The Salvadoran Army or Ejército Salvadoreño is the land branch and largest of the Military of El Salvador

Military of El Salvador

The Armed Forces of El Salvador, in Spanish Fuerza Armada de El Salvador is the official name of the combined armed forces of El Salvador...

. In 2006 the government of El Salvador approached the Israeli ambassador to El Salvador seeking assistance in modernizing its army.

The Football War

The Football War (also called The Soccer War or 100-hours War) was a brief conflict between El Salvador and neighbouring Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

. The war began after the rival nations traded wins during the qualifying round for the 1970 FIFA World Cup

1970 FIFA World Cup

The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...

. Longstanding tensions between the countries were heightened by media reports on both sides, each accusing the other of hooliganism

Hooliganism

Hooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....

 and violence toward their own football fans. On June 26, 1969, El Salvador dissolved all ties with Honduras, citing the unwillingness of the Honduran government to take action against Honduran citizens accused of violence, or make reparations.

On July 14 Salvadoran forces began moving rapidly into Honduras following a series of border clashes. Their progress halted after the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United States brought heavy diplomatic pressure to bear on both governments in an effort to effect a cease-fire.

A ceasefire was ultimately negotiated and signed by July 18, with Salvadoran forces withdrawing from Honduras by August 2 following guarantees of safety for Salvadoran citizens in Honduras by the Honduran government.

The Salvadoran Civil War

Following the 1979 coup d'état, El Salvador split along extremist right-wing and left-wing political ideologies. Unstable governments and growing civil unrest ultimately led to a long, bitterly fought civil war which was not resolved until 1992.

The Iraq War

Up to 380 Salvadoran troops, mostly paratroopers, were deployed as part of the Coalition Forces in Iraq between August 2003 and January 2009. They operated alongside the elite Spanish Legion

Spanish Legion

The Spanish Legion , formerly Spanish Foreign Legion, is an elite unit of the Spanish Army and Spain's Rapid Reaction Force. Founded as the Tercio de Extranjeros , it was originally intended as a Spanish equivalent of the French Foreign Legion, but in practice it recruited almost exclusively...

 in Najaf

Najaf

Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...

 and were well regarded by the U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 and their Spanish comrades. The Iraqi insurgents and AQI

Al-Qaeda in Iraq

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a popular name for the Iraqi division of the international Salafi jihadi militant organization al-Qaeda. It is recognized as a part of the greater Iraqi insurgency....

 tended to avoid the Salvadoran force, due to their aggressive patrolling in their area of responsibility. While in Iraq, the Salvadoran contingent suffered 5 dead, and 20 wounded.

Organizational structure

El Salvador is divided into 6 military zones, each of which has its own infantry brigade:

• 1st brigade (San Salvador)
• 2nd brigade (Santa Ana
  Santa Ana, El Salvador
  Santa Ana is the second largest city in El Salvador, located 64 kilometers west of San Salvador, the capital city. Santa Ana has approximately 274,830 inhabitants and serves both as the capital of the department of Santa Ana and...
  
  )
• 3rd brigade (San Miguel
  San Miguel, El Salvador
  San Miguel is the fourth most populous city in El Salvador after Santa Ana and Soyapango and the second most important after San Salvador. It is located 138 km east of the capital, San Salvador. It is also the capital of the department of San Miguel and a municipality...
  
  )
• 4th brigade (Chalatenango
  Chalatenango, Chalatenango
  Chalatenango is a town and municipality in the Chalatenango department of El Salvador. It is the capital of the department.The coat of arms is actually the same as the department's, as is the flag....
  
  )
• 5th brigade (San Vicente
  San Vicente, El Salvador
  San Vicente is a municipality in the San Vicente department of El Salvador. It was founded by 50 Spanish families in 1635, under the Tempisque tree, which is still standing today....
  
  )
• 6th brigade (Usulután
  Usulután
  Usulután is the 5th largest city in El Salvador, and capital of the Department of Usulutan in the south-east of El Salvador. As of 2006, it is estimated to have population of 71,636 people.Usulutan rests in a rich agricultural valley....
  
  )

Furthermore, the army has the following units:

• 1 Special Military Security Brigade consisting of 2 Military Police
  Military police
  Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
  
   and 2 border security battalions,
• 8 infantry detachments with 2 battalions,
• 1 Engineer Command with of 2 battalions,
• 1 artillery brigade with of 2 field artillery and 2 anti-aircraft battalions,
• 1 mechanized cavalry regiment with 2 battalions, and the
• Special Forces Command with 1 Special Operations Group, and 1 Anti-Terrorism Command.

