In January 1978 National Guard overall strength peaked at about 25,000 officers and enlisted men under the direct personal command of their Chief Director and President of Nicaragua Major general Anastasio Somoza Debayle ( a.k.a. ' Tachito ' ) . Often described as something closer to a corps of feudal retainers ( or an occupation force ) than to a modern national army , the GN was primarily organized for internal security and Counter-insurgency ( COIN ) operations rather than national defense , with most infantry units being assigned static garrison duties , and consequently its conventional military value was very low . Out of this total some 10,000 – 12,500 served in the ground forces proper , organized into one Presidential Guard battalion , one armoured battalion , one mechanized infantry battalion , one mechanized company , one engineer battalion , one Military Police battalion , one field artillery battery and one anti-aircraft battery , plus sixteen security companies . All the aforementioned units were deployed in traditional Spanish colonial fashion in fortress-like '' cuarteles '' ( barracks-cum-garrisons ) at the main cities , including the national capital Managua . The Headquarters of the GN 's General Staff was placed at the heart of the government quarter of Tiscapa Hill near downtown Managua , allocated in an underground bunker-style complex built after the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake ; the quarter 's adjacent facilities also housed the main offices ' of the Guardia 's own administration , signals , engineering , medical , logistics and military justice support services , and the main military schools
1972 Nicaragua earthquake
1972 Nicaragua earthquake
National Guard (Nicaragua)