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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Mauritania
Index
Figure 13. Military Ranks and Insignia, 1987
Since its formation, the Mauritanian Army has undergone
several reorganizations. It was created in October 1961 as the
First Infantry Battalion with its headquarters in Rosso. Units of
the battalion were stationed in Atar, Akjoujt, Néma, 'Ayoûn el
'Atroûs, and Nouakchott. The many problems of command,
flexibility, and mobility led to a reorganization in 1962 that
provided for a national command in Nouakchott and separate
functional, rather than territorial, units. In 1987 the army
consisted of one infantry battalion, two armored car squadrons,
one parachute-commando company, three reconnaissance squadrons,
two artillery batteries, one airborne company, one engineering
corps, and one antiaircraft battery. The Camel Corps, considered
a paramilitary unit, although under the jurisdiction of the army,
numbered 100 and patrolled the borders. The highest ranking
officer in the army was a colonel
(see
fig. 13). Although the
army was the primary defender of Mauritanian security, it was
underequipped and undertrained, leaving Mauritania vulnerable
(see
table 3, Appendix).
Data as of June 1988
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