Military of Nicaragua

National Guard, 1927–79

The long years of strife between the peasant and land-owning political factions and the existence of private armies led the United States to sponsor the National Guard as an apolitical institution to assume all military and police functions in Nicaragua. The marines provided the training, but their efforts were complicated by a guerrilla movement led by Augusto César Sandino that continued to resist the marines and the fledgling National Guard from a stronghold in the mountainous areas of northern Nicaragua.

Upon the advent of the United States Good Neighbor Policy in 1933, the marines withdrew. Having reached a strength of about 3,000 by the mid-1930s, the guard was organized into company units, although the Presidential Guard component approached battalion size. Expanded to no more than 9,000 during the civil war of 1978-79, the guard consisted of a reinforced battalion as its primary tactical unit, a Presidential Guard battalion, a mechanized company, an engineer battalion, artillery and antiaircraft batteries, and one security company in each of the country's sixteen departments.

The National Guard's main arms were M1 Garands and Israeli Galils, later augmented by antiaircraft guns and mortars. Nicaragua declared war on the Axis powers in 1941, immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Although Nicaragua was not actively involved in World War II, it qualified for United States Lend-Lease military aid in exchange for U.S. base facilities at Corinto. Additional shipments of small arms and transportation and communication equipment followed, as well as some training and light transport aircraft.

United States military aid to the National Guard continued under the Rio de Janeiro Treaty of Mutual Defense (1947), but stopped in 1976 after relations with the administration of Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1967–72, 1974–79) worsened. Some United States equipment of World War II vintage was also purchased from other countries—Staghound armored cars and M4 Sherman medium tanks from Israel and F-51 Mustang fighter aircraft from Sweden. Except for minor frontier skirmishes with Honduras in 1957 over a border dispute, the National Guard was not involved in any conflict with its neighbors. The guard's domestic power, however, gradually broadened to embrace not only its original internal security and police functions but also control over customs, telecommunications, port facilities, radio broadcasting, the merchant marine, and civil aviation.

Military under the Sandinista government, 1979–90

To replace the National Guard, the Sandinistas established a new national army, the Sandinista Popular Army (Ejército Popular Sandinista—EPS), and a police force, the Sandinista Police (Policía Sandinista). These two groups, contrary to the original Puntarenas Pact were controlled by the Sandinistas and trained by personnel from Cuba, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union. Opposition to the overwhelming FSLN influence in the security forces did not surface until 1980.^[4]

Meanwhile, the EPS developed, with support from Cuba and the Soviet Union, into the largest and best equipped military force in Central America. Compulsory military service, introduced during 1983, brought the EPS forces to about 80,000 by the mid-1980s. The conscription law was abolished in 1990.^[4]

Nicaraguan Armed Forces, 1990–95

Under an agreement between President-elect Chamorro of the National Opposition Union (Unión Nacional Oppositora – UNO) and the defeated FSLN party, General Humberto Ortega, former defense minister and commander in chief of the EPS under the Sandinistas, remained at the head of the armed forces. By a law that took effect in April 1990, the EPS became subordinate to President Chamorro as commander in chief. Chamorro also retained the Ministry of Defense portfolio.

Chamorro's authority over the EPS was very limited. There were no Ministry of Defense offices and no vice ministers to shape national defense policies or exercise civilian control over the armed forces. Under the Law of Military Organization of the Sandinista Popular Army enacted just before Chamorro's election victory, Humberto Ortega retained authority over promotions, military construction, and force deployments. He contracted for weapons procurement and drafted the military budget presented to the government. Only an overall budget had to be submitted to the legislature, thus avoiding a line-item review by the National Assembly.

Sandinista officers remained at the head of all general staff directorates and military regions. The chief of the army, Major General Joaquín Cuadra Lacayo, continued in his pre-Chamorro position. Facing domestic pressure to remove Humberto Ortega and the risk of curtailment of United States aid as long as Sandinistas remained in control of the armed forces, Chamorro announced that Ortega would be replaced in 1994. Ortega challenged her authority to relieve him and reiterated his intention to remain at the head of the EPS until the army reform program was completed in 1997.

The army reform measures were launched with deep cuts in personnel strengths, the abolition of conscription, and disbanding of the militia. The size of the army declined from a peak strength of 97,000 troops to an estimated 15,200 in 1993, accomplished by voluntary discharges and forced retirements. Under the Sandinistas, the army general staff embodied numerous branches and directorates artillery, combat readiness, communications, Frontier Guards, military construction, intelligence, counterintelligence, training, operations, organization and mobilization, personnel, and logistics. Most of these bodies appear to have been retained, although they have been trimmed and reorganized. The Nicaraguan Air Force and Navy were also subordinate to the army general staff.

