Fuerzas de Apoyo Federal
Federal Support Forces
Corps of Federal Support Forces
Cuerpo de Fuerzas de Apoyo Federal (CFAF)
Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales de Apoyo Federal
Corps of Special Forces for Federal Support
The Corps of Federal Support Forces (CFAF - Cuerpo de Fuerzas de Apoyo Federal), created by President Felipe Calderon at the beginning of his administration directly to combat organized crime, seemed to have ceased operation on December 1, 2007, just seven months after been created. The Sedena planned since its inception that the CFAF could begin operating by the end of 2007, with a base budget of one thousand 600 million pesos, an amount that was never authorized in the Congress the budget of the agency in 2008, which was 34 billion pesos.
By March 2008 the President reported that Federal Support Forces were "currently operating" in areas of high incidence of narcotics, mainly in the States of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, Jalisco and Nayarit, including the mountainous region of Sinaloa, Durango and Chihuahua. SEDENA [the Defence Department] believes that based on experience, it can reduce specified periods of high production in certain regions. In 2007, the region of Michoacán, had their first cycle of high production in the months January and February, the second in April and May, the third in July and August and the fourth cycle in October and November, the rest of the year is considered low production cycle.
On March 7, 2007 the President of the Republic announced the launch of a new security agenda, through the Comprehensive Strategy on Crime Prevention and Combating Crime [Estrategia Integral de Prevención del Delito y and Combate a la Delincuencia], involving the national security cabinet and the Attorney General of the Republic. The Secretary of National Defense in appearance before the Defence Committee of the National Chamber of Deputies, 26 April 2007, said that on instructions from the President of the Republic, the Ministry of Defensa Nacional developed combat tasks drug trafficking and organized crime effort participating together in a coordinated manner with the Secretary of the Navy, the Attorney General of the Republic and the Ministry of Federal Public Safety [Seguridad Pública Federal]. The Ministry of National Defense established the "Special Corps of Federal Support Forces" ["Cuerpo Especial de Fuerzas de Apoyo Federal" ] to meet those objectives. The Special Corps of Federal Support Forces is composed of command and control elements, and groupings of ground combat troops, amphibious and air.
On 9 May, the federal executive decreed the creation of the Special Corps of the Army and Air Force [Cuerpo Especial del Ejército y Fuerza Aérea], called the Corps of Federal Support Forces [Cuerpo de Fuerzas de Apoyo Federal]. This was an elite corps, under the direct orders of the president of the republic, whose purpose was essentially, "the management of critical situations of disturbance or disruption of social peace and public safety", for which its elements would receive training and specialized training. This decree was issued without the consent of Congress, exercising the powers granted to President of the Republic by the Constitution Article 89, Section VI 2, as stated in the body of said decree. The constitutional argument advanced by the head of the Federal Public Administration, Felipe Calderón, is reinforced by virtue of the powers as Supreme Commander of the Army and Air Force give the Organic Law 3 of these institutions, which are not regulations directly from the Constitution, which also seems to refer to a law regulating national security that does not exist (Article 89-IV).
The Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Revolution Party in the House of Representatives drafted a constitutional controversy to fight these "incredibly authoritarian" acts. It stated that "The authoritarian establishment of this body, framed in an area contaminated by domestic political warmonger orientation generated in the National Action Party, is an imminent threat to the forces driving the construction of a social and democratic state of law and to all organizations seeking influence national political life. This imposition violates our constitutional framework... "
The intent of Felipe Calderon to create the body of Federal Support Forces for operations of public safety and national security was held up in early 2008 for lack of economic resources. However, the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA) advanced in shaping what Calderón and the head of the agency, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Galván Galván, conceived as a special force to "restore public order, social peace and the rule of law." Even in military circles there is already talk of who will head the body: Maj. Gen. Jose de Jesus Humberto Rodríguez Martínez, Gustavo Diaz Ordaz whom he described as "war hero" in the events of October 2, 1968. Rodríguez Martinez was promoted last November by Felipe Calderón to the fullest extent of the Army.
