Chilean Armed Forces

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Chile's armed forces are subject to civilian control exercised by the president through the Minister of Defense. All citizens are required to serve anywhere from 12 to 24 months in a branch of the military upon turning 18. This service can be postponed for educational or religious reasons.

Structure

Military branches:

  • Army
  • Navy (includes Naval Air, Coast Guard, and Marines)
  • Air Force
  • Carabiniers of Chile (Spanish: Carabineros de Chile) (National Police)
  • Investigations Police (Spanish: Investigaciones de Chile)

NB: The Carabiniers and Investigations Police normally operate under the Ministry of Interior; However, in times of national emergency, they are considered part of the military.

Chilean Army The Commander-in-Chief is Gen. Óscar Izurieta Ferrer. The 50,000-person army is organized into six divisions and an air brigade.The army operates Leopard 1V as main battle tank. In the next months the purchase of 92 second hand Leopard 2A4 from the German army is going to be announced.

Chilean Navy Adm. Rodolfo Codina Díaz directs the 25,000-person navy, including 5,200 marines. Of the fleet of 66 surface vessels, only six are major combatant ships and they are based in Valparaíso. The navy operates its own aircraft for transport and patrol; there are no fighter or bomber aircraft. The Navy also operates four submarines based in Talcahuano.

Chilean Air Force Gen. Osvaldo Saravia Vilches heads a force of 12,500. Air assets are distributed among five air brigades headquartered in Iquique, Antofagasta, Santiago, Puerto Montt, and Punta Arenas. The Air Force also operates an airbase on King George Island, Antarctica.

The Chilean police are comprised of a national, uniformed force, the Carabiniers, in Spanish Carabineros, and a smaller, plainclothes investigations force, called Investigaciones de Chile. After the military coup in September 1973, the Chilean national police were incorporated into the Defense Ministry. With the return of democratic government, the police were placed under the operational control of the Interior Ministry but remain under the nominal control of the Defense Ministry. Gen. José Bernales, who directs the national police force of 30,000, is responsible for law enforcement, traffic management, narcotics suppression, border control, and counter-terrorism throughout Chile.

Manpower

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
males age 18-49: 3,815,761 (2005 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,123,281 (2005 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 140,084 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.42 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.8% (2004) To put this number in perspective, this includes the expenditures of Carabineros and Investigaciones, the only police forces in the country but not includes the revenues of copper mines, that by the Chilean Law, are used to support the Chilean military.

Major reequipment programs

Since year 2000, the Military of Chile is undergoing several major reequipment programs that put them undoubtly as the strongest armed forces of Latin America

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