Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies
The problem was made even more acute by the fact that the
military budget is preponderantly allocated to current operations.
Capital expenditures are believed to account for well
under 10 percent of total military spending. The low proportion
of the budget devoted to funding capital improvements is
illustrated by the fact that reported arms and related imports
during the 1986-95 period totaled only about US$40 million,
constituting 0.35 percent of the nation's total imports. The
United States has been the most important source of military
equipment although, during the 1982-87 period, the nation's
principal arms supplier was France.
Trujillo established the nation's defense industry just after
By the late 1950s, the Dominican Republic had
World War II.
the capacity to be nearly self-sufficient in small weapons.
Although that capability has deteriorated, the nation still has a
modest arms-manufacturing capacity. The arsenal at San
Cristobal, twenty-four kilometers west of Santo Domingo, produces
small arms ammunition and can repair heavier weapons
and vehicles. Smaller wooden-hulled craft have in the past
been produced by domestic shipbuilders for the navy.
Between fiscal year (FY—see Glossary) 1950 and FY 1996,
United States grant military assistance to the Dominican
Republic totaled US$36.5 million. No grant assistance has been
provided in recent years except for the transfer to the Dominican
Republic in 1995 of a United States Coast Guard cutter to
assist the antinarcotics effort. Training for the Dominican military
in the United States or elsewhere in Latin America under
the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program
is provided at a cost of about US$35,000 annually. Financing
of Dominican purchases under the Foreign Military Sales
Program totaled US$34.5 million between FY 1950 and FY
1996. The Dominican Republic used this credit program for
only US$441,000 worth of materiel in FY 1996.
Ranks, Uniforms, and Insignia
The rank structure of the armed forces follows traditional
lines and largely conforms to the pattern of the United States
services, with minor variations reflecting the disparity in force
levels. The army has eight enlisted grades, six company and
field-grade ranks, and three ranks for general officers (see figs.
8 and 9). The air force has seven enlisted grades; its officer
ranks are identical to those of the army. Naval personnel are
separated into six enlisted grades, six ranks for officers, and
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