Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Haiti: National Security
During the occupation, the United States Marines disbanded
Haiti's army, which consisted of an estimated 9,000
men, including 308 generals. In February 1916, the Haitian
Constabulary (Gendarmerie d'Haiti) was formed. United
States Marine Corps and United States Navy officers and noncommissioned
officers (NCOs) commanded the group. The
gendarmerie attempted to assure public safety, initially by subduing
the cacos; to promote development, particularly road
construction; and to modernize the military through the introduction
of a training structure, a health service, and other
improvements. The gendarmerie became the Garde d'Haiti in
1928; the Garde formed the core of Haiti's armed forces after
the United States administration ended in 1934.
The United States had sought to introduce a modern, apolitical
military establishment in Haiti. On the surface, it succeeded;
the organization, training, and equipment of the
Garde all represented improvements over the military conditions
existing before the occupation. What the United States
did not (and probably could not) reform was the basic authoritarian
inclination of Haitian society, an inclination antithetical
to the goal of military depoliticization.
Some professionalization of the army continued for a few
years after the United States occupation; however, Haiti's political
structure deteriorated rapidly after 1934, weakening civilmilitary
relations and ultimately affecting the character of the
armed forces. After the coup that ended the populist government
of Dumarsais Estime and led to Colonel Paul E.
Magloire's election to the presidency in 1950, the army
resumed a political role. This development divided the army
internally and set the stage for Francois Duvalier's ascent to
power in late 1957 (see Francois Duvalier, 1957-71, ch. 6).
The Duvalier Era, 1957-86
When Francois Duvalier came to power in 1957, the armed
forces were at their lowest point professionally since 1915.
Duvalier's establishment of a parallel security apparatus posed
the most serious challenge to the crumbling integrity of the
armed forces. In 1959 the regime began recruiting a civilian
militia (Milice Civile) drawn initially from the capital city's
slums and equipped with antiquated small arms found in the
basement of the Presidential Palace. The militia became the
Volunteers for National Security (Volontaires de la Securite
Nationale—VSN) after 1962. Its control extended into the
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