Country ORBAT

El Salvador

22 platform lines · 16 mapped sites · 14 deployable units

Personnel & posture

Active personnel: 25k
Reserve / mobilization pool: 150k
Mobilization window: ~7 days to full field army
Alliance: US security partner
GDP (est.): $34B

Order of battle

Armed Forces of El Salvador
- Active personnel25,000
  Expanded under Bukele
- CUSCATLAN special forces1,000 – 2,000
  Elite commando
- Territorial Control battalions10 – 15
  Gang crackdown
- Territorial Control battalions10 – 15
  Gang crackdown
- CUSCATLAN special forces1,000 – 2,000
  Elite CT
Salvadoran Air Force
- Bell 412 / UH-1H20 – 30
  Urban patrol
- Cessna A-375 – 8
  Light attack
Salvadoran Navy
- Patrol boats10 – 15
  Gulf of Fonseca
MS-13
- Gang members (pre-crackdown)30,000 – 70,000
  Largest street gang
- Rival gang10,000 – 20,000
  Territorial rival
- Gang members30,000 – 70,000
  Pre-crackdown estimate
Army
- UR-416 / armored trucks50 – 100
  Urban security
US
- Security assistance100 – 300
  Training and equipment
CECOT Tecoluca
- Mega-prison capacity40,000
  Largest prison in Americas
- Mariona / Izalco complexes3 – 5
  Legacy max-security
- La Esperanza / regional prisons8 – 12
  Distributed detention
- Total detained population70,000 – 90,000
  Post-crackdown estimate
- US deportee wing (third-country)5,000 – 15,000
  Bilateral removal agreement
- Prison guard personnel8,000 – 12,000
  Penitentiary administration
- CECOT Tecoluca capacity40,000
  Mega-prison campus
- US deportee wing5,000 – 15,000
  Third-country agreement
- Prison guard corps8,000 – 12,000
  Penitentiary administration

Bases & infrastructure (16)

Ministry of Defence San Salvador
hub
Armed Forces of El Salvador HQ.
command
Ilopango Air Base
airport
Air force operations.
air
La Unión port
port
Gulf of Fonseca naval access.
naval
CECOMIL special forces base
military base
Special operations command.
army
Apopa gang containment sector
military base
Territorial Control Plan zone.
army
Santa Ana western border
military base
Guatemala frontier.
army
San Miguel eastern corridor
military base
Honduras border.
army
CECOTAL training center
military base
Army training complex.
army
US security cooperation office
hub
Bilateral assistance.
command
Acajutla Pacific port
port
Commercial and naval pier.
trade
DGCP penitentiary coordination
hub
General Directorate of Penitentiaries.
command
Soyapango gang sector
military base
Largest TCP deployment zone.
army
Usulután eastern garrison
military base
Pacific corridor security.
army
Puerto de Cutuco
port
Gulf of Fonseca commercial pier.
trade
Chalatenango northern border
military base
Honduras frontier.
army
Soyapango gang sector
military base
MS-13 vs Barrio 18 turf war.
army

Deployable units (14)

CUSCATLAN special forces battalionarmy · Elite CT unit
Bell 412 helicopter squadronair · Urban patrol lift
Territorial Control Plan battalionarmy · Mass gang roundup ops
Naval special forcesnavy · Gulf of Fonseca patrol
MS-13 dismantling cellarmy · State of exception enforcement
US training liaisonfacility · Security assistance
UR-416 armored columnarmor · Urban security vehicles
Soyapango containment battalionarmy · Mass roundup operations
CECOT security battalionarmy · Mega-prison guard force
DGCP prison guard corpsarmy · National penitentiary system
CECOT anti-riot battalionarmy · Internal prison security
US deportee processing unitfacility · Third-country agreement intake
National Civil Police PNCarmy · TCP street enforcement
Mariona prison guard detachmentarmy · Legacy max-security wing

Theater glossary

Bukele: President Nayib Bukele — state of exception and gang crackdown.
Territorial Control Plan: Mass security deployment — gang dismantling since 2022.
MS-13: Mara Salvatrucha — primary gang target of state crackdown.
CUSCATLAN: Elite special forces battalion — CT and hostage rescue.
CECOT: Terrorism Confinement Center — mega-prison for gang members.
Northern Triangle: El Salvador node — migration and gang transit.
Soyapango: Dense San Salvador suburb — primary TCP deployment zone.
State of exception: Emergency powers — suspended civil liberties since 2022.
Gulf of Fonseca: Shared bay with Honduras and Nicaragua — naval patrol.
Bitcoin City: Bukele development project — geopolitical branding.
Regime of exception: Extended emergency powers — military-led public security.
DGCP: General Directorate of Penitentiaries — national prison administration.
Tecoluca: CECOT site in La Paz department — mega-prison campus.
Third-country agreement: US pays El Salvador to detain deportees outside US soil.
Mariona: Historic San Salvador prison — gang leadership transfers.
PNC: Policía Nacional Civil — street enforcement under TCP.
Chokepoint: Narrow sea or land passage where trade or military traffic can be blocked.
Rare earth: Elements used in magnets, motors, and precision weapons — China dominates refining.
SPR: Strategic Petroleum Reserve — emergency crude stockpile.
TSMC: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing — advanced logic fab cluster.
Hormuz: Strait of Hormuz — ~20% of global oil transits.
Malacca: Strait of Malacca — busiest shipping lane between Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Suwałki corridor: Poland–Lithuania land bridge — NATO logistics vulnerability.
Cobalt belt: DRC–Zambia mining corridor — battery supply chain.
Lithium triangle: Chile–Argentina–Bolivia brine deposits — EV battery input.
Grain corridor: Black Sea / Danube export routes — global food security.
Red Sea corridor: Bab el-Mandeb through Suez — Houthi interdiction risk.
Taiwan Strait lane: Kaohsiung–Busan chip & container sea lane under blockade exercise.
Black Sea grain lane: Odesa/Danube export routes under missile and mine threat.
Horn access lane: Djibouti–Massawa–Assab Red Sea port competition axis.