| Colombian National Army Ejército Nacional de Colombia |
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|---|---|
Colombian Army Emblem |
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| Active | August 19, 1819 - Present |
| Country | Colombia |
| Role | Foreign and Domestic Defense |
| Size | 235,538 (2009)[1] |
| Garrison/HQ | Colombian Ministry of Defense |
| Colors | Red with Army Crest |
| March | "Himno del Ejército" |
| Anniversaries | August 7 |
| Engagements | Independence War against Spain, Thousand Days War (Civil war), War Against Peru, Korean War, Colombian Armed Conflict |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Gen. Oscar González |
| Notable commanders |
Simon Bolivar, Francisco de Paula Santander, Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, Harold Bedoya Pizarro, Manuel José Bonett Rafael Reyes Prieto |
The National Army of Colombia (Spanish: Ejército Nacional de Colombia) is the land military force of the government of Colombia and the largest service of the Colombian Armed Forces. It has the responsibility for land-based military operations along with the Infanteria de Marina (Naval Infantry) to protect the Colombian state against domestic or foreign threats.
The modern Colombian Army has its roots in the Ejército de los Comuneros or Army of the Commoners which was formed on August 7, 1819, before the establishment of the present day Colombia to meet the demands of the Revolutionary War against the Spanish Empire.
That same day, the Congress of Angostura created the Greater Colombian Army after the triumph over the Spanish, to replace the disbanded Commoners Army. However, the Colombian Army considers itself to be an evolution of the Commoners Army, and thus dates its inception from its origins.
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The Colombian Army trace its history back to the 1770s and 1780s, when the comuneros (Commoners) (mostly descendants of Spanish and Amerindians) decided to separate from the Spanish Empire to create their own country and initiated a revolutionary war. The Greater Colombian Army is consolidated on August 7, 1819 by defeating the Spaniards at Boyacá in the Battle of Boyacá under the command of Simon Bolivar. Since then the Colombian Army has been the biggest organization in Colombia.
The military reform carried out by General Rafael Reyes Prieto in the year 1907 marked the professionalization of the Colombian Armed Forces.
The Colombian Army is present at war with leftist rebels of the FARC, ELN and EPL, as well as other minor groups. Throughout the war, military personnel have usually maintained a level of professionalism.
Members of the military have been accused or condemned for collaborating with the activities of right wing paramilitaries, such as the AUC and others. The BBC and other sources have reported on cases of corruption in the military, as well as other scandals.
The United States government approved the Plan Colombia initiative. Part of the resources provided by this initiative would be directed to the support of the Colombian Army by strengthening its combat and logistics capabilities.
The Colombian Army is led by the President of Colombia (a civilian) and directed as well by a (four suns) General.
The training of Colombian soldiers is world recognized due to its demanding features. The promotion courses (courses that the candidate has to take in order to be promoted to a higher rank) are usually tough and physically demanding.
A "Lancero" training course in counterinsurgency warfare is held in Tolemaida, 150 miles (240 km) from Bogotá, where temperatures range between 85 and 100 degrees F. (29.5-38 degrees C.) throughout the year. The course, which has been called the toughest in the world, is run by the Colombian army with U.S. military instructors also playing a role. According to Paris Match (no. 2964, March 9–15, 2006) the course lasts 73 days and trains Bolivian, Ecuadorean, and Panamanian troops as well as Colombian soldiers; some French and American soldiers are also trained there.[1] The course, founded in 1955, derives from the Ranger program of the US Army. Reportedly, severe techniques and live ammunition are used. Because of its exceptional nature, the course has gained international prestige.
The Colombian National Army deploys soldiers in the Sinai since the United Nations Emergency Force was assembled in 1956 [2]. It has also joined forces many times with different armies around the world under the UN mandate.
Colombia is also planning to send around 100 troops to support Spain in the ISAF in Afghanistan.(The troops would also be under Spain's command.)
Colombian Army Divisions are static Regional Commands
The Colombian Army has created new programs in order to fight terrorist guerrillas that during the last 40 years have fought a war to overthrow the Colombian government. They are highly trained, specially selected Colombian Army soldiers. They do special recon operations to find and expel Colombian terrorists hideouts.
The Agrupación de Fuerzas Especiales Antiterroristas Urbanas (Urban Counter-Terrorism Special Forces Group, AFEUR) is an elite unit of the Colombian Army, whose primary mission is to perform counter-terrorist operations and hostage rescues based on stealth, surprise and team work.
VIP protection is another task of the unit. For example, they protect the Colombian President when he travels, and provided protection for President Bill Clinton's (Army group) and President George W. Bush's visits to Cartagena, in 2000 and 2004 respectively. They also provided the second security ring to Bush's visit to Bogotá in 2007.
This unit answers directly to the Commando General de las Fuerzas Armadas (Armed Forces Joint Staff), and they are allowed to use any military air transportation to guarantee mobility, and to use any weapon or additional equipment as required to accomplish their missions.
