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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Mauritania
Index
Figure 12. Organization of National Security Forces, 1987
In 1987 the armed forces were organized under the president,
who also served as minister of defense and oversaw all aspects of
the military. Lieutenant Colonel Diallo Mohamed was second in
command. Military headquarters staff was divided into offices
handling personnel, intelligence, training and operations, and
logistics. Headquarters staff also directed the signals,
equipment, and quartermaster corps. The army was organized into
five geographic regions (a sixth region had been reapportioned
among the remaining five regions) and two at-large sectors,
located in Mbeïrika and Kaédi
(see
fig. 12).
In the 1960s and early 1970s, the chief task of the
Mauritanian military had been internal control. When French
forces departed in 1966, Mauritanian armed forces numbered
approximately 1,000 men (900 in the army and 100 in the fledgling
air force). By 1971 they had grown 50 percent to over 1,500 men
(army 1,444; air force, 100; and navy, 30). Daddah deliberately
kept the armed forces small, however, to decrease the possibility
of a military coup, and he relied on French military assistance
to meet external threats.
With the advent of the Western Sahara war, the government
raised troop strength and improved training. The armed forces
expanded from 3,000 men at the beginning of 1976 to 12,000 by the
beginning of 1977, and further expanded to between 15,000 and
17,000 at the beginning of 1978. To train staff officers, the
government opened a combined services college at Atar in November
1976. Haidalla also introduced a military service program called
the National Civic Service to assist the regular military forces.
Restricted to Mauritanian People's Party (Parti du Peuple
Mauritanienne--PPM) members at least eighteen years old, the
program provided military training and political education for
two half-days each week. The newly trained servicemen were to
help with civil defense, intelligence, and press relations. This
scheme failed, however, because Mauritanians were disillusioned
with the war and viewed war-related efforts with skepticism and
apathy.
Following the cease-fire with Polisario forces, Mauritanian
armed forces strength was halved, decreasing from 17,000 in July
1978 to 9,450 in early 1979. The forces were further reduced to
7,970 by July 1980. The CMSN reorganized the army of 7,500
soldiers into one infantry battalion, one artillery battalion,
two armored car squadrons, one antiaircraft battery, and one
engineering company. The navy, on the other hand, increased the
number of navy personnel to 320 and acquired two new patrol
craft, bringing the total to thirteen. Paramilitary forces
decreased in size from 6,000 to 2,750.
Attempted coups in 1981, 1982, and 1983, followed by
defections, executions, and arrests of officers, devastated the
morale of the armed forces. To add to their difficulties, the
underequipped forces were charged with guarding the economically
crucial iron mines of Zouîrât, the port facilities at Nouadhibou,
and the rail line between them. This difficult task, which
exposed troops to attacks by well-equipped Polisario guerrillas,
further eroded the forces' morale.
Data as of June 1988
Organization and Strength
Figure 12. Organization of National Security Forces, 1987
In 1987 the armed forces were organized under the president,
who also served as minister of defense and oversaw all aspects of
the military. Lieutenant Colonel Diallo Mohamed was second in
command. Military headquarters staff was divided into offices
handling personnel, intelligence, training and operations, and
logistics. Headquarters staff also directed the signals,
equipment, and quartermaster corps. The army was organized into
five geographic regions (a sixth region had been reapportioned
among the remaining five regions) and two at-large sectors,
located in Mbeïrika and Kaédi
(see
fig. 12).
In the 1960s and early 1970s, the chief task of the
Mauritanian military had been internal control. When French
forces departed in 1966, Mauritanian armed forces numbered
approximately 1,000 men (900 in the army and 100 in the fledgling
air force). By 1971 they had grown 50 percent to over 1,500 men
(army 1,444; air force, 100; and navy, 30). Daddah deliberately
kept the armed forces small, however, to decrease the possibility
of a military coup, and he relied on French military assistance
to meet external threats.
With the advent of the Western Sahara war, the government
raised troop strength and improved training. The armed forces
expanded from 3,000 men at the beginning of 1976 to 12,000 by the
beginning of 1977, and further expanded to between 15,000 and
17,000 at the beginning of 1978. To train staff officers, the
government opened a combined services college at Atar in November
1976. Haidalla also introduced a military service program called
the National Civic Service to assist the regular military forces.
Restricted to Mauritanian People's Party (Parti du Peuple
Mauritanienne--PPM) members at least eighteen years old, the
program provided military training and political education for
two half-days each week. The newly trained servicemen were to
help with civil defense, intelligence, and press relations. This
scheme failed, however, because Mauritanians were disillusioned
with the war and viewed war-related efforts with skepticism and
apathy.
Following the cease-fire with Polisario forces, Mauritanian
armed forces strength was halved, decreasing from 17,000 in July
1978 to 9,450 in early 1979. The forces were further reduced to
7,970 by July 1980. The CMSN reorganized the army of 7,500
soldiers into one infantry battalion, one artillery battalion,
two armored car squadrons, one antiaircraft battery, and one
engineering company. The navy, on the other hand, increased the
number of navy personnel to 320 and acquired two new patrol
craft, bringing the total to thirteen. Paramilitary forces
decreased in size from 6,000 to 2,750.
Attempted coups in 1981, 1982, and 1983, followed by
defections, executions, and arrests of officers, devastated the
morale of the armed forces. To add to their difficulties, the
underequipped forces were charged with guarding the economically
crucial iron mines of Zouîrât, the port facilities at Nouadhibou,
and the rail line between them. This difficult task, which
exposed troops to attacks by well-equipped Polisario guerrillas,
further eroded the forces' morale.
Data as of June 1988
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