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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Laos
Index
The Pathet Lao guerrillas became the LPLA, in October
1965; in
1976 it was renamed the LPA. In the beginning, the LPLA
consisted
of regular forces organized under a central military
command,
regionally recruited units, and local forces operating on
a parttime basis at the village level as a people's militia.
These three
levels of the armed forces were derived from the wartime
structure
of the main force units and regional and local guerrillas.
In December 1975, the LPA had a total strength of about
60,000
personnel, including 35,000 Pathet Lao troops and
dissident
Neutralists (see
table 14, Appendix). In a January 20,
1976,
broadcast, government authorities outlined five principal
tasks for
the LPA in defending the nation against Thai reactionaries
and
exiled Laotian counterrevolutionaries. The first task was
to
heighten vigilance in preserving peace and public order.
The second
was to raise political and ideological understanding in
the armed
forces, improve discipline, and implement government
policy. The
third and fourth tasks were to reinforce traditions of
solidarity
with the people and raise the quality of the army through
political
and military study. Finally, the army was called upon to
strengthen
its organization and improve internal defense.
By 1976 the LPA was organized along North Vietnamese
military
lines, with approximately 42,500 men in sixty-five
infantry
battalions, divided among four military regions. By 1979
there were
as many as 50,000 Vietnamese troops in Laos, advising and
working
side by side with their Laotian counterparts to suppress
the
remaining opposition forces. In the mid-1980s, Vietnamese
troops
began their withdrawal; by late 1988, all operational
elements had
been withdrawn. It is likely, however, that a few
Vietnamese
military technical specialists remain in Laos.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the armed forces
were
reequipped with military hardware, including MiG jet
fighters from
the Soviet Union. Despite the influx of new equipment,
however, the
bleak economic situation of the country prevented the
allotment of
a large enough military budget for a modern fighting
force. In the
absence of military support from the former Soviet Union
and with
limited equipment purchases from China and Vietnam, the
LPA had
embarked on private business ventures to support itself.
In the
early 1990s, aging equipment and lack of funds precluded
further
modernization.
Dependence on direct foreign military aid ended with
the
withdrawal of Vietnamese troops and Soviet and Vietnamese
military
advisers in the mid- to late 1980s. The mutual security
treaty with
Vietnam, however, allows Vietnamese troops to reenter Laos
in case
of need.
By mid-1994 the LPA had approximately 33,000 troops,
divided
into four military regions. The LPA headquarters in
Vientiane
controls all four military regions, which in turn are
responsible
for LPA elements in the provinces. Military Region One is
headquartered in Louangphrabang, Louangphrabang Province;
Military
Region Two, in Muang Phônsavan, Xiangkhoang Province;
Military
Region Three, in Xénô, Savannakhét Province; and Military
Region
Four, in Pakxé, Champasak Province.
The LPA ground component consists of five infantry
divisions.
The First Division is situated in the Vientiane area. The
Second
Division monitors the Laos-Thailand border and
north-central Laos.
The Third Division monitors the Laos-China border. The
Fourth
Division and the Fifth Division patrol southern Laos.
LPA ground equipment generally is of vintage Soviet
design,
with PT-76s (light tanks); T-34/85s and T-54/-55 (main
battle
tanks); and 122mm and 130mm artillery (see
table 15,
Appendix). For
the most part, United States-made equipment captured from
the Royal
Lao Army in 1975 has been retired from active service.
By the early 1990s, because of the lack of any real
external
threats, the armed forces were largely responsible for
internal
security, support against dissidents, and border patrol
against
incursions from Thailand-based resistance elements. The
LPA also
played a significant role in combatting the armed Laotian
resistance movement, especially those troops stationed
along the
Thai border. And, presumably, the LPA is responsible for
any
further border conflicts such as occurred with Thailand in
1988
(see The Confrontational Relationship with Thailand
, this ch.;
Bilateral Relations
, ch. 4).
Data as of July 1994
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