Weapons and Equipment
Throughout its existence, the Nicaraguan National Guard received military assistance mainly from the United States, who provided since the late 1920s everything that the Guardia used, from uniforms and boots to rifles, artillery and vehicles. However, starting in the early 1950s, the Somozas made consistent efforts to diversify their sources of military hardware and supplies in a hope to reduce their dependence from the US. The majority of its weaponry until the mid-1970s consisted of US-made surplus ‘hand-me-downs’ from both world wars, Korea and Vietnam, partially supplemented by more modern equipment either donated or sold by Israel, Spain, Argentina and South Africa, particularly after US aid was cut in 1978. Other countries like Italy, Germany, Portugal, Paraguay, Sweden, and the Philippines were also involved in providing some form of covert aid or acted as brokers in secret arms deals.
Read more about this topic: National Guard (Nicaragua)
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