Created by presidential decree on May 4, 2007, the new special corps of the Army and Air Force was due to start formal operations with its own budget, one thousand 600 million pesos. But the resources were not included in the expense budget 2008, for Sedena allocated 34 thousand 861 million pesos. Likewise, the Calderón government has another problem: the money to pay this year the compensation promised to the troops, and was announced what amount on Tuesday, 19, Army Day, as it did a year ago.
On May 9, 2007 the "Decreto por el que se crea el Cuerpo Federation denominado Cuerpo Especial del Ejército y Fuerza Aérea de Fuerzas de Apoyo Federal" the "Decree for the establishment of the Body Army Special Corps and Air Force called Federal Support Forces" was published in the Official Journal de la Federación. Subsequently, on September 17, 2007 was published in the Journal the "Decree reform of the diverse which creates the Special Corps Army and Air Force, called Federal Support Corps ["Decreto por el que se reforma el diverso que crea el Cuerpo Especial del Ejército y Fuerza Aérea, denominado Cuerpo de Fuerzas Forces de Apoyo Federal].
This special body was created on the basis of the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court's Office, which determined that the armed forces can act in support of civil authorities to restore law and order, to confront and combat organized crime acts against the safety of the nation. It depends technically, operationally and administratively to the Ministry of National Defense. This means they can act in the battle against drugs and social conflicts that are overflowing.
The creation of the special corps of the armed forces is to "address the emergence of phenomena and states of emergency that endanger the nation's internal security, public order, integrity and life of citizens or the stability of anywhere in the country. " This group will provide support to civil authorities at all levels of government, restore jobs and public safety order, in combating organized crime and against acts violating the security of the nation. It specifies that "in no case be replaced in the duties legally incumbent upon the authorities supported." It also provides that the Corps of Federal Support Forces will be integrated with units organized, equipped and trained, which will be constituted by command, control and the number of units determined by the Secretary of National Defense.
The Corps of Federal Support for Special Forces [El Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales de Apoyo Federal] faced another hurdle in the House of Representatives: Reform of the Organic Law of the Army and Air Force, which should be formally established this new body. This body will have to go through the approval of Congress to by law is part of the Army. So far, the Defense Committee of Chamber of Deputies has not discussed any proposal for reform in this regard. In accordance with Article 103 of the Organic Act, currently the Army special forces and air force are four: Presidential Guards, Aerotropas, Military Police and Military Music.
Calderon based the decree creating the force not only in presidential powers, but in Article 14, Section IX of the Basic Law, which states that as Supreme Commander of the Army, President of the Republic may authorize the creation of new military units, weapons and services and special forces. According to the times given in the Executive Decree of federal, originally signed only by Calderon and General Galván, from August 2007 Sedena was to provide this new force human resources, materials and budget to meet your restore jobs order and public security in the Cambat organized crime or against acts violating the security of the nation. It also had to start giving training "specialized in handling critical situations of disturbance or disruption of social peace and public safety."
On the location of the general comadancia Corps of Federal Support Forces, that might be found in the First Military Region, which covers the Federal District and Morelos, Estado de Mexico and Hidalgo. In particular, he says, could be highlighted in the Campo Militar No. 37, San Miguel de los Jagueyes, State of Mexico, or in the Military Camp Number 1 in Mexico City, from any of those places is easier who are under the orders of the President and the High Command of the Army, which rests on the general Galvan accurate.
Jose Alfonso Suarez del Real, PRD deputy her federal district and member of the Defense suited commissions, said that in that instance it was not discussing a specific budget for Federal Support Forces, but both her party opposed the PRI to give money. The Army needed more resources for the Plan DN II relief to the civilian population.
In his first decree Caldron said it would be "under the orders of President of the Republic" and intervene "on instructions" just to support civil authorities caulquier government. The new decree eliminated that discretion and determined that its intervention will have to obey the "exceptional circumstances." But he made the decision to his performance not only in the Sedena, but in the secretariats of the Interior and Public Security. Although Sedena failed to provide a special budget for Federal Support Forces, which itself was discussed in the Defence Committee was an extension of the budget for the Armed Forces - Air Force and Navy - to 7 thousand 54 million pesos monthly compensation to the troops as part of Calderon promised stimuli.
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