Latvian National Guard

Latvian National Guard

Latvian National Guard emblem
Active 1991 - present
Country  Latvia
Type Light Infantry
Size 11,000
Part of Latvian Armed Forces

The National Guard (Latvian: Zemessardze (ZS)) is a part of National Armed Forces. NG is a basic land component, consisting of volunteers who perform traditional national guard duties such as crisis response and support for military operations. It consists of 3 regions of National Guard. The National Guard continues development also after Latvia has joined the NATO.

History

National Guard troops firing artillery

The National Guard was established in August 1991 as a voluntary public military self-defense organization. Its roots can be traced to the pre-World War II Aizsargi organization. It is the largest NAF structure in terms of numbers. The National Guard has always played an essential role in the national defense system by allowing the public to be involved in national defense. A number of National Guard battalions have been transformed into high-readiness reserve forces, which can be deployed immediately on international military operations.

The youth organization of the National Guard, the Jaunsardze (Youth Guards), was established in 1992. It is the largest youth movement in Latvia, bringing together young people from the age of 12 to 18.

An aviation component was introduced in 1993, with a fleet of ex-Soviet DOSAAF light aircraft and gliders. In 2000 the aviation component became part of the Air Force.

Mission

The main task of the National Guard is to support the regular Land Force units by defending the national territory during military threat and to perform NAF combat support and combat logistics functions. At the same time, the National Guard will continue providing assistance to the public regarding crisis control, as well as to the State Police regarding provision of public law and order, and continue the safeguarding of sites of national security importance.

The main mission of the National Guard is to:

National Guards during the parade

Structure[1]

National Guard soldier

National Guard (NG) Headquarters (Rīga)

National Guard Region (NGR) 1 (Liepāja HQ):

National Guard Region (NGR) 2 (Rēzekne HQ):

National Guard Region (NGR) 3 (Rīga HQ):

Equipment

Military vehicles

Name Image Origin Type Variants Quantity Notes
Trucks
Scania  Sweden Truck
P93
Mercedes-Benz  Germany Truck
MB1017
Unimog  Germany Truck
MB406
Volvo  Sweden Truck
VOLVO934
Phasing out
Volvo  Sweden Truck
VOLVO Viking 939
Phasing out
Light vehicles
Mercedes-Benz  Germany SUV
MB G-Class 240GD
HMMWV  United States SUV
CUCV  United States SUV
Jeep  United States SUV
Volvo  Sweden SUV
C303
C304
C306
Special vehicles
Bv 206  Sweden Amphibious tracked vehicle
Bv 206A
Bv 206F

Weapons

Name Image Origin Type Variants Quantity Notes
Artillery
Škoda vz53  Czechoslovakia Field gun
100mm caliber
Heavy mortars
2B11  Soviet Union Mortar
120 mm caliber
Anti-tank weapons
Pvpj 1110  Sweden Recoilless rifle
90 mm caliber
Carl Gustav recoilless rifle  Sweden
84 mm caliber
Air defence weapons
Bofors 40mm gun  Sweden
Bofors 40mm L/70
submachine guns
Carl Gustav  Sweden
M45
Assault rifles
Heckler & Koch G36  Germany
Heckler & Koch G36K
Heckler & Koch G3  Germany
AK4
Machine guns
FN MAG  Belgium
FN MAG
M2 Browning  United States
M2
Heckler & Koch HK21  Germany
HK 21
RPK  Soviet Union
RPK
Sniper rifles
PGM Hécate II  France
Hecate2

Cooperation

The National Guard has established close co-operation with similar organizations abroad – the US Michigan Army National Guard, the Australian Army Reserve, the UK Territorial Army, and the Home Guard Organizations of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania and Estonia.

References

  1. "ZS vienības" (in Latvian). LR Zemesardze. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zemessardze.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.