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Panama NATIONAL SECURITY
Armed Forces: Panama Defense Forces (Fuerzas de Defensa
de Panamá--FDP) include military forces, police forces, and
National Guard, with total strength of about 15,000.
Military Units: Principally ground forces with four
combat battalions, four support battalions, eight infantry
companies, and one cavalry squadron. Also a small air force and
navy, as well as paramilitary National Guard.
Equipment: Limited equipment inventory. Most infantry
weapons, military vehicles, naval craft, and aircraft from United
States. Two largest (thirty-meter) patrol craft from Britain.
Foreign Military Treaties: Bilateral treaties with United
States for canal defense.
Police: Police forces subordinate to FDP and include a
variety of uniformed, undercover, and civilian forces. Most
significant are National Department of Investigations (Departamento
Nacional de Investigaciones--DENI), undercover security police, and
First Public Order Company (Doberman), which handles riot control.
Data as of December 1987
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