Armed Forces of Bolivia explained

Armed Forces of Bolivia
Native Name:Spanish; Castilian: Fuerzas Armadas de Bolivia
Motto:Subordinacion y Constancia, ¡Viva Bolivia! (Subordination and Steadfastness. Long Live Bolivia!)
Branches:

Commander-In-Chief:Luis Arce (President of Bolivia)
Commander-In-Chief Title:Captain General of the Armed Forces
Minister:Edmundo Novillo
Minister Title:Minister of Defense
Commander:César Moisés Vallejos Rocha
Commander Title:Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces
Age:18
Manpower Data:2000 est.
Manpower Age:15–49
Available:1,949,267
Fit:1,269,228
Reaching:86,863
Active:40.000 to 70.000 (est.)
Reserve:40.000 (est.)
Amount:$659.2 million (2017)
Percent Gdp:1.76% (2017)
Foreign Suppliers:










History:History of Bolivia
Ranks:Military ranks of Bolivia

The Bolivian Armed Forces (Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas de Bolivia) are the military of Bolivia. The Armed Forces of Bolivia are responsible for the defence, both of external and internal, of Bolivia and they are constituted by Bolivian Army, the Bolivian Air Force and the Bolivian Navy. All these institutions depend on the Ministry of Defence of this country.

In addition to the Bolivian Army, the Bolivian Air Force and the Bolivian Navy, the Bolivian National Police, although dependent on the Ministry of Government in times of peace, is part of the reserves of the Armed Forces according to the Organic Law of the Armed Forces of this nation,[1] together with other reserve bodies such as the SAR-FAB emergency and rescue units.

Figures on the size and composition of the armed forces of Bolivia vary considerably, with rare official data available. It is estimated, however, that the three main forces (army, navy and air force) add up to a total of between 40,000[2] to 70,000[3] [4] [5] troops, while the Bolivian police would be around 40,000[6] [7] troops. On 26 June 2024, General Zúñiga was arrested in a coup attempt.[8]

High Command of the Armed Forces of Bolivia

The roles and tenure of the High Command are described in the Organic Law of the Armed Forces (LOFA)[1] which states that the hierarchy is subordinate to and appointed by the President of Bolivia with the Minister of Defense acting as an intermediary between the President and the Armed Forces. Article 172 of the 2009 Constitution states that amongst the President's duties are "To designate and substitute the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the Commanders of the Army, the Air Force and the Navy."[9]

The current positions, appointed by interim president Jeanine Áñez Chávez on 13 Nov 2019[10] are as follows:

Article 100 of the LOFA also states that these positions, and several others such as Chief of Police and Head of the Presidential, may be held "only once during the military career and for a time no greater than two years".[1] [11] This results in a fairly high turnover in the Bolivian High Command with continued service being prohibited by law. The last changes in High Command, under the previous President Evo Morales, occurred on 24 Dec 2018,[12] 11 Dec 2017,[13] 29 Dec 2016,[14] 30 Dec 2015,[15] 18 Dec 2014,[16] 13 Dec 2013[11] and 3 Dec 2012.[17]

Attempts to increase the maximum length of service for members of the High Command (and other positions) were made, unsuccessfully, under the Morales administration who wished to increase it to between 3 and 5 years.[18]

Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces

PortraitName
Term of officeDefence branch
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
General
Víctor Guzmán Bruno		14 August 199120 August 1992[19]
General
Oscar Vargas Lorenzetti		20 August 199215 December 1994[20]
General
Reynaldo Cáceres Quiroga		15 December 19941 November 1996[21]
General
Hernán Aguilera Bianchi		1 November 199614 November 1998[22]
Admiral
Jorge Zabala Ossio		14 November 199824 November 2000[23]
General
Alvin Anaya Kippes		24 November 20008 August 2002[24]
Divisional general
Roberto Claros Flores
8 August 200224 November 2003[25]
Admiral
24 November 200314 June 2005[26]
Admiral
Marco Antonio Justiniano Escalante		14 June 200524 January 2006[27]
Admiral
José Luis Cabás Villegas
5 January 200924 January 2010[28] [29]
General
Carlos Ramiro de La Fuente Bloch		24 January 201022 March 2011[30]
Admiral
Armando Pacheco Gutiérrez		22 March 20115 January 2012[31]
General
Tito Roger Gandarillas		5 January 20123 December 2012[32]
General
Edwin de la Fuente		3 December 201214 December 2013[33]
Admiral
Víctor Baldivieso Haché		14 December 201322 December 2014[34]
General
Omar Jaime Salinas Ortuño		22 December 201430 December 2015[35]
General
Juan Gonzalo Durán Flores		30 December 201529 December 2016[36]
General
Luis Orlando Ariñez Bazán		29 December 201611 December 2017[37]
Admiral
Yamil Octavio Borda Sosa		11 December 201724 November 2018[38]
General
Williams Kaliman
24 November 201813 November 2019[39]
General
Carlos Orellana Centellas		13 November 2019Incumbent[40]