Since 1990 the mission of the EPS has been to ensure the security of the national borders and to deal with internal disturbances. Its primary task has been to prevent disorder and violence wrought by armed bands of former Contra and Sandinista soldiers.

In November and December 1992, the EPS was deployed alongside the National Police to prevent violence during demonstrations by the National Workers' Front for improved pay and benefits. The EPS and the Frontier Guards also assist the police in narcotics control. A small EPS contingent works alongside demobilized Contras in a Special Disarmament Brigade to reduce the arsenal of weapons in civilian hands.

National Army of Nicaragua, 1995–present

With the constitutional reforms made in 1995, the EPS got its current apolitical nature, turning into a professional, national military institution newly named "Ejército de Nicaragua" (National Army of Nicaragua).

The National Army today is mandated not just as a force for national defense but also for public security, civil defense and national development.

Light equipment

Nicaraguan military members train during a visit by the U.S. Navy

• Degtyaryov_machine_gun
• Makarov PM
• M1911 pistol
• Smith & Wesson Model 10
• Browning Hi-Power
• Glock 17
• Jericho 941
• Heckler & Koch MP5
• PPSh-41
• IMI Uzi
• IMI Mini Uzi
• FN FAL
• Heckler & Koch G3
• AK-74
• Type 58 rifle
• Type 56 assault rifle
• Pistol Mitralieră model 1963/1965
• Romanian RPK version of the MD. 63 is called the MD. 64
• Pistol Mitralieră model 1990
• Puşcă Mitralieră model 1964 ("model 1964 light machine gun")
• AIM/AIMS
• AIM - 7.62×39mm
• PM.md.65 with cleaning rod removed - 7.62×39mm. An early version of the AIMS with an under folding stock and inward curved grip
• AIMS - 7.62×39mm
• AIMS with 75-round drum magazine - 7.62×39mm
• AIMR
• First model AIMR with 20-round magazine - 7.62×39mm. The original Romanian designation for this rifle is the PM md. 80
• AIMR - 7.62×39mm. The original Romanian designation for this rifle is the PM md. 90 cu țeavă scurtă (short barrelled)
• AIMR - 5.56×45mm. The original Romanian designation for this rifle is the PA md. 97 cu țeavă scurtă (short barrelled)
• AIMR - 5.56×45mm. The original Romanian designation for this rifle is the PA md. 97 cu țeavă scurtă (short barrelled)
• Romanian AK Draco Pistol - 7.62×39mm. This is a US import variant of the AIMR and can be identified by its lack of a stock, a plain handguard without palmswell and 2 position selector switch
• Romanian AK Draco Carbine - 7.62×39mm. This is a Draco pistol fitted with an AIMS folding stock to replicate the original AIMR, however it still lacks the palmswell hanguard and 3 position selector switch
• PM md. 80 Pistol Mitralieră model 1980
• PM md. 90Pistol Mitralieră model 1990
• AK-103 Used by Nicaraguan Special Forces.
• AKM
• AK-47
• AKMS / MPiKMS
• AKMSU
• AKMSK
• Zastava M70
• MPi-KM/MPi-KMS-72
• MPi-KMS
• East German MPi-KM-72 with fixed stock - 7.62×39mm. This was the transitional MPi-KM-72 that still used the wooden lower hand grip from the MPi-KM. These were common from 1965-1972. The Side folding stock was not widely distributed until 1973
• East German MPi-KM-72 with plastic stock - 7.62×39mm
• East German MPi-KMS-72 with sling and side-folding stock - 7.62×39mm
• M-70A – milled receiver, underfolding stock
• M-70A1 – milled receiver, underfolding stock, mount for night or optical sights
• M-70B1 – stamped receiver, fixed stock
• M-70AB2 – stamped receiver, underfolding stock
• M-70B1N – stamped receiver, fixed stock, mount for night or optical sights
• M-70AB2N – stamped receiver, underfolding stock, mount for night or optical sights
• M-70AB3 – stamped receiver, underfolding stock, rifle grenade sight removed and replaced with a BGP 40mm underslung grenade launcher
• M-70B3 – stamped receiver, fixed stock, rifle grenade sight removed and replaced with a BGP 40mm underslung grenade launcher
• M-92 – carbine, the shorter variant of the M-70AB2
• PAP M-70 – semi-automatic variant intended for the civilian market
• AK-74 – Assault rifle
• AKS-74 – Side-folding stock
• AK-74N (AKS-74N) – Night scope rail
• AKS-74U – Compact carbine
• AKS-74UN – Night scope rail
• AK-47
• Type I AK-47, hybrid stamped/milled receiver with prototype slab sided magazine - 7.62×39mm
• Type II AK-47 (note stock mounting bracket) with prototype slab sided magazine - 7.62×39mm
• Type II AK-47 - 7.62×39mm
• Type III AK-47 with prototype slab-sided magazine - 7.62×39mm
• AK-63
• AK-63F (AMM in Hungarian service): The basic fixed-stock copy of the Soviet AKM.
• AK-63D (AMMSZ in Hungarian service): An AKMS copy with an under-folding steel stock.
• AK-63MF: Modernised AK-63D with telescopic stock and MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail.
• SA-85M: A semi-automatic-only version intended for civilian sales in the United States; imported by Kassnar in both pre- and post-ban versions.
• Type 58 assault rifle
• IMI Galil - 10,000
• IMI Micro Galil
• IMI Micro Galil
• IMI MAR Galil
• IMI SAR Galil
• IMI ARM Galil
• IMI AR Galil
• T65
• M16A1 & M16A2 rifle - 6,000
• SIG SG 540
• Ithaca 37
• Remington-870 shotgun
• M67 grenade
• M59 grenade
• M34 grenade
• M26A1 grenade
• AN M14
• AN M18
• M79 grenade launcher - 64
• Heckler & Koch HK69A1 / MZP-1
• FAMAE SAF - Standard and mini-versions^[5]
• HK MP5 sub-machine guns
• RPK
• RPKS (folding stock)
• RPKS-74M
• RPKS-74
• RPKS-74N
• RPKSN
• RPK-74m
• RPKN
• RPD
• RPK(S)N night scope rail
• RPK(S)Lflash suppressor& night scope rail
• RPKM (modernized)
• RPK-203 (export variant)
• RPK-204 (7.62×51mm NATO)
• AGS-17 Plamya
• AGS-30 Atlant light automatic grenade launcher

