kamouflage.net global search
Soldiers of the Honduran Army, dressed in U.S. woodland pattern camouflage, pose in front of a statue. Strangely, the soldier at the front of the group has a Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament (CND) symbol painted onto his left cheek. [Image: DPM Publishing/Yves Debay.]
República de Honduras
Honduras
Republic of Honduras
The Republic of Honduras is a democratic republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras, to differentiate it from British Honduras (now Belize). The country is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea.
Events during the 1980s in El Salvador and Nicaragua led Honduras — with US assistance — to expand its armed forces considerably, laying particular emphasis on its air force, which came to include a squadron of US-provided F-5s.
The resolution of the civil wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua, as well as across-the-board budget cuts made in all ministries, has produced reduced funding for the Honduran armed forces. The abolition of the draft has created staffing gaps in the now all-volunteer armed forces. As a result, the Honduran military is now far below its authorised strength, and further reductions are expected.
In January 1999, the Constitution was amended to abolish the position of military commander-in-chief of the armed forces, thus codifying civilian authority over the military. Since 2002 soldiers have been involved in crime prevention and law enforcement, patrolling the streets of the major cities alongside the national police.
