| Military Forces of Colombia Fuerzas Militares de Colombia |
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The tri-service badge of the colombian armed forces. |
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| Founded | 7 August 1819 |
| Service branches | Army |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Juan Manuel Santos |
| Minister of Defense | Juan Carlos Pinzón |
| General Commander | General Alejandro Navas Ramos |
The Military ranks of the Colombian armed forces consist of the list and ordering of the different military ranks, for the Officers, Non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and soldiers, seamen and airmen ("other ranks") of the Military Forces of Colombia. The ranks are visually represented by insignias placed on the uniforms, usually at the shoulders, sleeves and shirt collars.
Note that a literal translation from spanish to english may be misleading as the rank names don't necessarily follow the customary order used in anglophone military ranks in all cases.
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The professional ranking of the Military Forces of Colombia is founded on the article 217 of the Political Constitution of Colombia [1], regimented through multiple Laws and Decrees, starting with the Decree #1790 from 2000 [2], up to the latest and most updated one, Law #1405 of 2010 [3].
According to the former, the rankings of the military officers were slightly modified: It adds the ranks of "Lieutenant General" (Spanish: Teniente General) for the Army and the National Police, "Air Lieutenant General" (Spanish: Teniente General del Aire) for the Air Force, and "Squadron Admiral" ( Spanish: Almirante de Escuadra) for the Navy. These ranks are identified by 3 (three) stars or suns according to the service branch. This change was instituted in order to more accurately reflect international standards in the command structure used by other armed forces. The maximum rank formally achievable by an officer of the armed forces is that of General or Admiral of 4 (four) stars or suns, according to the service branch.
In terms of protocol, the established order for the forces is Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, as established by the Military Rules of Protocol (Reglamento de Protocolo Militar FFMM) [4]
The Colombian Army is the largest of the three service branches of the Military Forces of Colombia, tasked with defending sovereignity and law and order across the national territory. The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Army personnel. [5][6]
| Ranks and Insignias - Colombian National Army | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | |
The Colombian Navy (Armada de la República de Colombia (Spanish)) is the maritime service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia, responsible for security and defense in both the Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific seas of Colombia, the extensive network of rivers inside the country, and a few small land areas under its direct jurisdiction. The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Navy personnel. [7] [5]
| Ranks and Insignias - Colombian Navy | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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) | - | Almirante | Almirante de Escuadra | Vicealmirante | Contralmirante | Capitán de Navío | Capitán de Fragata | Capitán de Corbeta | Teniente de Navío | Teniente de Fragata | Teniente de Corbeta | |
| Abbr. | - | ALM | ALME | VALM | CALM | CN | CF | CC | TN | TF | TK | |
| (English) | - | Admiral | Squadron Admiral | Vice Admiral | Rear Admiral, Counter Admiral |
Ship-of-the-line Captain | Frigate Captain | Corvette Captain | Ship-of-the-line Lieutenant | Frigate Lieutenant | Corvette Lieutenant | |
Rates of Non-Commissioned Officers and Seamen |
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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 equivalent | |||||||||||
| (Spanish) | Suboficial Jefe Técnico de Comando Conjunto | Suboficial Jefe Técnico de Comando | Suboficial Jefe Técnico | Suboficial Jefe | Suboficial Primero | Suboficial Segundo | Suboficial Tercero | Marinero Primero | Marinero Segundo | - | ||
| Abbr. | SJTCC | SJTC | SJT | SJ | S1 | S2 | S3 | MA1 | MA2 | - | ||
| (English) | Joint Command Chief Technical Petty Officer | Command Chief Technical Petty Officer | Chief Technical Petty Officer | Chief Petty Officer | Petty Officer First Class | Petty Officer Second Class | Petty Officer Third Class | Seaman | Seaman Recruit | - | ||
In Colombia, the Marine Infantry is a Corps depending on the Colombian Navy and not a full service branch on its own. Being tasked with amphibious and riverine and littoral operations, the MI presents a somewhat odd combination of ranking names derived from the Army, combined with naval insignias. The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Marine Infantry personnel.[5]
| Ranks and Insignias - Colombian Marine Infantry | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 | 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 | Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Major | Captain | Lieutenant | Sublieutenant | |
Non-Commissioned Officers and Infantrymen |
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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 | Infante Regular | ||
| Abbr. | SMCCCIM | SMCCIM | SMCIM | SPCIM | SVCIM | SSCIM | CPCIM | CSCIM | C3CIM | - | ||
| (English) | Joint Command Sergeant Major | Command Sergeant Major | Sergeant Major | First Sergeant | Sergeant First Class | Second Sergeant | First Corporal | Second Corporal | Lance Corporal | Private, Marine | ||
The Colombian Air Force is the service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia tasked with the protection and defense of the colombian sovereign airspace. The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Air Force personnel.[5]
| Ranks and Insignias - Colombian Air Force | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 del Aire | Teniente General del Aire | Mayor General del Aire | Brigadier General del Aire | Coronel | Teniente Coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente | Subteniente | |
| Abbr. | - | GR | TG | MG | BG | CR | TC | MY | CT | TE | ST | |
| (English) | - | General of the Air | Lieutenant General of the Air | Major General of the Air | Brigadier General of the Air | Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Major | Captain | Lieutenant | Second Lieutenant | |
Non-Commissioned Officers and Airmen |
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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 equivalent | |||||||||||
| (Spanish) | Técnico Jefe de Comando Conjunto | Técnico Jefe de Comando | Técnico Jefe | Técnico Subjefe | Técnico Primero | Técnico Segundo | Técnico Tercero | Técnico Cuarto | Aerotécnico | - | ||
| Abbr. | TJCC | TJC | TJ | TS | TP | T2 | T3 | T4 | AT | - | ||
| (English) | Joint Command Chief Technician | Command Chief Technician | Senior Chief Technician | Chief Technician | Technician First Class | Technician 2nd Class | Technician 3rd Class | Junior Technician | Airman | - | ||
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