All Topics  
Military of Colombia

 
Military of Colombia

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Military of Colombia
 
 
  Topics Military of Colombia Topic Home

The Military of Colombia, officially the Military Forces of Colombia is the armed forces
Armed forces

The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external and internal aggressors....
 of Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.

Military of Colombia consists of:


of these services are under the supreme command of the President of Colombia
President of Colombia

The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the 1819 Constitution established during the Congress of Angostura when Colombia was part of the Greater Colombia....
 and conjointly with the Civil Defense Force (decentralized) and the National Police
Colombian National Police

The Colombian National Police is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. It is the largest police force in Colombia under the control of the Colombian Ministry of Defense....
 (Centralized) are controlled directly by the Colombian Ministry of Defense.

The Ministry of Defense's main purpose is to plan and coordinate the operation of the Armed Forces for internal and external defense and security.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Military of Colombia'
Start a new discussion about 'Military of Colombia'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Military of Colombia, officially the Military Forces of Colombia is the armed forces
Armed forces

The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external and internal aggressors....
 of Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.

Services

The Military of Colombia consists of:
  • Colombian National Army Ejército Nacional de Colombia
  • Colombian National Armada
    Colombian National Armada

    The Colombian National Armada is the naval armed force of Colombia. It is also known simply as the National Armada , or as the Armada of the Republic of Colombia ....
     Armada Nacional de Colombia (Marines, Navy and Coast Guard attached)
  • Colombian Air Force
    Colombian Air Force

    The Colombian Air Force or FAC is the Air Force of Colombia....
     Fuerza Aérea Colombiana


Dependencies

  • Military Medical Corps (Sanidad Militar):Medical and Nurse Corps)
  • Military Industry (Industrias Militares INDUMIL): Military Industry Depot
  • Military Sports Federation (Federación Deportiva Militar FEDECODEMIL)
  • Military Printing (Imprenta Militar)
  • Military Museum (Museo Militar): History of the Armed Forces of Colombia
  • War Superior College (Escuela Superior de Guerra ESDEGUE)


Command

All of these services are under the supreme command of the President of Colombia
President of Colombia

The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the 1819 Constitution established during the Congress of Angostura when Colombia was part of the Greater Colombia....
 and conjointly with the Civil Defense Force (decentralized) and the National Police
Colombian National Police

The Colombian National Police is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. It is the largest police force in Colombia under the control of the Colombian Ministry of Defense....
 (Centralized) are controlled directly by the Colombian Ministry of Defense.

The Ministry of Defense's main purpose is to plan and coordinate the operation of the Armed Forces for internal and external defense and security. It is composed of an Army
Army

An army , in the broadest sense, is the land-based armed forces of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as an air force....
, Navy
Navy

A navy is the branch of a nation's military forces principally designated for naval warfare and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions....
 (which includes both marines and coast guard
Coast guard

A coast guard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries....
) and an Air Force
Air force

An air force, also known in some countries as an air army or historically an army air corps , is in the broadest sense, the national armed force or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare....
, all under the leadership of a civilian
Civilian

A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces. The term is also often used colloquially to refer to people who are not members of a particular profession or occupation, especially by law enforcement agency, which often use rank structures similar to those of military units...
 Minister of Defense.

Funding

In 1999, Colombia assigned 3.6% of its GDP to defense, according to the National Planning Department. By 2007 this figure had risen to 6.1% of GDP, one of the highest rates in the world. The armed forces number about 250,000 uniformed personnel: 145,000 military and 105,000 police. These figures do not include assistance personnel such as cooks, medics, mechanics, etc. This makes the Colombian military one of the largest and most well-equipped in Latin America. Many Colombian military personnel have received military training assistance directly in Colombia and also in the United States. The United States has provided equipment and financing to the Colombian military and police through the military assistance program, foreign military sales, and the international narcotics control program, all currently united under the auspices of Plan Colombia
Plan Colombia

The term Plan Colombia is most often used to refer to controversial U.S. legislation aimed at curbing drug smuggling by supporting different War on Drugs activities in Colombia....
.

History

The military history
Military history

Military history is a humanities List of academic disciplines within the scope of History recording of War in the Human history, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing Politics and international relationships....
 of Colombia as an institution goes as far back as the colonial
Colonialism

Colonialism is the extension of a nation's sovereignty over Territory beyond its borders by the establishment of either settler or exploitation colony in which Indigenous people populations are direct rule, Population transfers, or Genocide....
 wars of independence
Independence

Independence is the self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising sovereignty....
 fought by the patriot army of Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia

Gran Colombia is a name used today for a nation that encompassed a great part of the territory of northern South America and a small part of southern Central America during the period 1819-1831....
, composed of the future Ecuador
Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west....
, Panama
Panama

Panama, officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on an isthmus connecting North and South America, some categorize it as a transcontinental nation....
, Venezuela
Venezuela

