| rdfs:comment | - The Mexican Armed Forces is composed of the Mexican Army and Air Force, and the Mexican Navy which is run by a separate Navy Secretariat the other two services are under the National Defense Secretariat. Their aim is like any other government's military, protect Mexico from both internal (drug cartels, the Zapatista uprising , and preventing illegal emigration, either inbound or outbound) and external threats (including Yanquis Con Tanques, not that their military would do any good should a war break out) and to aid the civilian population in natural disasters or outbreaks, just as in the 1985 earthquake, the 1996 Hurricane season, and the recent Swine Flu outbreak.
|
| abstract | - The Mexican Armed Forces is composed of the Mexican Army and Air Force, and the Mexican Navy which is run by a separate Navy Secretariat the other two services are under the National Defense Secretariat. Their aim is like any other government's military, protect Mexico from both internal (drug cartels, the Zapatista uprising , and preventing illegal emigration, either inbound or outbound) and external threats (including Yanquis Con Tanques, not that their military would do any good should a war break out) and to aid the civilian population in natural disasters or outbreaks, just as in the 1985 earthquake, the 1996 Hurricane season, and the recent Swine Flu outbreak. Mexico uses both conscripts and volunteer. The conscription process consists on a yearly lottery done each September, where those who are 18 years old must present themselves to see if they will get the "Bola Negra (Black ball, exempts the service)" or the "Bola Blanca (White ball, must do the service)", and in the case of those living where there's a Mexican Navy base can Take a Third Option and serve in the Navy with a "Bola Azul"; However, it is possible to join before or after that age: Those who are older than the norm (called "Remisos") are forced to do service, and must pay a fine, and those who are of 16 to a day before the 18th birthday can volunteer for service with the authorization of his parents. The issued ID, called "Cartilla Militar" entitles its bearer that he's in the Military (or has finished it), and until recently it was one of the official identifications that prove the bearer is 18 or more years old (along with a driver's license, the birth certificate, or the voting carnet). The Mexican military is popular with the poor and middle class as it provides them with free or cheap food and housing and the means to climb the social ladder. Aside from that, one can join any of the Military Colleges (Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical, and Engineering), provided they get past the selection process, which is Harder Than Hard (it involves psychological, theorical, medical and physical exams), compared even to those of public schools (which is already considered hard in Mexico; take in account, however, that the process is so because public colleges in Mexico provide excellent professional preparation and are really cheap too, thus, they are always in high demand), and the curriculum is the closest thing it can get to The Spartan Way due to it being obscenely hard, and because only a handful are picked for graduation, regardless of grades. The Mexican military used to be a primary force in Mexican politics, but years after the Mexican Revolution of 1917 limited its power. It is starting to have a limited and back-door comeback in politics in the 1990s due to the Zapatista revolt and the war against the drug cartels. Due to widespread police corruption and drug cartel military power, the Mexican Army has recently been assigned to patrol duties in dangerous areas, mainly the cities bordering the USA in anti-drug actions but some big towns like Monterrey and Guadalajara are nowadays getting acostumed to soldiers patroling the area on a daily basis. Reactions to this are very divisive, as some people are downright thankful for having the military helping (it is important to say that unlike the police the soldiers maintain a lot of credibility) while others feel they just cause more conflicts. The cartels are known to recruit young people from the lower classes, so recent years have seen a resurge un publicity efforts to make the military look attractive to new generations. Only time will tell if it's working.
|
