58 CHILE Area.... 752,000 sq. km. Population (ix. i930)... 4,287,000 Density per sq. km... MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ARMED FORCES The armed forces of Chile consist of the army, the military air force and the navy. The first is under the authority of the Ministry of War, the second under the Ministry of the Interior. The air forces co-operate with the army and the navy, and they are placed at the disposal of the respective ministries whenever required. Co-operation with the Ministry of War is effected through the medium of the latter's Directorate of Aviation. I. Army. ORGANS OF MILITARY COMMAND AND ADMINISTRATION MINISTRY OF WAR. The Ministry of War, as deputy for the President of the Republic, is the supreme military authority of the nation. The Ministry of War consists of a number of departments and offices, including the Air Office, which deals with matters concerning the air force. ADVISORY COUNCIL TO THE MINISTRY OF WAR. The Council is responsible for advising the Ministry of War on all questions which are referred to it. The Chairman is the Minister of War, and it includes the Inspector-General of the Army, the Chief of the General Staff, the Director of War Material, etc.
CHILE 59 INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF THE ARMY. The Inspector-General of the Army is directly responsible to the War Office for the training and discipline of the troops and preparation for war. DIRECTORATE OF WAR MATERIAL. The Directorate is under the control of the Ministry of War, and consists of the General Directorate of Military Factories and the Directorate of Ordnance Depots. GENERAL STAFF. The General Staff consists of the Central Department, the Intelligence Department and the Transport Department. The Military Academy is placed under the General Staff. UNDER-SECRETARIAT FOR AVIATION. Until the Air Ministry is set up the Under-Secretariat for Aviation, consisting of the military, naval and civil air services, is placed under the control of the Ministry of the Interior. COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENCE. The task of the Council of National Defence is to study questions relating to the preparation of national defence, especially so far as it involves the co-operation of several Government departments. The members of the Council are the President of the Republic, the various departmental Ministers, the Inspector-General of the Army, the Chief of the Army General Staff, the Chief of the Naval General Staff. ORGANISATION AND COMPOSITION OF THE ARMY i. Higher units : 5 infantry divisions; i cavalry division. Each infantry division comprises 3 infantry regiments, i light artillery regiment and i light infantry battalion together with communications, train and motor units. The cavalry division is composed of 3 brigades of 3 regiments each. 2. Arms and services. Infantry: 15 infantry regiments; 3 battalions of mountain infantry belonging to the Andes detachment; 5 light infantry battalions. Each infantry regiment consists of 4 companies of fusiliers and 2 machine-gun companies, with the exception of 3 regiments belonging
6o CHILE to one of the 5 divisions and including 6 fusilier companies each. The mountain infantry battalions consist of 2 fusilier companies and i machine-gun company, except in the case of i battalion, which only includes 3 fusilier companies. The re-organisation of 3 Andes battalions in 3 regiments is being planned. The light infantry battalion consists of 2 light infantry companies and i communication company. Cavalry g9 cavalry regiments. The cavalry regiment consists of 3 squadrons of lancers and i machinegun squadron. Artillery : 5 light artillery regiments; 5 heavy artillery groups (not yet organised); 3 mountain artillery groups; 5 anti-aircraft batteries (not yet organised). The light artillery regiment consists of 4 batteries. The mountain artillery group consists of 2 batteries, with the exception of one group which contains 3 batteries. Aviation : I aviation regiment including : 2 observation flights; 2 fighter flights; 2 bombing flights. The army also includes railway troops (one sapper regiment), 5 train battalions, etc. SUMMARY TABLE OF UNITS. Regi- Battalions Squadments rons panies Higher units... 6 _ Infantry... 1I5 81 I 1092 - Cavalry.... 9-36 -_ Artillery : Light... - 5.-. 20 Mountain.-....- - 7 Anti-aircraft... 54 Heavy.... Aviation..-..... - Engineers (railway sappers).. i - -. Train... 5 Independent battalions. Including 26 machine-gun companies. Including 9 machine-gun squadrons. *Not yet organised. POLICE (CARABINEERS). The police force is under the control of the Ministry of the Interior. It consists of i6 regiments, g19 groups and iii squadrons, and is armed with machine-guns, carbines, revolvers, pistols, etc.
