Colombia Army

The National Army of Colombia (Ejército Nacional de Colombia) is organized under the Ministry of National Defense and the General Command of the Military Forces, with its command headquarters in Bogotá. Ground forces are structured into eight territorial divisions headquartered across the country: 1st Division in Santa Marta, 2nd Division in Bucaramanga, 3rd Division in Cali, 4th Division in Villavicencio, 5th Division in Bogotá, 6th Division in Florencia, 7th Division in Medellín, and 8th Division in Yopal. Operational formations include the Air Assault Aviation Division based at Fuerte Tolemaida, the Rapid Deployment Force tasked with rapid counter-insurgency maneuver, and specialized anti-narcotics and special operations units.

The main combat arms consist of infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers, and army aviation. The force does not operate main battle tanks, relying on wheeled armored vehicles and light transport platforms. Mechanized cavalry and infantry units field LAV III 8x8 armored combat vehicles, M1117 Guardian 4x4 armored security vehicles, EE-9 Cascavel armored cars, M113 tracked personnel carriers, and EE-11 Urutu 6x6 carriers. Light tactical transport includes Plasan Sand Cat, Hunter TR-12, and Humvee vehicles. Field artillery units operate Santa Bárbara 155 mm APU-SIAC towed howitzers, Nexter LG1 105 mm towed howitzers, and M101 105 mm howitzers, supplemented by 120 mm heavy mortars. Anti-tank capability is provided by Spike LR2 and NLOS guided missile systems.

Army aviation provides air mobility and combat support for ground operations. The air fleet consists primarily of Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk, Mil Mi-17, Bell UH-1H Huey II, and Bell UH-1N helicopters, alongside light fixed-wing transport aircraft including Beechcraft Super King Air and CASA C-212 models. Domestic military production is led by the state-owned enterprise Indumil, which manufactures Galil ACE and Galil Córdova assault rifles, Córdova 9mm handguns, light mortars, and small arms ammunition. Local defense contractors produce specialized light armored vehicles, including the Hunter TR-12 platform.

The army's primary mission focuses on internal security, counter-insurgency, and counter-narcotics operations against guerrilla groups, dissident militias, and illegal armed organizations in rural regions. Modernization initiatives emphasize upgrading light armored forces and expanding maintenance self-sufficiency. Recent programs include receiving M1117 armored security vehicles from United States excess defense stockpiles, integrating remote weapon stations with 30 mm automatic cannons and Spike missiles on LAV III platforms, and establishing domestic depot-level maintenance facilities to perform structural service-life extensions on Mi-17 transport helicopters.