Venezuela , officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a country on the northern coast of South America.The country comprises a continental mainland and numerous islands located off the Venezuelan coastline in the Caribbean Sea....
 and Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
; and lead by General
General

A General officer is an Officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is just called general....
 Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar

Sim?n Jos? Antonio de la Sant?sima Trinidad Bol?var Palacios y Blanco ? more commonly known as Sim?n Bol?var ? was, together with the Argentina general Jos? de San Mart?n, one of the most important leaders of Spanish America's successful struggle for independence....
 and other important heroes such as Francisco de Paula Santander
Francisco de Paula Santander

Francisco Jos? de Paula Santander y Oma?a , was one of the military and political leaders during Colombia's independence struggle ....
. It is, however, only with the triumph of August 7, 1819, in Boyacá that the military forces of Gran Colombia establish themselves as a fundamental part of the Colombian Nation. Venezuela and Ecuador declared independence from Colombia by proclamation in 1830.

Narcotics decertification in 1996 forced a temporary halt to U.S. military assistance programs, except for those related to counternarcotics. On August 1, 1997, the U.S. and Colombia signed an End Use Monitoring (EUM) memorandum of understanding which stipulated that U.S. counternarcotics assistance to the Colombian military be conditioned on human rights
Human rights

Human rights refer to the "basic rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, and equality before the law; and social, cultural and economic rights, i...
 screening of proposed recipient units. Once equipment is provided, it continues to be subject to end-use monitoring to ensure it is being used for counternarcotics purposes.

U.S. assistance to Colombian military and police forces is provided strictly in accordance with Section 564 of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act (Public Law 106-113) and with Section 8098 of Department of Defense Appropriations Act (Public Law 106-79). No assistance is provided to any unit of the security forces for which the U.S. Government has credible evidence of commission of gross violations of human rights, unless the Secretary of State is able to certify that the Government of Colombia has taken effective measures to bring those responsible to justice. End-use monitoring also is required in these cases.

Since 2000, the Ministry of Defense (Ministerio de Defensa) and the Joint Staff Command started a program to overhaul and improve the performance of the military branches (Army, Navy and Air Force) it was the result of a study (1998-1999) suggesting to improve the military mobility, personnel training and internal organization to allow more flexibility. It is also known that increasing use of Special Forces
Special forces

Special Forces , also known as, Special Operation Forces is a generic term for highly-trained military teams/units that conduct specialized Military operation such as reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions....
 such as AFEUR (Urban Warfare/CounterTerrorism Units), Lancero units (Jungle Warfare/Ranger like) is suggested by the study.

In addition to its own domestic needs, Colombia also provides troops to international peacekeeping
Peacekeeping

Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace." It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
 efforts, most notably the Multinational Force and Observers
Multinational Force and Observers

The Multinational Force and Observers is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel....
, to whom it has provided a full infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
 battalion
Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven company and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel....
 since 1982 for the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, forming a land bridge between Africa and Southwest Asia....
.

World factbook statistics

Wy2t1146 Gloria1
*Military branches:
    • Colombian Army
      Colombian Army

      The National Army of Colombia is the land force of Colombia and the largest service of the Military of Colombia. It has the responsibility for land-based military operations along with the Infanteria de Marina to protect Colombia against national or international threats....
       (Ejercito Nacional)
    • Colombian Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Marines and Coast Guard)
    • Colombian Air Force
      Colombian Air Force

      The Colombian Air Force or FAC is the Air Force of Colombia....
       (Fuerza Aerea Colombiana)


  • Military manpower - military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 24 months (2004)


  • Military manpower - availability:
    • males age 18-49: 10,212,456
    • females age 18-49: 10,561,562 (2005 est.)


  • Military manpower - fit for military service:
    • males age 18-49: 6,986,228
    • females age 18-49: 8,794,465 (2005 est.)


  • Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
    • males age 18-49: 389,735
    • females age 18-49: 383,146 (2005 est.)


Expenditures

  • Military expenditures - dollar figure: $11.0229 billion (FY09)
  • Military expenditures - percent of GDP:6.5% (FY08)


See also

  • AFEUR
    Agrupación de Fuerzas Especiales Antiterroristas Urbanas

    The Agrupaci?n de Fuerzas Especiales Antiterroristas Urbanas 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....
  • Colombia
    Colombia

    Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
  • Colombian Army
    Colombian Army

    The National Army of Colombia is the land force of Colombia and the largest service of the Military of Colombia. It has the responsibility for land-based military operations along with the Infanteria de Marina to protect Colombia against national or international threats....
  • Indumil
    Indumil

    Indumil is a Colombian based military weapons manufacturer. The company is run by the Government of Colombia....


External links

  • - Official Ministry of Defense site
  • - Official Armed Forces General Command
  • - Official Army site
  • - Official Army site
  • - Official Navy site ( and - Official Air Force site
  • - Official National Police site
  • - Unofficial site of the Colombian Military Forces


Other Links