. Total armed forces and police strength
approximately
8,000.
Organization: FAd'H military arm of Ministry of
Interior and National Defense. Commander in chief
appointed by
president (Avril held both offices in late 1989). Chain of
command runs through assistant commander in chief to
geographical
and functional commands. Two of three major army units--
Dessalines Battalion and Leopards Corps--disbanded after
April
1989 coup attempt, leaving Presidential Guard (Garde
Présidentelle) as dominant force in capital.
Administratively,
country divided into nine military departments and three
military
regions.
Equipment: All branches, especially navy and air
corps,
ill-equipped. Army fielded antiquated weaponry of United
States
manufacture, although some units equipped with more modern
small
arms. Navy consisted of one armed tug, nine small patrol
craft,
and presidential yacht. Air corps totalled seventeen
fixed-wing
aircraft, thirteen trainers, and eight helicopters.
Police: Port-au-Prince police, with
approximately 1,000
members, only functioning police force in late 1989. Armed
forces
personnel performed internal security functions in rural
areas.
Data as of December 1989
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