Army

See full article: Bolivian Army.

The Bolivian Army (Ejército de Bolivia, EB) is the land branch of the armed forces of Bolivia. Together with the Bolivia army and air force Bolivia, is responsible for protecting Bolivia of internal, external threats and ensure the independence of this country. The Bolivian Army has around 55,500 men. There are six military regions (regiones militares—RMs) in the army. The Army is organized into ten divisions. The Army maintains a small fleet of utility aircraft, primarily to support headquarters.

Combat units directly under the Army general command

Special forces command

The Special Forces command controls the following units:

Army aviation command

Army aviation company 291 (La Paz), army aviation company 292 (Santa Cruz)

Regional

The Bolivian Army has six military regions (regiones militares—RMs) covering the various Departments of Bolivia:

Army divisions

The army is organized into ten territorial divisions plus a mechanized division, each of which, with the exception of Viacha, occupy a region generally corresponding to the administrative departments, with some overlapping. These and their respective divisional headquarters and constituent units are:

RI: infantry regiment RC: cavalry regiment RA: artillery regiment Bat.Ing.: battalion engineer

Army organized has ten divisions controlling the following units:

The Army maintains a small fleet of utility aircraft, primarily to support headquarters.

Equipment of the Army

See main article: List of equipment of the Bolivian Armed Forces.

Land equipment

Bolivian army equipment[41]
Tanks54 SK-105 Kürassiers
Reconnaissance vehicles24 EE-9 Cascavel
Armoured Personnel Carriers50 M113 armored personnel carriers with local upgrades, 24 EE-11 Urutu APC,24 M9 Half-track APC, 15 Cadillac Gage Commando V-150, 20 Mowag Roland local upgraded (Used by the military Police)
Artillery pieces and mortar18 Type 54 122 mm howitzers, 6 M101 105 mm howitzers, 10 7.5 cm FK 18 howitzers, 6 Bofors 75 mm Model 1934 75 mm howitzers. Mortars: M-120 120 mm, M30 107 mm mortars, 250 M29 81 mm mortars, FM 81 mm, W87 81 mm, M-224 60 mm mortars AA artillery: 16 2×37 mm Type 65, 80 2×20 mm Oerlikon 20 mm cannon K20, 50 MANPAD HN-5 AT weapons:rocket launchers RPG-7, 200 66 mm M72A3 LAW, 90 mm M20A1, 90 mm M67 recoilless rifle, RCL 82 mm Type 65/78, RCL 106 mm M40A1,40 portable AT missile HJ-8AiB Red Arow
TransportTRANSPORT:DongFeng EQ 2081/2100,FEW C A1122J,Stayer 1491,16 Ford F-750,Unimog 416Dodge M-37 2 ton trucks, Engesa EE-15 trucks, Engesa EE-25 trucks, FIAT IVECO 619 5 ton trucksTACTICAL TRANSPORT VEHICLES:30 M988 HMMWV,40 Koyak local productionUTILITY TRANSPORT VEHICLES:Ford M151 jeep,CJ-5,CJ-7,Chrysler jeep Wrangler,BJ 2020VJ, horses (still used by the Bolivian cavalry units)
Small ArmsHANDGUNS: FN-35,Glock 17, Beretta Model 92F, SM Model 10 (all 9mm)[Source?], M1911A1 11,43 SMG: FMK 3, UZI, MAT 49 (all 9mm)Rifle: IMI Galil AR, M16A1, M4A1, Steyr AUG A1, SA 80, all (5.56 mm), FN-FAL, SIG-542, SIG-510-4, (all 7.62mm), Type 56–2(ak-47),SNIPER: Dragunov SVD, Mauser model 86SR, Steyr SSG-69P1AM Rifles:Steyr HS 50 12.7mmMG: M60, FN-MAG 60–20, SIG MG710-3 (all 7.62mm), Type 56 LMGGL:Type 87 35 mm, MM−1, M79, M203 (all 40 mm) Shotguns:Remington 870 and 11–87.