Infantry Weapons

Name	Type	Quantity	Origin	Notes
FN P35 Browning Hi-Power The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...	Handgun Handgun A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
Uzi	Sub-machine gun
MP5 Heckler & Koch MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....	Sub-machine gun
HK33	Assault rifle Assault rifle An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
M-4 M4 carbine The M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...	Assault rifle Assault rifle An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...		USA
M16A1 M16 rifle The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...	Assault rifle		USA
IMI Galil IMI Galil The Galil is a family of Israeli small arms designed by Yisrael Galil and Yaacov Lior in the late 1960s and produced by Israel Military Industries Ltd of Ramat HaSharon...	Assault rifle
M14 M14 rifle The M14 rifle, formally the United States Rifle, 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire automatic rifle firing 7.62x51mm NATO  ammunition. It was the standard issue U.S. rifle from 1959 to 1970. The M14 was used for U.S...	Battle rifle Battle rifle A battle rifle is a military service rifle that fires a full power rifle cartridge, such as 7.62x51mm NATO. While the designation of battle rifle is usually given to post-World War II select fire infantry rifles such as the H&K G3, the FN FAL or the M14, this term can also apply to older military...		USA
Heckler & Koch G3 Heckler & Koch G3 The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....	Battle rifle
M24	Sniper rifle Sniper rifle In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...		USA
M79 M79 grenade launcher The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40x46mm grenade which used what the US Army called the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the Vietnam War...	Grenade launcher Grenade launcher A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....		USA
M203 M203 grenade launcher The M203 is a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilize the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low. Though versatile, and compatible with many rifle models, the M203 was...	Grenade launcher		USA
Hawk MM-1 Hawk MM-1 The MM-1 is a 40x46mm semi-automatic grenade launcher manufactured in the USA by the Hawk Engineering Company. The manufacturer claims that it has been used by US Special Forces units, as well as the military forces of several South American and African countries...	Semi-automatic grenade launcher		USA
M60 M60 machine gun The M60 is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links...	General purpose machine gun General purpose machine gun A general-purpose machine gun is a multi-purpose weapon: it is a machine gun firing a full-power rifle cartridge and which can be used in a variety of roles, from a bipod- or tripod-mounted infantry support weapon to a helicopter door gun or a vehicle-mounted support weapon...		USA
M2HB	Heavy machine gun Heavy machine gun The heavy machine gun or HMG is a larger class of machine gun generally recognized to refer to two separate stages of machine gun development. The term was originally used to refer to the early generation of machine guns which came into widespread use in World War I...		USA

• M67 recoilless rifle
  M67 recoilless rifle
  The M67 recoilless rifle was a 90-mm antitank recoilless rifle made in the United States and later in the Republic of Korea. It could also be employed in an antipersonnel role with the use of the M590 antipersonnel round...
  
   – 379
• M72A2 LAW
  M72 LAW
  The M72 LAW is a portable one-shot 66 mm unguided anti-tank weapon, designed in the United States by Paul V. Choate, Charles B. Weeks, and Frank A. Spinale et al...
  
   – 792
• Strela 2
  Strela 2
  The 9K32 “Strela-2” is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile system with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared homing guidance...
  
  
• FIM-43 Redeye
  FIM-43 Redeye
  The General Dynamics FIM-43 Redeye was a man-portable surface-to-air missile system. It used infrared homing to track its target. Production was terminated in September 1969 after about 85,000 rounds had been built - in anticipation of the Redeye II, which later became the FIM-92 Stinger...
  
  

Vehicles

Note: Sources are circa 1988, while some equipment listed may no longer be in service.

