Introduction
How is the Military in Guatemala and how does it work to maintain Sucity and fight terrorism? In terms of Military and security forces, we have the Army of Guatemala (Ejercito de Guatemala; aka Armed Forces of Guatemala or Fuerzas Armadas de Guatemala): Land Forces (Fuerzas de Tierra), Naval Forces (Fuerzas de Mar), and Air Force (Fuerza de Aire) (2024).
In Guatemala, the military is responsible for maintaining sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the honor of Guatemala, but has long focused on internal security; since the 2000s, the Guatemalan Government has used the military to support the National Civil Police in internal security operations (as permitted by the constitution) to combat organized crime, gang violence, and narco-trafficking; in recent years however, the military has sought to place more focus on other missions such as border security and traditional military operations; it has also created new brigades for cybersecurity (2024) and responding to national emergencies/providing humanitarian assistance (2023); it participates in UN missions on a small scale and has a peacekeeping operations training command that offers training to regional countries; the military has security ties with regional partners such as Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, and Honduras; cooperation with El Salvador and Honduras has included a combined police-military anti-gang task force to patrol border areas; it also has ties with the US, including joint training exercises and material assistance

the military held power during most of Guatemala’s 36-year civil war (1960-1996) and conducted a campaign of widespread violence and repression, particularly against the country’s majority indigenous population; more than 200,000 people were estimated to have been killed or disappeared during the conflict (2024)
Security and military information of Guatemala
Military and security service personnel strengths information varies; approximately 20,000 active military personnel (18,000 Land Forces; 1,000 Naval Forces; 1,000 Air Forces); approximately 30,000 National Civil Police (2023)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions the military is lightly armed with an inventory mostly comprised of older US equipment; in recent years, Guatemala has received small amounts of equipment from several countries, including Colombia, Spain, and the US (2024)
Military service age and obligation all male citizens 18-50 are eligible for military service; most of the force is volunteer; a selective draft system is employed, resulting in a small portion of 17-21 year-olds being conscripted; conscript service obligation varies from 12-24 months; women may volunteer (2023).
Military deployments 190 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (2024).
Military expenditures
Military Expenditures 2023 0.4% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022 0.4% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021 0.4% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020 0.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military Expenditures 2019 0.4% of GDP (2019 est.)
All Important Facts about Guatemala

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Guatemala is found in Central America