Air equipment

AircraftOriginFunctionVersionsIn serviceNotes
Robinson R44TrainerR441
Beechcraft King AirUtility, VIPC901
Fokker F27 FriendshipTransportF27-MK2001
Harbin Z-9Utility helicopterH4256

Uniforms

Army officers, NCOs, and enlisted personnel generally wear gray or, for tropical areas, gray-green service uniforms. Army fatigue uniforms are olive green, and combat uniforms are of US woodland pattern camouflage. The standard headgear for enlisted personnel is the beret bearing the national colors of red, yellow and green. Paratroops (paracaidistas) were distinguished by black berets, and Special Forces by green berets.

Air Force

See full article: Bolivian Air Force. The Bolivian air force (Fuerza Aérea Boliviana, FAB) is the air branch of the armed forces of Bolivia. The Bolivian Air Force has nine air bases, located at La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Puerto Suárez, Tarija, Villamontes, Cobija, Riberalta, and Roboré.

Major commands included the following:

Units under direct control of the general command of the FAB

Navy

See full article: Bolivian Naval Force.

The Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana in Spanish), formerly Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana) is a naval force about 5,000 strong in 2008. Although Bolivia has been landlocked since the War of the Pacific in 1879, Bolivia established a River and Lake Force (Fuerza Fluvial y Lacustre) in January 1963 under the Ministry of National Defense. It consisted of four boats supplied from the United States and 1,800 personnel recruited largely from the army. Bolivia's naval force was renamed the Bolivian Naval Force (Fuerza Naval Boliviana) in January 1966, but it also has been called the Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana). It became a separate branch of the armed forces in 1963. Bolivia has large rivers that are tributaries to the Amazon which are patrolled to prevent smuggling and drug trafficking. There is also a Bolivian Naval presence on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, across which runs along the Peruvian frontier.

Landlocked Bolivia has not become reconciled with the loss of its coast to Chile, and the Navy exists to keep the hope of recovering its coast alive by cultivating a maritime consciousness.[42] The Bolivian Navy takes part in many parades and government functions, but none more so than the Día Del Mar (Day of the Sea) in which Bolivia, every year, asks for the coast territories lost to Chile during the War of the Pacific (fought between Peru and Bolivia against Chile) from 1879 to 1884. This is still a sore point for Bolivia, influencing many modern-day political actions and trade decisions.[43]

Districts

The Navy is organized into ten naval districts, with flotilla headquarters in Guaqui, Guayaramerín, Puerto Suárez, Riberalta, and San Pedro de Tiquina, and bases in Puerto Busch, Puerto Horquilla, Puerto Villarroel, Trinidad, and Rurrenabaque.

Naval vessels include several dozen boats, dozen or more of which are for riverine patrol, including the piranias, and riders, which are powerful river boats. In addition, Bolivia has several seagoing vessels, including the Santa Cruz de la Sierra (PR-51), and several flagged ships that sail with the permission of the "Capitanias Navales" Naval Registration Office. The Libertador Simón Bolívar, a ship acquired from Venezuela, use to navigate from its home port in Rosario, Argentina on the River Paraná. In 1993, the Navy was formally renamed the Naval Force (Fuerza Naval) and moved with the Bolivian Army under a single military authority.

Most of the officers are often educated in the Naval Academy where they graduate with a BS in Military and Naval Science, diploma accredited by the Military University and then they do other studies at the bachelor's degree and master's level. Argentina has their Naval Military Group in Bolivia advising at the highest level in naval strategy and tactics. Many Bolivian officers practice ocean sailing in Argentinean big naval ships. The Bolivian Navy has several Special Forces units to address both internal and external conflicts.

