- Sandinista Popular Army
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The Sandinista Popular Army (or People's Army; Ejército Popular Sandinista, EPS) was the military established in 1979 by the new Sandinista government to replace the National Guard, following the overthow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. In post-Sandinista Nicaragua, it has been remolded into the National Army of Nicaragua. Joaquín Cuadra was chief of staff, serving Defense Minister Humberto Ortega. A draft, called the Patriotic Military Service (Servicio Militar Patriótico), was instituted in 1983. The special forces Tropas Pablo Ubeda initially came under the Ministry of Interior.
Contents
Order of battle
The following is a non-exhaustive listing.
Brigades
1 San Rafael del Norte 4 Matagalpa 5 Puerto Cabezas 7 Juigalpa 9 San Carlos 21 Somotillo 52 Santo Tomas 55 Juigalpa 62 Granada 63 Nueva Guinea 242 Altagracia 243 Jinotega 311 Quilalí 312 Ocotal 313 San Juan de Limay 314 Jalapa 361 Matiguás 363 San José de Bocay 364 San Sebastián de Yalí 366 Siuna BLI
Irregular Warfare Battalion (Batallón de Lucha Irregular) Recognizing the need for troops trained for counterinsurgency, the Sandinistas began deploying BLIs in 1983, and expanded their numbers after instituting the draft. BLIs could have from four to nine 120-man companies, but typically numbered around 700-800 men.It was the need of forming this battalions to try to stop the invasion of contras whos base was in Honduras and some in south border of Costa Rica,since the reagan admisnistration try to pushed the Nicaraguan revolution The Nicaraguan country was forced to defended and prepared the whole country against the attacks of the United states invasion,this is how hundreds of militantes joined or were forced into the militias.
Twelve BLIs have been identified, though estimates at the time ran up to seventeen.[1] In 1979 Laureano Mairena was designed as the commander in chief as de Border national defence troops with the assessment of the commander Brigadier Juan Jose Reyes who had and gained a lot experience from earlier years in the Mountain closed to German Pomares,Elias noguera,Francisco rivera Filemon rivera,Cesar Augusto salinas,Omar cabezas,Bayardo arce,1981 Laureano mairena is killed and the Border troops become under the orders of Commander in chief Juan Josse Reyes,the national defence chief humberto ortega condecorated mostly of the defence forces call the JS 19 De julio,braves forces defending the national territory,these regular forces and militants of well organized country defeats for years the contras who were posted in Honduras
- Pedro Altamirano
- Simón Bolívar
- Juan Gregorio Colindres
- Francisco Estrada Capt.Juan Carlos Urbina.
- Rufo Marín
- Farabundo Martí
- Santos López * One of the most aggressive and mercenaries type troops,Commanded by Capt.Luis L.Castro and military Staff.
- Miguel Angel Ortez Commanded by Capt. Carlos Gonzales.
- Germán Pomares Commanded by Mayor Nelson Castillo.
- Ramón Raudales
- Sócrates Sandino
- Pablo Ubeda posted as a secret battalion to counter strike inside the army and make filtrations into the contras
- Juan Pablo Umanzor
Light Hunter
Light Hunter Battalion (Batallón Ligero Cazador, BLC). The BLCs were another type of counterinsurgency unit, first deployed in early 1986. They were about half the size of the BLIs, at 300-400 men. While BLIs were designed to be able to operate independently, the light hunters worked in conjunction with other units, providing anti-ambush protection for more conventional forces. Reportedly, about 19 BLCs were raised.
- Ernesto Cabrera Cruz
- Gaspar García Laviana
- Laureano Mairena
- Jorge Alberto Martínez
- Facundo Picado
- Cristóbal Vanegas
Notes
- ^ Multiple sources identify these BLI units, including Francisco Barbosa Miranda, Síntesis de la Historia Militar de Nicaragua: de las guerras intertribales precolombinas al Ejército de Nicaragua, p. 56; Adrian J. English, Regional Defence Profile No. 1: Latin America, p. 208; Carlos Caballero Jurado and Nigel Thomas, Central American Wars, 1959-1989, p. 24; United States Department of State, Special Report No. 174, Nicaraguan Biographies: A Resource Book. Nicaraguan Biographies also identifies Pedro Arauz and Heriberto Reyes as BLI units.
External links
- Latin American Light Weapons National Inventories
- Attacks attributed to the SPA on the START terrorism database
Categories:- Sandinista National Liberation Front
- Military of Nicaragua
- Armies by country
- Nicaragua stubs
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