CHILE 6r RECRUITING SYSTEM AND PERIOD OF SERVICE Military service is compulsory. All citizens of both sexes, with the exception of the cases provided for by law, may be called up by the President of the Republic for employment in time of war in the various services required by the nation under arms. The liability to military service covers a period of 26 years (between the ages of ig and 45) - namely : Active army : i year; First reserve : 9 years commencing from the date of termination of service in the active army; Second reserve : Commencing from the date of termination of service in the first reserve, until the age of 45 years. In peace-time, reservists of the first reserve must undergo the following periods of training : Between the ages of 21 and 31 inclusive, two periods varying between I5 and 45 days; Between the ages of 32 and 40 inclusive, one period varying between 15 and 30 days; Between the ages of 41 and 45 inclusive, one period of not more than 15 days. If the number of effectives, which is fixed annually by law, is lower than the number of persons liable to service, lots are drawn. In 1928, 15,995 citizens of the 19o8 class were called up for military service. The number of citizens who have to be furnished by the conscription is fixed as follows : Infantry regiment : 422 (562 for each of the three regiments of the first division); Cavalry regiment : 301; Light artillery regiment : 281 ; Mountain artillery group : 138; Railway regiment : 222 Aviation regiment : I98. Supplementary Personnel. The supplementary personnel consists of all citizens, irrespective of sex, who, belonging to military formations and organisations in time of peace, form the mobilisable army. In peace-time the President of the Republic may call up specific categories of the supplementary personnel for military training. The supplementary personnel includes officers, non-commissioned officers and men and the personnel of both sexes without specific employment. The supplementary officers are divided into two categories: combatant reserve officers and reserve officers of the various services.
62 CHILE RECRUITING OF OFFICERS. The officers of the active army are entirely recruited from among the cadets of the Military School (I40 aspirants and go cadets in I93I). Reserve officers are recruited from among the candidates whose numbers are fixed each year by the President of the Republic. These candidates may be promoted, on passing an examination, up to the rank of captain of reserve. PREPARATORY MILITARY TRAINING The President of the Republic may authorise the Ministry of Education to organise courses of preparatory military training in public and private educational establishments. EFFECTIVES Army (I927) Officers... 1430 Troops : Permanent cadre... 7,950 Conscripts....... I3,000 Total... 22,380 Police (Chilean Carabineers) (I93) ' Carabineers: Officers.... 852 Men....... 14,731 Investigation service... 1,030 Identification service... 220 II. Navy. NUMBER OF UNITS AND TONNAGE (I930.) Tonnage i battleship... 28,000 i coast-defence battleship..... 6,902 i armoured cruiser... 8,500 3 light cruisers... 12,340 7 destroyers... Io,780 9 submarines... 6,804 Miscellaneous craft I... 2,500 Total... 75,826 The Chilian navy also includes 13 other miscellaneous craft (patrol boats, etc.). 'The battleship was completed in I9I5, while the coast-defence battleship was launched in I89o and reconstructed in I909. 1 Sloops, gunboats and despatch vessels.
CHILE 63 The light cruisers and the armoured cruiser were launched between 1893 and i897. The armoured cruiser was largely refitted in 1928-29. The construction of the destroyers was completed in I915-I6; in addition to the 7 destroyers in commission, there are 4 under construction or approaching completion. Of the 9 submarines, 6 were launched between I915 and I9I7 and 3 in i928-29. SUMMARY TABLE OF THE NAVY In thousands of tons I913......56.7 1919.... 48.1 1929................ 75.8 1930... 75.8 III. Budget Expenditure on National Defence. 1925 2926 I927 1928 1929 1930 Closed accounts Estimates Ordinary budget: Pesos (ooo,ooo's) Army... I26.8 128.9 122.5 115.1 I12.7 121.2 Navy. 82.0 98. 108.9 204.4 II4.9 II9.8 Total... 208.8 227.0 231.4 229.5 227.6 241.0 Index numbers of wholesale prices (1923 = lo6)... 1 9 1 I20 203 Not calculated prior to 2928. NOTES. - i. The above figures refer only to the appropriations under the ordinary budget. In 1925, there was a further grant to the army of 2.5 million pesos from a special fund. 2. In addition to the ordinary budget there are appropriations for the army and the navy covered by proceeds of loans under various special laws (extraordinary budget and other laws). The amounts expended under these laws during the individual years are not available. Their total, however, amounted to 384.4 million pesos from 1928 to August 31st, 2930. 3. The navy budget includes certain items of civil expenditure - lighthouses, harbour administration, etc. - which it has been impossible to separate. 4. Expenditure on aviation is included in the army budget. 5. While army expenditure includes some pension charges the greater part appears under the Ministry of Finance and amounts to over 30 million pesos annually.