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Uruguay Army
In May 1990, Lieutenant General Guillermo de Nava, the
army
commander, defined the army's mission and the role of its
members. He stressed that "for the government and the
country the
most important action of the army is the exact compliance
with
our fundamental role that is defined in the law and which
consists of defending the honor, the independence, and the
peace
of the Republic, the integrity of its territory, its
Constitution, and its laws." He also maintained that the
armed
forces must take action against "all types of aggression."
Army personnel in 1990 numbered some 17,200, a
reduction of
22 percent from the 1983 level of 22,000. The army
consisted of
infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineer, signal,
administrative,
transport, matériel, medical, and veterinary services. The
chief
of the army staff presided over staff sections for
personnel,
intelligence, operations and instruction, logistics, and
public
relations.
The army's main tactical units were organized under
four
corps headquarters that were administrative rather than
operational. Each corps was located in one of the four
military
regions (each army corps bore the same number as the
military
region). The four corps together had one independent
infantry
brigade, fifteen infantry battalions, six engineer
battalions,
six artillery battalions, and ten cavalry battalions (four
horsed, three mechanized, two motorized, and one armored).
Each
corps was responsible for at least three infantry
battalions, one
engineer battalion, and one field artillery battalion, as
well as
logistics, signals, and support units. The number and type
of
cavalry battalions within each corps varied.
The First Corps at Montevideo was traditionally the
most
powerful of the army's main command elements. Its cavalry
units
included one horsed battalion, one mechanized battalion
with
scout cars, and one motorized battalion. The artillery
command of
the First Corps had one antiaircraft battalion in addition
to its
field artillery battalion.
One independent infantry brigade headquarters that
performed
many of the army's administrative functions was attached
to army
headquarters at Montevideo. The brigade was responsible
for one
armored battalion, one airborne battalion, and one ranger
infantry battalion. Also at the army level was one
motorized
cavalry battalion that functioned as a presidential
bodyguard and
performed ceremonial duties. One engineer brigade made up
of two
battalions, as well as assorted logistics and support
elements,
completed the units assigned to army headquarters.
The Second Corps was headquartered at San José. Under
it was
an armored cavalry battalion equipped with light tanks and
armored personnel carriers (APCs). The Third Corps, at
Paso de
los Toros, had two horsed battalions and one mechanized
cavalry
battalion. One of its infantry battalions was equipped
with APCs.
The Fourth Corps was headquartered at Minas. Within the
Fourth
Corps, one horsed battalion and one mechanized cavalry
battalion
were located at Melo.
Major ground force arms were relatively heterogeneous
in
origin. Much was obsolete United States equipment, some
acquired
thirdhand from various foreign sources. The armor
inventory
included fifty-four light tanks, all of United States or
Belgian
origin (see
table 19, Appendix). The army also had
Belgian-,
United States-, and Brazilian-made armored vehicles. APCs
included United States and West German models. Artillery
pieces
and air defense guns were of Swedish, Argentine, and
United
States manufacture. In general, the entire inventory was
aging
and in need of modernization, but economic
considerations--
combined with the absence of a significant internal or
external
threat--made it unlikely that new equipment would be
ordered in
the near future.
Army officers were trained at the four-year Military
Academy,
from which they were commissioned as second lieutenants.
The
army's School of Arms and Services provided specialist
training
for recruits and officers. The Command and Staff School
trained
mid-level officers for promotion to staff or field
positions.
Data as of December 1990
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