Military of Haiti

The country of Haiti currently has no regular military. The former Haitian Armed Forces were demobilized in 1995.^[1]

Haiti's current forces consist of the Haitian National Police, which has several paramilitary units, a highly trained and equipped SWAT team, and the Haitian Coast Guard. The regular Haitian Army, Navy, and Air Force still exist on paper and have not been constitutionally abolished.

Haitian National Police

A Haitian SWAT officer with a U.S. Marine

The Haitian National Police is tasked with providing law enforcement and security for Haiti.^[2] The force currently numbers more than 8,500 police officers, and is expected to reach 14,000. The force consists of the General and Administrative Services, the Administrative Police, the Judicial Police, the SWAT team, and the Presidential Protection Unit. The Police also has several paramilitary units for defense.

The Haitian police uses the following weapons:

• IMI Galil
• R4 assault rifle
• M16 rifle
• Heckler & Koch G3
• FN MAG
• M1918 Browning automatic rifle
• T65 assault rifle

Haitian Coast Guard

The Haitian Coast Guard is charged with law enforcement, security, and search and rescue operations. It maintains bases in Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien, and Jacmel. It is led by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, an Assistant Commandant, an Operations Manager, and a Head of Administration. The force currently has 19 vessels. Officially, it is a part of the Haitian National police.

Military related statistics

• Manpower available for military service: 2,047,083 males age 16-49, 2,047,953 females age 16-49 (2008 estimate)
• Manpower fit for military service: 1,303,743 males age 16-49, 1,332,316 females age 16-49 (2008 estimate)
• Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: 105,655 males, 104,376 females (2008 estimate)
• Military expenditures: 0.4% of GDP in 2006

References

• "Haiti". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-26.