Utility Vehicles
Model	Type	Number	Dates	Manufacturer	Details
AIL Storm AIL Storm The AIL Storm is an Israeli manufactured off-road vehicle and the workhorse of the Israeli Security Forces. The series of Jeep Wrangler based vehicles have been produced by Automotive Industries Ltd. in Upper Nazareth under licence from Chrysler since 1990...	Light Utility Vehicle Light Utility Vehicle Light utility vehicle is a general term for small, jeep-like military trucks for tactical use. They are generally short, relatively light compared to other trucks and cars, unarmored with 4-wheel drive and short body overhangs for all-terrain mobility and at least 4 passenger capacity...	38		AIL Automotive Industries Automotive Industries, Ltd. is an Israeli Automaker and major supplier of the Israeli Security Forces.Located in Nazareth Illit, the company was originally founded in 1966 by Automotive Equipment Group as a plant for the assembly of cars and trucks... ,
Jeep CJ Jeep CJ The Willys CJ is a public version of the famous Willys Military Jeep from World War II.The first CJ prototype was introduced in 1944 by Willys, and the same basic vehicle stayed in production through seven variants and three corporate parents until 1986.A variant of the CJ is still in production...	Light Utility Vehicle			Jeep Jeep Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second... , USA
M151 MUTT	Light Utility Vehicle			Various, USA
HMMWV	Light Utility Vehicle	20		AM General AM General AM General is an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. It is best known for the civilian Hummer and the military Humvee, that is assembled in Mishawaka, Indiana... , USA
Dodge M37	Light Utility Vehicle			Dodge Dodge Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide.... , USA	Mostly converted to Cashuats.
M35 truck M35 2-1/2 ton cargo truck The M35 family of trucks is a long-lived vehicle initially deployed by the United States Army, and subsequently utilized by many nations around the world. A truck in the 2½ ton weight class, it was one of many vehicles in U.S...	Medium cargo truck	45		Various, USA
M809 truck	Heavy cargo truck			AM General AM General AM General is an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. It is best known for the civilian Hummer and the military Humvee, that is assembled in Mishawaka, Indiana... , USA
MAN 630 truck	Heavy cargo truck			MAN SE,
Armoured Fighting Vechiles
Model	Type	Number	Dates	Manufacturer	Details
AML 90 Panhard AML -Former Operators:: unknown number of AML-60s and AML-90s in service between 1960-1975.: 34 Eland 90s and Eland 60s in service with the Rhodesian Security Forces in 1979, passed on to successor state.-Trivia:...	Armoured Car	3		Panhard Panhard Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years... ,
UR-416 Thyssen Henschel UR-416 The Thyssen Henschel UR-416 is a German armoured personnel carrier, introduced in 1969 built from the same body as the Mercedes-Benz Unimog light truck.-Development:...	Wheeled APC	4		Thyssen-Henschel Thyssen-Henschel Thyssen Henschel was a German industrial firm and defense contractor. Its products include the TAM medium tank for Argentina, the Mexican Henschel APC and the Marder infantry fighting vehicle.... ,
M3 Scout Car M3 Scout Car The M3 Scout Car was an armored car in U.S. service during World War II. It was also known as the White Scout Car, after its manufacturer, the White Motor Company. It was used in various roles including patrol, scouting, command vehicle, ambulance and gun tractor.-History:Design of the vehicle...	Wheeled APC	5		White Motor Company White Motor Company White Motor Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, and sewing machines. Before World War II, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio.-History:... , USA
Cashuat Cashuat The Cashuat is an armored personnel carrier produced in El Salvador, and based on the Dodge M37B1 ¾ ton truck. The first Cashuat prototype was built and trialed in El Salvador in February of 1985. The prototype lacked sufficient ballistic protection, so the Salvadoran government sought assistance...	Wheeled APC	41		/USA	Based on a Dodge M37. Armor kits and turrets purchased from the United States and applied in El Salvador El Salvador El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
M113 M113 armored personnel carrier The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that has formed the backbone of the United States Army's mechanized infantry units from the time of its first fielding in Vietnam in April 1962. The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S...	Tracked APC	20		FMC FMC Corp. FMC Corporation is a chemical manufacturing company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. FMC employs over 4,800 people world wide, and had gross revenues of US$3.115 billion in 2008.-The Bean Spray Pump Company:... , USA
M3A1 M3 Half-track The Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armored vehicle used by the United States, the British Empire and the other Allies during World War II and the Cold War. Nearly 43,000 were produced, and supplied to the U.S...	Half-track Half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling...	5		Various, USA

Artillery

Mortars
Model	Caliber	Number	Dates	Manufacturer	Details
M19 M19 Mortar The M19 Mortar is a very light and simple smoothbore, muzzle loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon for light infantry support developed and produced in the United States....	60mm	306		USA
M29 M29 Mortar The M29 is a United States produced 81 millimeter calibre mortar. It began replacing the M1 Mortar in U.S. service in 1952 being lighter and with greater range. It was replaced by the M252 Mortar in 1984...	81mm	151		USA
M-74	120mm				Kept in storage.
UB M-52	120mm				Kept in storage.
Field Artillery
Model	Caliber	Number	Dates	Origin	Details
M101 M101 howitzer The 105 mm M2A1 howitzer was the standard light field howitzer for the United States in World War II, seeing action in both European and Pacific theaters. Entering production in 1941, it quickly entered the war against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific, where it gained a reputation...	105mm	8		USA
M102 M102 howitzer First introduced during the Vietnam War, the M102 was the light-towed 105 mm howitzer used by the United States Army in the Vietnam War, the First Gulf War, and most recently in the Iraq War.- An Air Mobile Howitzer for the Vietnam War :...	105mm	24		USA
M56 M101 howitzer The 105 mm M2A1 howitzer was the standard light field howitzer for the United States in World War II, seeing action in both European and Pacific theaters. Entering production in 1941, it quickly entered the war against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific, where it gained a reputation...	105mm	18			M101 copy produced in Yugoslavia
105/14 Model 56 OTO Melara Mod 56 The OTO-Melara Mod 56 is an Italian-made 105 mm pack howitzer built and developed by OTO-Melara. It fires the standard US type M1 ammunition.-History:...	105mm	14			Pack Howitzer
M114 M114 155 mm howitzer The M114 155 mm howitzer was a towed howitzer used by the United States Army. It was first produced in 1942 as a medium artillery piece under the designation of 155 mm Howitzer M1. It saw service with the US Army during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, before being...	155mm	6		USA
Anti-Aircraft Artillery
Model	Caliber	Number	Dates	Manufacturer	Details
M-55	20mm	31			Hispano-Suiza HS.804 copy.
M-55 (Self-propelled)	20mm	4			Truck or half-track mounted M-55.
TCM-20 Hispano-Suiza HS.404 The Hispano-Suiza HS.404 was an autocannon widely used as both an aircraft and land weapon in the 20th century by British, American, French, and numerous other military services. The cannon is also referred to as Birkigt type 404, after its designer. Firing a 20 mm caliber projectile, it delivered...	20mm	4			Twin Hispano-Suiza HS.404s on towed pedestal mount.

External links

• http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46819
• http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/El-Salvador.html