Military of Puerto Rico

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The military defense of

Major General José J. Reyes. The Adjutant General, in turn, delegates the authority over the State Guard to another officer but retains the authority over the Puerto Rico National Guard as a whole. At the national level, the commander-in-chief is the President of the United States, currently Joe Biden
.

A branch of the

U.S. Air National Guard —known as the Puerto Rico Air National Guard
— which performs missions equivalent to those of the Air National Guards of the U.S. states.

Military facilities in Puerto Rico

The former

US Navy
fighters that would be flown in case of a military emergency.

At different times in the 20th century, the U.S. had about 25 military or naval installations in Puerto Rico, some very small ones,

Fort Buchanan in San Juan, the former U.S. Air Force Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, and the Puerto Rico Air National Guard at Muñiz Air Force base in San Juan.[3]

Puerto Rico Municipal Maritime Police - U.S. Coast Guard

The former U.S. Navy facilities at Roosevelt Roads, Vieques, and Sabana Seca have been deactivated and partially turned over to the local government. Other than

U.S. Congress
has considered their deactivations, but these have been opposed by diverse public and private entities in Puerto Rico - such as retired military who rely on Ft. Buchanan for the services available there.

The coastal defense of Puerto Rico is the responsibility of the U.S. Navy from ships at sea, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The U.S. Coast Guard has a significant presence in Puerto Rico. Located on what was formerly

C-130 Hercules search-and-rescue plane, stationed primarily in Florida
fly to Puerto Rico to support these missions.

U.S. Coast Guard cutters visit Puerto Rican waters periodically in their missions of coastal patrol and search-and-rescue. U.S. Navy ships visit Puerto Rican waters on an as-required basis, just like they visit all American waters, international oceans, and foreign ones, too.

On "La Puntilla" in Old San Juan the Coast Guard base its small, but capable surface fleet of several 110-foot (34 m) long cutters and other patrol boats. These boats and cutters work hand in hand with the air station responding to any mission that they may be called upon to perform.

Military personnel in Puerto Rico

A significant number of Puerto Ricans participate as members and work for the U.S. Armed Forces, largely as

National Guard members and civilian employees. The size of the overall military-related community in Puerto Rico is estimated to be 100,000 individuals. This includes retired personnel.[3]
Fort Buchanan has about 4,000 military and civilian personnel.
War against Terrorism
.

A number of Puerto Rican colleges and universities have the

Air Force ROTC programs are offered at the University of Puerto Rico - Bayamon Technological University College, the University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez, and the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras.[5]

The U.S. Military has sought to form alliances with Hispanic organizations to promote military recruitment. In January 1999, leaders of National Hispanic organizations in collaboration with the U.S. Army held the Hispanic Leadership Summit '99. The "Education and Career Opportunities for Hispanic Youth in America's Army" summit included the participation of leaders of the US Army as well as leaders of national Hispanic organizations including

NCLR), SER jops for progress, and the members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.[6] At the summit, the director of the LULAC National Educational Service Center (LNESC), Richard Royball commented, "Based on our mutually beneficial partnership, we would encourage other Hispanic organizations to ally themselves with the US Army."[6] LNESC promotes military recruitment in educational service centers in several US cities and in Puerto Rico.[7]

Military and Naval uses of Puerto Rico

The US military installations in Puerto Rico are part of the US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).

U.S. Coast Guard maintains presence at Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen and Coast Guard Station San Juan
. [8]

The U.S. Navy's largest training area for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet used to be in Puerto Rico and in the Atlantic Ocean surrounding the island, but this was ended after President George W. Bush ordered the closure of the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station and the Vieques Island training grounds.

Through the years, the United States had conducted several military training exercises in Puerto Rico, the largest of these being Operation Springboard and Operation Readex.[2] These exercises included thousands of personnel and involve air, sea, and land operations, and include training with live ammunition.

On top of training exercises, the US used Puerto Rico as a base to rehearse and launch military operations in Latin America and throughout the world. Operations launched from Puerto Rico include the 1954 intervention in Guatemala; the 1965 invasion of the Dominican Republic; the 1983 invasion of Grenada; the 1989 invasion of Panama; support of Salvadoran military; preparation for operation Desert Storm and Desert Fox in Iraq; and preparation for the War in Yugoslavia.

Near Aguada the United States Marine Corps operates an LF-transmitter with a 367.3 meters tall guyed mast, the tallest man-made object in the Caribbean area [1].

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Police Agent in Puerto Rico Deaths is Assassinated". Archived from the original on 2006-04-30. Retrieved 2006-05-17. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  2. ^ a b OSD, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (DIOR); "Atlas/Data Abstract for the United States and Selected Areas - Fiscal Year 1997;" Department of Defense; 1998. Note: The count of 25 military installations included the branch component of the Roosevelt Roads Naval facility on the island of Vieques, as distinct from the Roosevelt Roads Naval station in Cieba
  3. ^ a b Meléndez, Edwin; Meléndez, Edgardo; Colonial Dilemma; South End Press; Boston; 1993
  4. ^ Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Reserve Affairs; "Official Guard and Reserve Manpower Strengths and Statistics - Summary End Fiscal Year 1996;" 1996
  5. ^ a b Macmillam Reference USA, The College Blue Book, 26th Edition – Tabular Data; Simon & Schuster Macmillam; New York; 1997
  6. ^ a b Dickey, Connie E., Sgt 1st Class; "Hispanic Youth Meet Army Leaders;" http://www.lulac.org/Programs/Army.html
  7. ^ Comité Pro Rescate y Desarrollo de Vieques; Testimony before the United States Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; Washington, DC; May 6, 1999
  8. ^ "Our Story". United States Northern Command.
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