Ejercito Nacional de Colombia

The first step was given by the Creole peasants, when on July 20, 1810 decided to arm against the Spanish tyranny aware that the sovereignty depended on the town people and not of the divine providence as it was believed.

From that moment a route was opened for the conformation of a Force that defended the Citizens rights and starts to liberate constants battles to achieve the independence.

Simon Bolivar convinced of the freedom of his town, motivated the oppressed peasants to combat in the defense of their rights and led the formation of a new homeland.

It was August 7, 1819 with the overwhelming victory of the Boyacá Battle that the patriots Army evidenced its strength and courage conquering the Spaniards and opening the way to the creation of the Colombian Republic. For the importance of this event, this date is considered the Colombian National Army day.

In a same way and in search of its autonomy, in 1994, by means of the disposition No. 07/94 was activated the Army Air Detachment, to supplement the necessity outlined by the commanders of the operative units to have independent mobility and immediate reaction in front of critical situations or public order alterations.

The Army Aviation supports the military operations optimizing the personnel and war material transportation in public order areas; it also promotes the capacitation and continuous training to the assigned crews, with the purpose of increasing the operative capacity of the Force.

Inside the restructuring that the institution has been doing during the last years, it stands out the creation of specialized Forces and elite units. One of them is the South Combined Task Force, integrated by Army, National Navy and Colombian Air force combat elements, with the objective of neutralizing in an effective way the drug traffic and the outlaw armed groups.

In a same way in December 1999 it was created the Quick Deployment Force, with the mission of conducting high mobility offensive Contraguerrilla campaigns and to counteract the actions of the outlaw groups. Their main characteristic resides in the easiness to execute, day and night assaults and counterattacks to terrorist groups that had made an assault to a population or military installation, to provide long reach fire support (artillery) and to carry out quick movements to any place in the national territory.

On the other hand the elite unit was activated against the drug traffic in order to lead operations to combat the cultivation, production and narcotics traffic in the country different areas. The first of their battalions was presented on September 14 1999. Since December 19 2000 began to operate the Against Drug traffic Brigade, having as control position the Putumayo department.

Equally the High Mountain battalion was created, with the purpose of maintaining the control on the Sumapaz region, strategic point to direct operations against the south of the country subversive groups. Began to operate starting on March 22 2001.

During the last months the National Army in order to strengthen the offensive capacity of the biggest operative units, created the 4, 5, 6 and 7 mobile Brigades which were assigned to each one of the Divisions in order to support the operations in their respective jurisdictions.