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| Belize Defence Force |
|
|---|---|
| Founded | January 1978 |
| Service branches | Air Wing, Ground Forces, Naval Forces |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Elizabeth II, represented by Governor General of Belize Colville Young |
| Minister of Defence and Immigration | Carlos Perdomo |
| Commander of the BDF | Brigadier General Dario Tapia |
| Manpower | |
| Conscription | No |
| Active personnel | 1000 |
| Reserve personnel | 700 |
The Belize Defence Force (BDF) is the military of Belize, and is responsible for protecting the sovereignty of Belize. The BDF, National Coast Guard, and the Immigration Department are under the Minister of Defence and Immigration, which is headed by Carlos Perdomo; the BDF itself is commanded by Brigadier General Dario Tapia. In 2005, the Belizean government spent $1.2 million on the military, constituting 1.87% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).[1]
Contents |
History [link]
The military of Belize dates back to 1817, when the Prince Regent Royal Honduras Militia, a volunteer organization, was founded; this militia became the Belize Volunteer Guard of the British Territorial Army. The BDF was founded in 1978 following the disbanding of the Belize Volunteer Guard and the Police Special Force the year before.[2]
After Belize achieved independence in 1981 the United Kingdom maintained a deterrent force in the country to protect it from invasion by Guatemala (see Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory). The main British force left in 1994, three years after Guatemala recognised Belizean independence, but the United Kingdom maintained a training presence via the British Army Training and Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) and 25 Flight Army Air Corps until 2011 when the last British Forces left Ladyville Barracks, with the exception of seconded advisers.[2] The BDF Maritime Wing became part of the Belizean Coastguard in November 2005.[3]
Organization [link]
The BDF consists of:
- Ground Forces
- First Infantry Battalion
- Second Infantry Battalion
- Air Wing
- Troop Transport
- Freight Transport
- Search and Rescue (Casualty/Medical Evacuation)
- Reconnaissance
- Exclusive Economic Zone Patrol
- Parachute Resupply
- Light Ground Attack
- Showing of the Belizean Flag
- Air Wing Cadet Corps
- Volunteer Guard
- Volunteer Battalion
The Belize National Police is a quasi-military unit in Belize with strength of 1200 sworn officers and 700 civilian staff (2008).[4] It was formerly under the Minister of National Security (along with the BDF and National Forensic Science Service). The Belize National Police and National Forensic Science Service now report to the Minister of Police and Public Safety.
Equipment [link]
Arms [link]
Vehicles [link]
| Make/Model | Type | Origin | Quantity |
| Fox armoured reconnaissance vehicle Daimler FV721 Fox 30mm L-21 Rarden gun 4x4 ARVs | Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Wheeled)/Armoured car |  United Kingdom |
15 |
| Eland Mk7 90mm 4x4 ARVs | Light Armoured car |  South Africa  France |
10 |
| Land Rover Defender 4x4 | off road utility vehicle | United Kingdom |
|
| Bedford MK trucks | Medium Military vehicle | United Kingdom |
|
| 2 x Ford F-450 trucks | pickup truck |  United States [5] |
2 |
Aircraft [link]
| Make/Model | Type | Origin | Quantity | Notes |
| Britten-Norman Defender | Uility military transport aircraft | United Kingdom |
3 | 1 lost 1998 (BDF-05) and replaced |
| Cessna 182J | trainer | United States |
1 | BDF-03 |
| Slingsby T67M-260 | basic training aircraft | United Kingdom |
1 | |
| Dornier Do 27A | crop sprayer |  Germany |
1 | for combating drug cultivation |
Facilities [link]
- Mountain Pine Ridge Training Area - south of Belmopan used for jungle warfare by Belize, US and British forces
- Price Barracks - Ladyville - Air Wing HQ and former British helicopter base; it is named for the country's first Prime Minister George Cadle Price
- Fairweather Camp - Punta Gorda Town - HQ for 2nd Bat and former British military base
- Orange Walk Airport (Army) - Orange Walk District
- Belizario Camp - San Ignacio - border area base
- Corozal Training Centre - Corozal Town
- Dangriga Training Centre - Dangriga
- Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport - main airbase
- Hector Silva Airstrip - small base located south of the airstrip; this is a secondary airstrip and was used by the British Army
- Punta Gorda Airport is a secondary airstrip
- St Georges Caye Island (Army)
- Holdfast Camp (Army)
- Baldy Beacons (Army)
- Rideau Camp (Army)
- Salamanca Camp (Army)
Naval [link]
The BDF Maritime Wing was responsible for protections of waters around and off Belize.
