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Military of Cape Verde

Military branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP): Army, Coast Guard (includes maritime air wing)[1]

Cape Verdian coast guard ship Tainha (P 262)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 16-49: 103,650 (2008)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 83,082 (2008)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $7.18 million (2005)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.7% (2005)

Active troops: 1,200

[edit] Future

Currently, the Cape Verdean Armed Forces are undergoing major re-structuring reforms. The force has two independent branches, the Army and the Coast Guard. Both branches have their own air contingency made up of mostly surveillance and transport aircraft. The combined force comprises about 1200 soldiers, marines and coast guard personnel. In the future, however, the military will be reduced to about 1000 men. The Branches are to be reshuffled as well. The Army is going to be called the National Guard, and it will be divided into three semi autonomous branches. 1. The Military Police, 2. Os Fuzileiros (Marines), and 3. The Infantry Battalion of the National Guard. A Special Operation Unit is being created and is going to be attached to the marine brigade. The Cape Verdean government aims to make the Armed Forces more flexible and able to deal with terrorism, drug trafficking, disaster relief, and control its territorial waters.

[edit] Air Contingent

The Army also has its own air arm; after personnel training received from the USSR in 1982, three Antonov An-26 aircraft were delivered to Cape Verde - these are believed to be the only military aircraft possessed by the nation. However these three aircraft were supplemented in 1991 by a Dornier Do 228 light aircraft equipped for use by the Coastguard. In the late 1990s by an EMB-110 aircraft from Brazil, similarly equipped for maritime operations. The government has been in negotiations with China to acquire multirole helicopters for both military and civilian use.

Manufacturer	Model	Origin	Type	Service entry	Number	Notes
Antonov	Antonov An-26	Soviet Union	Tactical Transport	1982	3
Dornier Flugzeugwerke	Dornier Do 228	Germany	Maritime usage	1991	1
Embraer	EMB-110	Brazil	Airliner	late 1990s	1
Harbin	Harbin Z-9	China	Utility	2011	2

[edit] Military Equipment

[edit] Light equipment

• AKM
• RPK

[edit] Land Vehicles

• BRDM-2
• T-55

[edit] Anti-Aircraft

• ZU-23-2
• ZPU-4

[edit] Coast Guard

• 1 Kondor I patrol craft - 360 tons full load - commissioned 1970
• 1 Peterson MK 4 patrol craft - 22 tons - commissioned 1993
• 1 other patrol craft - 55 tons

[edit] References and links

• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cv.html
• World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. File 337 Sheet 02