The President of the Republic is commander in chief. The Minister of Defense is responsible for policy. Day-to-day operations are the responsibility of the military chief of staff and the national defense staff. The total active manpower is around 18,000 military personnel. There is also a Para-military force with 9,500 national police. The Land forces of the Guatemalan armed forces are around 15,500 soldiers with the structure:
- 5 infantry brigades, 1 Special Forces Command, 1 military police brigade, 1 Presidential Honour Guard, 9 infantry battalions, 1 mechanised cavalry squadron, 1 artillery brigade, 6 armoured recce squadron, 1 Presidential Guard battalion, 1 special forces group ( 2 parachute / commando battalions, 1 engineer battalion.