The
Armed Forces of Uruguay (
Fuerzas armadas del Uruguay or
FF.AA. del Uruguay) consist of an army, navy, and air force. These three branches are
constitutionally subordinate to the
president through the Minister of Defense. By offering early retirement incentives, the government has trimmed the armed forces to about 16.800 for the army; 6.000 for the navy; and 3.000 for the air force. As of February 2003, Uruguay has more than 2.500 soldiers deployed on 12
UN Peacekeeping missions. The largest groups are in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and
Haiti. There is also an 85-man contingent in the
MFO in the
Sinai.