Armoured Vehicles

• T-72 - MBT - 20 T-72Bs delivered 2016^[6]
• BMP-1 - AIFV - some^[7]
• BTR-152 - 6x6 APCs - 120
• BTR-60PB 8x8 APCs - 82
• BTR-40 - 4x4 APCs - 20
• BTR-50U CP Version- 1
• BRDM-2 - 4, modernized
• T-54/55 - 62 operational, 156 delivered (20 T-54 & 136 T-55) some via Bulgaria & Libya}
• PT-76B 76mm LTs - 22
• AMX-VCI (reported) - 30 (planning modernization)
• T1E1 Staghound 4x4 37mm ARV via - 20 out of service

Vehicles

• Land Rover Defender
• Caterpillar Inc. wheeled bulldozers
• Dodge M37
• M35A2 2½ ton cargo truck
• Willys M38A - 1 MD
• AIL M325 Command Car
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Pegaso - 3045
• Unimog - 406
• Tatra trucks
• Ural trucks
• Hino 700
• Santana 88 Ligero Militar
• Tiuna
• Humvee

Anti tank weapons

• AT-3 Sagger 9K-11 Malyutka anti tank missiles-500
• BGM71C TOW-some
• B-11 107mm RCL
• M40A1C1 106mm RCL
• M67 90mm RCL
• B-10 82mm RCL
• M20 75mm RCL
• M18 57mm RCL

Artillery

• D-30 2A18 122mm towed howitzer - 67
• M-30 122mm towed howitzer - 24
• D-20 M-1955 152mm towed howitzer - 60
• ZiS-2 M-1943 57mm anti tank gun - 354
• M101A 105mm towed howitzer - 12
• ZiS-3 M-1942 76mm divisional gun - 85
• BS-3 100mm filed gun - 24
• M-160 160mm heavy mortar - 4
• M-43 120mm heavy mortar - 24
• Soltam M-65 120mm heavy mortar - some

Multiple rocket launchers

• BM-21 Grad-1P - 100
• Type 63 - 33
• BM-21 - 30

EW Radars

• P-37 Bar-Lock - 2
• P-12 Spoon-Rest - 6
• Son-9 - 7

Aircraft inventory