| Paraguayan Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | Oficialy since 1811 |
| Country | Paraguay |
| Type | Army |
| Size | 12.500 Active personnel |
| Motto | "To win or to die" "Vencer o Morir" |
| Anniversaries | 24 of July (Mariscal Lopez Birthday) |
| Engagements | War of the Triple Alliance Chaco War |
| Commanders | |
| Chief of the Paraguayan Army | GEN Darío Martin Cáceres Snead |
| Notable commanders |
José Félix Estigarribia Francisco Solano López |
The Paraguayan Army is an institution of the State of Paraguay, organized into three divisions and 9, and several commands and directions, went to war on two occasions, in the War of the Triple Alliance (1864 - 1870) v Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay and Chaco War (1932 - 1935) v Bolivia.
Contents |
The Paraguayan Army is composed of a Presidential Escort Regiment, two battalions (infantry and military police), an armored squadron, and a battery of field artillery. Their equipment includes three Argentinean modified M-4 tanks, four EE-9 armored cars, four EE-11 armored personnel carriers (APCs), three M-9 half-tracks mounting 20mm guns, and four M-101 105 mm howitzers. Arguably, this "flagship" of military rule is structurally and physically the strongest of the EP. The REP is an independent unit from other commands. The EP features two artillery groups (GAC 1–12 88 mm QF-25 and GAC 2–12 105mm M-101) and one antiaircraft artillery group (GAA 13 40 mm L 40/60, Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, and six M-55 4x12, 7.0 mm).
Six battalions of combat engineers, one communications battalion, one Special Forces battalion, seven regiments of infantry, six regiments of cavalry (R.C.-2 equipped with 12 M3A1, five operational, 20 M9 semioruga and R.C.-3: 24 EE-9 Cascavels, eitht EE-11 Urutu). This has little organic aviation available to it.
Each corps has a weapons school run by its command. The logistical command manages 10 addresses materials, mobilization, health care, etc. The command of the Army Institute of Education administers three schools, commissioned and noncommissoned officers, a military academy, and the CIMEFOR (a center for pre-military study that trains Reserve officers).
Each of the nine divisions that make up the three corps has one or two regiments of infantry or cavalry, its platoon of engineers, its communications section, military police units, etc.
| Model | Type | Origin | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M4 Sherman | Medium tank | U.S.A | 3 | |
| M3 Stuart | Light tank | U.S.A | 12 | Only 5 of the 12 are operational |
| M2 Half-track | Armored Personnel Carrier | U.S.A | 3 | Equipped with 20mm Oerlikon autocannon. |
| M9 | Armored Personnel Carrier | U.S.A | 20 | Variant of the M3 Half-track |
| EE-9 Cascavel | Armored car | Brazil | 28 | Upgraded in Brazil in 2008. |
| EE-11 Urutu | Armored Personnel Carrier | Brazil | 12 | Upgraded in Brazil in 2008. |
| Model | Type | Origin | Quantity | Caliber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M3 | Anti-tank gun | U.S.A | 12 | 37mm |
| M40 | Recoilless Rifle | U.S.A | 8 | 106mm |
| M20 | Recoilless Rifle | U.S.A | 31 | 75mm |
| M18 | Recoilless Rifle | U.S.A | 32 | 57mm |
| M72 LAW | Rocket launcher | U.S.A | 19 | 66mm |
| Model | Type | Origin | Caliber | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beretta 92 | Pistol | Italy | 9x19mm | Used by Special Forces, donated by the USA in 2009 |
| Browning HP | Pistol | Belgium | 9x19mm | Standard service sidearm |
| IMI Uzi | Sub machine gun | Israel | 9x19mm | General Service sub machine gun |
| HK MP5 | Sub machine gun | Germany | 9x19mm | |
| SIG SG540 | Assault rifle | Switzerland | 5.56x45mm | |
| Norinco CQ | Assault rifle/ crabine | China | 5.56x45mm | Chinese copy of the Colt M16 rifle and M4 carbine. General service rifle. |
| T65 | Assault rifle | Taiwan | 5.56x45mm | |
| T86 | Assault rifle | Taiwan | 5.56x45mm | |
| HK G3A3 | Battle rifle | Germany | 7.62x51mm | Partially in reserve. |
| FN FAL | Battle rifle | Belgium/ Austria | 7.62x51mm | LAR 50.42 variant with heavy barrel. Partially in reserve. |
| AR70 | Assault rifle | Italy | 5.56x45mm | |
| Steyr SSG 69 | Sniper rifle | Austria | 7.62x51mm | |
| IMI Galatz | Sniper rifle | Israel | 7.62x51mm | Sniper version of the IMI Galil assault rifle. |
| M1919A4 | Medium machine gun | U.S.A | .30 Springfield | Used on tripods or in vehicles. |
| FN MAG | General Purpose machine gun | Belgium | 7.62x51mm | General service machine gun, also use on EE-9 armored cars. |
| Browning M2 | Heavy machine gun | U.S.A | 12.7x99mm |
The stars worn by Army and Air Force lieutenants (Sub-Teniente, Teniente, Teniente 1ro) and captains are silver in color. The ones worn by the Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel are gold. The army officers branch is denoted by the color of circular pads under the stars, which is also the same color used for the chevron. Red denotes branches such as Infantry and Artillery, while Cavalry is denoted by a pink. A darker red denotes support branches such as Engineering Corps, Communications, and Intelligence. Green means Supply and Transportation, while purple is reserved for the Medicine Branch. Generals' special chevron consists of a woven depiction of the olive and palm found in the national emblem in gold threads.
As in the case of the army officers, the army enlisted branch is denoted by the color of their chevrons and bars. The colors and meanings are the same as the ones explained above.