- 13 Boats (including 6 Wasp-class PCs United Kingdom, 20m patrol craft).
- 43 foot Nor-tech Interceptor Fast Patrol Boats - 2 x donated by the United States in 2009 [6]
The maritime wing has been transferred over to the Belize Coast Guard Service.
Strength [link]
Personnel: approximately 1000 (2012) and 700 reservists
- Air Wing: 15
References [link]
- ^ "Belize", CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bh.html
- ^ a b Dion E. Phillips , "The Military of Belize" https://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/belize/conference/papers/phillips.html, 2002
- ^ "Channel 5 Belize", https://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=15230 December 13, 2007.
- ^ https://www.police.gov.bz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155&Itemid=147
- ^ https://belize.usembassy.gov/pr_09_08b_09_page2.html
- ^ https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=14980
External links [link]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.
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https://wn.com/Military_of_Belize
Belize
Belize (
i/bəˈliːz/) is a country on the eastern coast of Central America. It is the only country in Central America whose official language is English, though Belizean Creole (Kriol) and Spanish are also commonly spoken. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the south and west by Guatemala, and on the east by the Caribbean Sea. Its mainland is about 290 km (180 mi) long and 110 km (68 mi) wide.
With an area of 22,966 kilometers squared (8,867 square miles) making it the world's 147th largest country by area and also Belize has a population of 368,310 which makes it the world's 173rd most populous country in the world
(8,867) a population of Belize has the lowest population density in Central America. The country's population growth rate of 1.87% per year (2015) is the second highest in the region and one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere.
Belize's abundance of terrestrial and marine species and its diversity of ecosystems give it a key place in the globally significant Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.
Cabinda Province
Cabinda (also spelled Kabinda, formerly Portuguese Congo, known locally as Tchiowa) is an exclave and province of Angola, a status that has been disputed by many political organizations in the territory. The capital city is also called Cabinda. The province is divided into four municipalities—Belize, Buco Zau, Cabinda and Landana.
Modern Cabinda is the result of a fusion of three kingdoms: N'Goyo, Loango and Kakongo. It has an area of 7,270 km2 (2,810 sq mi) and a population of 688,285 (2014 census). According to 1988 United States government statistics, the total population of the province was 147,200, with a near even split between total rural and urban populations. At one point an estimated one third of Cabindans were refugees living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; however, after the 2007 peace agreement, refugees started returning home.
Cabinda is separated from the rest of Angola by a narrow strip of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which bounds the province on the south and the east. Cabinda is bounded on the north by the Republic of the Congo, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Adjacent to the coast are some of the largest offshore oil fields in the world. Petroleum exploration began in 1954 by the Cabinda Gulf Oil Company, when the territory was under Portuguese rule. Cabinda also produces hardwoods, coffee, cacao, rubber, and palm oil products, however, petroleum production accounts for most of Cabinda's domestic product. Cabinda produces 700,000 barrels (110,000 m3) of crude oil per day. Cabinda Oil is associated with Sonangol, Agip Angola Lda (41%), Chevron (39.2%), Total (10%) and Eni (9.8%).
Belize, Angola
For the country, see Belize
Belize is a town and municipality in Cabinda Province in Angola.
References
Radio Stations - Belize City
RADIO STATION |
GENRE |
LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Krem | News Talk,Varied,World Caribbean | Belize |
| Love FM 95.1 | Adult Contemporary | Belize |
| WAVE Radio | News Talk,Varied,World Caribbean | Belize |
| More FM | Pop | Belize |
