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Mauritius Seychelles People's Defense Forces
The Seychelles People's Defense Force (SPDF) consist of
the
SPLA, a people's navy, and a people's air force. In
December
1992, the government amalgamated the Seychelles People's
Navy and
the Seychelles People's Air Force to form the Seychelles
Coast
Guard. Each service commander reports to the armed forces
chief
of staff, who is responsible to the commander in chief,
René. The
president also retains the minister of defense portfolio.
The
Defence Forces Council, which is chaired by the armed
forces
chief of staff, manages the SPDF.
The 1,000-man SPLA comprises one infantry battalion,
two
artillery troops, and one support company. The army
possesses six
BDRN and eight Shorland reconnaissance vehicles, four
BTR-152
armored personnel carriers, three D-130 122-mm towed
artillery
pieces, two BM-21 122-mm multiple rocket launchers, six
M-43 82-
mm mortars, ten SA-7 surface-to-air missiles, and an
unknown
number of RPG-7 rocket launchers. The SPLA's mission
includes
defending the nation's territorial integrity and, when
necessary,
assisting the People's Militia in preserving domestic law
and
order. Because much of its equipment requires maintenance
work,
the army has minimal capabilities. Western observers
believe that
the army would be ineffective against a professional
military
force.
The 100-member air wing of the coast guard operates one
Britten-Norman BN-2A Maritime Defender and a Cessna A-150
Aerobat
trainer. The former aircraft, which the British government
donated in 1980, patrols the EEZ, which extends over an
area of
almost 1 million square kilometers. The Britten-Norman,
which
normally operates in conjunction with patrol boats from
the navy
wing of the coast guard, searches for vessels conducting
illegal
fishing and smuggling activities. The aircraft also
conducts
light transport, search and rescue, and medical evacuation
missions. The air wing is the most effective service with
equipment in good operating condition.
The navy wing of the coast guard, based in Port
Victoria,
owns one Topaz coastal patrol boat, one Andromache, one
Zoroaster, and two Zhuk inland patrol boats, and one
amphibious
landing craft. The navy wing patrols the country's EEZ and
conducts antidrug and search and rescue missions. The navy
wing's
effectiveness is extremely limited, largely because it
rarely has
more than two of its vessels operational at one time.
Data as of August 1994
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