THE MILITARY:
The Army: At the time of the January 1992 cease-fire, the Croatian Army (HV) was comprised of around 100 brigades and 200,000 personnel. The force has been progressively demobilized, and a more modern force, organized along Western lines, is coming into being. At the end of 1995, it consisted of 70,000 men, including both professional and conscript brigades. This force could be expanded from a pool of around 150,000 reservists. Local area defense falls on a home defense force now being reduced from its mid-1995 level of some 70,000 men. This force has been assigned to man and patrol the border with Serb-occupied areas of Croatia.
Some seven of the regular brigades are designated National Guards. Each has consisted of 2,000 to 3,000 troops and has the best of available heavy equipment in the HV inventory. Each brigade has the highest degree of mobility, and each was reportedly key to the successful 1995 offensives against the Croatian Serbs.
The Croatian inventory includes about 300 tanks, 200 other armored vehicles, and 1,100 artillery pieces. An uncertain amount of additional equipment was captured from RSK forces, especially in August 1995 when the Croatian army overran a number of units of the RSK army.
The Air Force: The Croatian Air Force was founded soon after independence. The number of aircraft is limited. Types include MiG-21 MF and MiG-21 bis fighters, Antonov AN-2 biplanes (used for paratroop training and MEDEVAC), UTVA-75 light planes, and MIL Mi-8 helicopters.
The Navy: The bulk of the former Yugoslav Navy was officered by Croats and most remained in Croatian service after independence. The training schools of the former JMV have been taken over by the Croatian Navy, by far the most professional and potent of the former Yugoslav navies to emerge. The navy consists of many fast attack craft, Corvette class ships, landing ships, and mini-submarines.
Police and Paramilitary: Some 40,000 armed police units form the nucleus that will eventually be a 150,000-strong Croat Army. It still has war duty units that are organic to army brigades and are involved in operations. The police also include anti-terrorist units and a presidential guard. A black-shirted maverick paramilitary unit of some hundreds of men was organized in 1990-1991 by Dobroslav Paraga of the extreme right-wing Croatian Party of the Right. The unit is reportedly dissolved.
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