AFEUR won the "Fuerzas Comando 2005" (Commando Forces 2005) contest, that took place in Chile in June 2005 lasting two weeks.
This yearly contest sponsored by the US South Command and the US Special Operations Command with similar teams from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, U.S., Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Peru and Uruguay.
AFEUR also won the 2006 and 2007 versions of this contest.
GAULA is an acronym for Grupos de Acción Unificada por la Libertad Personal, i.e. Unified Action Groups for Personal Liberty, specialising in solving hostage-taking. These are elite units established in 1996 exclusively dedicated to the combating of kidnapping and extortion. They are composed of highly qualified personnel who conduct hostage rescues and dismantling of criminal gangs at the root of crimes which compromise the personal freedom of Colombians. There is an inter-institutional element in GAULA guaranteeing self-checking procedures, trained by staff of the Administrative Security Department, the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) of the Criminal Investigation Bureau ( Fiscalía) and military forces. Currently, the country has 16 GAULA of the Colombian National Army and 2 of the Navy.
| Vehicle/System | Firm Number in Service | Status | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeled Armoured Vehicles | |||
| EE-9 Cascavel | 174 | In Service | Brazil |
| Infantry Transport Vehicles | |||
| Humvee | +400 | In Service | United States |
| M-1117 | 39 | Entry into service: 2010 | United States |
| M-113 | 120 | In Service | United States |
| EE-11 Urutu | 100 | In Service | Brazil |
| RG-31 Nyala | 4 | In Service | South Africa |
| M8 Greyhound | 8 | In Service | United States |
| AIL Abir | In Service | Israel | |
| Transport Vehicles | |||
| M35 2-1/2 ton cargo truck | In Service | United States | |
| M3 Half-track | In Service | United States | |
| AIL Abir | In Service | Israel | |
| Willys MB | In Service | United States | |
| Kaiser Jeep M715 | In Service | United States | |
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Version(s) | In service[3] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulfstream Turbo Commander | United States | Transport | Commander 1000 | 1 | |
| Beechcraft King Air | United States | Transport | Model 90 | 1 | |
| UH-1 Iroquois | United States | Utility helicopter | UH-1H | 31 | |
| UH-1N Twin Huey | United States | Transport helicopter | 27 | Bell Huey II | |
| Convair 580 | United States | Airliner | 1 | ||
| Kaman K-MAX | United States | Transport helicopter | 5 | ||
| Mil Mi-17 | Russia | Transport helicopter | 23[4] | ||
| Cessna 208 Caravan | United States | Utility | |||
| Piper PA-31 Navajo | United States | Utility | 2 | ||
| Aero Commander 500 | United States | Utility | Rockwell 685 Commander | 2 | |
| CASA C-212 Aviocar | Spain | Transport | 5 | ||
| Piper PA-34 Seneca | United States | Utility | 5 | ||
| Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk | United States | Transport/ Combat helicopter | UH-60L | 50 | Including the 15 from Plan Colombia |
Since 2006 the National Army of Colombia changed its uniform type forest (woodland) by a modern design featuring a new digital camouflage pattern is called a pixel.
There are 2 types of camouflage, camouflage jungle that is used by most of the army and the desert camouflage that is used by troops in the department of La Guajira and the Colombia Battalion in the Sinai peninsula in the International Watching Forces.
The changes provide greater comfort to the troops, while the material used allows even application of repellents to prevent in some cases avoid mosquito bites and a high percentage of the concentration of bacteria and odors.
The design of camouflage texture, color and design is unique to the Colombian army and national manufacturing is only Colombia's military forces can use it.
The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Army personnel. [5][6]
| Ranks and Insignias - Colombian National Army | |||||||||||||
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Officers |
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| NATO code [n 1] | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | |||
| Colombia | No equivalent | ||||||||||||
| (Spanish) | - | General | Teniente General | Mayor General | Brigadier General | Coronel | Teniente Coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente | Subteniente | ||
| Abbr. | - | GR | TG | MG | BG | CR | TC | MY | CT | TE | ST | ||
| (English) | - | General | Lieutenant General | Major General | Brigadier General | Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Major | Captain | Lieutenant | Second Lieutenant | ||
Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and Soldiers |
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| NATO code [n 1] | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | ||||
| Colombia | No Insignia | ||||||||||||
| (Spanish) | Sargento Mayor de Comando Conjunto | Sargento Mayor de Comando | Sargento Mayor | Sargento Primero | Sargento Vice Primero | Sargento Segundo | Cabo Primero | Cabo Segundo | Cabo Tercero | Dragoneante | Soldado Profesional | Soldado | |
| Abbr. | SMCC | SMC | SM | SP | SV | SS | CP | CS | C3 | - | - | - | |
| (English) | Joint Command Sergeant Major | Command Sergeant Major | Sergeant Major | First Sergeant | Sergeant First Class | Second Sergeant | First Corporal | Second Corporal | Third Corporal | Private First Class | Private (Professional) | Private Basic | |
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