Currently, the People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP) of Cape Verde are undergoing major reorganisation. The force has two independent branches, the Army

Army

An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...

 and the Coast Guard

Coast guard

A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...

. Both branches have their own air arm made up of mostly surveillance

Surveillance

Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...

 and transport aircraft. The combined force comprises about 1,200 soldier

Soldier

A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...

s, marines and coast guard

Coast guard

A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...

 personnel.

In the future, however, the military will be reduced to about 1,000 men. The Branches are to be reshuffled as well. The Army

Army

An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...

 is going to be called the Cape Verdean National Guard, and it will be divided into three semi-autonomous branches: 1. The Military Police, 2. Os Fuzileiros (Marines), and 3. the Infantry Battalion of the National Guard. A Special Operation Unit is being created and is going to be attached to the marine brigade

Brigade

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...

. The Cape Verdean government aims to make the Armed Forces more flexible and able to deal with terrorism

Terrorism

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

, drug trafficking, disaster relief, and control its territorial waters

Territorial waters

Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most from the baseline of a coastal state...

.

The former Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Solomon Passy

Solomon Passy

Solomon Isaac Passy is a Bulgarian politician, foreign minister of Bulgaria from July 2001 until August 2005, and the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE in 2004. Dr. Passy is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.- Summary :Solomon Passy was born in Plovdiv. He...

 proposed, Cape Verde may enter the OSCE and the NATO.

Military equipment includes BRDM-2

BRDM-2

The BRDM-2 is an amphibious armoured patrol car used by Russia and the former Soviet Union. It was also known under designations BTR-40PB, BTR-40P-2 and GAZ 41-08...

 and T-55

T-55

The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...

 armoured vehicles, ZU-23-2

ZU-23-2

The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23 mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for Zenitnaya Ustanovka - anti-aircraft mount.-Development history:...

 and ZPU-4

ZPU-4

The ZPU-4 is a towed, quadruple-barreled anti-aircraft gun based on the Soviet KPV 14.5 mm machine gun. It entered service with the Soviet Union in 1949 and is used by over 50 countries worldwide...

 anti-aircraft guns, and AKM

AKM

The AKM is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....

and RPK

RPK

The RPK is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel with the AKM assault/battle rifle...

 small arms.

MBT

• Some T-54\5 100mm MBT
  MBT
  -Arts and Entertainment:*The Monster Ball Tour 2009-2011 Lady GaGa world tour.*Mount Baker Theatre*MBT, an Avalon Hill board game-Business:*Tech Mahindra *Massachusetts business trust*Master of Business & Technology...
  
  s - servicability unknown

Artillery

• 6 120-PM-43 mortar
  120-PM-43 mortar
  The M-43 is a Russian 120 millimeter calibre mortar. It is based on the M1938 mortar.An improved version called the 2B11 Sani was also produced by Russia.-References:* – Jane's Infantry Weapons...
  
   
• 18 ZPU-1 
• 12 ZU-23-2
  ZU-23-2
  The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23 mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for Zenitnaya Ustanovka - anti-aircraft mount.-Development history:...
  
   

Air Contingent

The Army also has its own air arm; after personnel training received from the USSR in 1982, three Antonov An-26

Antonov An-26

The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the USSR from 12 March 1968.-Development:...

 aircraft were delivered to Cape Verde - these were believed to be the only military aircraft possessed by the nation. However these three aircraft were supplemented in 1991 by a Dornier Do 228

Dornier Do 228

The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...

 light aircraft equipped for use by the Coastguard, and, in the late 1990s by an EMB-110 aircraft from Brazil, similarly equipped for maritime operations. The government has been in negotiations with China to acquire multirole helicopters for both military and civilian use.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Manufacturer
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Model
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Service entry
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Number
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Antonov

Antonov

Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex , formerly the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. Antonov ASTC is a state-owned commercial company...

| Antonov An-26

Antonov An-26

The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the USSR from 12 March 1968.-Development:...

|
| Tactical Transport
| 1982
| 3
|
|-----
| EADS CASA
| Casa C-212 MPA
|
| Maritime Patrol Aircraft
| 2008
| 1
|
|-----
| Dornier Flugzeugwerke

Dornier Flugzeugwerke

Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many notable designs for both the civil and military markets.-History:...

| Dornier Do 228

Dornier Do 228

The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...

|
| Maritime usage
| 1991
| 1
| 2 delivered
|-----
| Embraer

Embraer

Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....

| EMB-110
|
| Airliner
| late 1990s
| 1
|
|-----

| LET

Let

Let or LET may refer to:* -let, an English diminutive suffix* Let, a shot or point that must be replayed in certain racquet sports* Let, a name binding construct in computer programming languages...

 


| LET L-410 Turbolet UVP
|  Czech Republic

| transport aircraft

|
| 1
|-----
| Harbin

Harbin

Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...

| Harbin Z-9

Harbin Z-9

|-See also:-External links:* * *...

|
| Utility
| 2011
| 2
|

Coast Guard

• 1 Kondor I patrol craft - 360 tons full load - commissioned 1970
• 1 Peterson MK 4 patrol craft - 22 tons - commissioned 1993
• 1 other patrol craft - 55 tons

External links

• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cv.html
• http://www.nationmaster.com/country/cv-cape-verde/mil-military
• http://praia.usembassy.gov/about-us/security-assistance-office.html
• http://www.paigc.org/
• http://www.snpc.cv/
• Cape Verde Military Police