The Bolivian Naval Force covers the extensive river and lake Bolivian territory divided between the following functions Naval Districts, note that the names of these units are derived from the basin or region where they operate:

Marine corps

The Marine component of the FNB originated with the creation of the Marine Battalion Almirante Grau in the early 1980s. This unit of 600 men is based on Tiquina naval base on Lake Titicaca. Later changes name to Marine Battalion Independence, based in Chua (Not to be confused with the Independence RI17 EB).At present this battalion maintains a similar number of troops including premilitares. Staff of this unit is part of Task Force Blue Devils or are stationed in various naval bases. There are currently seven infantry battalions which are distributed as follows:

Naval Military Police

This specialty is essentially similar to its counterpart in the Army, carrying out operations such as Important Persons Protection (IPP) Physical Security (SEF) or Patrol Facility (PAT), with additions such as signals or naval protocol. There Naval detachments of PM in all district headquarters or FNB Naval Area. But only have the following units at the Battalion:

Strength

Boats

The Bolivian Navy has a total of 173 vessels, mostly stationed on Lake Titicaca:

Naval aviation

Bolivia's navy operates one utility aircraft for the use of headquarters.

Conscription

Since 1904 military service has been compulsory for all fit males between the ages of eighteen and forty-nine. In practice, however, budgetary limitations strictly limited the number of eligible men conscripted, and those traditionally tended to be mostly Indians. Beginning in 1967, conscripts were legally held on active duty for up to two years, but funds seldom permitted even a full year's service. Noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and warrant officers, all of whom were volunteers, generally were drawn from mixed-blood cholos (those of Spanish and Indian descent). In the late 1980s, the service obligation was one year, and conscripts had to be at least nineteen years of age. The FF.AA. commander reported in early 1989 that the largest percentage of conscripts came from the middle class. One explanation for this change could have been the flocking of youths to the lucrative coca paste-making business. Military authorities in the Cochabamba area in particular began to experience growing difficulty in enlisting volunteers in the mid-1980s. Consequently, the military reportedly was resorting to pressganging eighteen-year-olds off the city streets to fill their annual quotas.

Training installations

Training installations include the Garras International Antinarcotics Training School (Escuela Garras del Valor) is a military training facility located in Bolivia, which trains military and law enforcement personnel from Bolivia and other Latin American countries in counternarcotics, intelligence, and counterinsurgency techniques.[45] [46] [47]

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ley Orgánica de las FFAA. es. 18 August 2020.
  2. Web site: CIA World Facts. en. 2 July 2021.
  3. Web site: Bolivia-Military Spendings. en. 8 September 2020.
  4. Web site: Bolivian Defence Spending Increases. en. 23 August 2020.
  5. News: Evo y los militares, una relación con altibajos que tuvo un abrupto fin. La Nación. 13 November 2019. es. 21 August 2020. Guillemí. Rubén.
  6. Web site: Página Siete. es. 18 August 2020. 12 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200812225644/https://www.paginasiete.bo/seguridad/2020/7/21/seguro-de-bs-100-mil-para-la-policia-se-cubrira-con-multas-de-la-cuarentena-261983.html. dead.
  7. Web site: El Deber. 25 March 2020 . es. 18 August 2020.
  8. Web site: López . Susana . Schmidt . Samantha . Bolivian soldiers storm plaza; former general accused of coup attempt . Washington Post . 2024-06-26 . 2024-06-27.
  9. Web site: Bolivia (Plurinational State of)'s Constitution of 2009 . constituteproject.org PDF generated: 27 Apr 2022, 10:44.
  10. Web site: Corz . Carlos . 13 November 2019 . Áñez posesiona al Alto Mando de las FFAA; les dice que el país los necesita para mantener la paz . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20191113232159/http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/Anez-posesiona-Mando-FFAA-paz-democracia-bolivia-garantia_0_3257074307.html . 13 November 2019 . Spanish.
  11. Web site: Nuevo mando militar será posesionado hoy. 14 December 2013. Los Tiempos.
  12. Web site: Montero . Baldwin . Gobierno y FFAA reafirman su cohesión en jura del nuevo Alto Mando Militar . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200216110853/http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/bolivia-ffaa-presidente-posesion-alto-mando-kaliman_0_3062693705.html . 16 Feb 2020 . la-razon.com . Spanish.
  13. Web site: Valdés . Kattya . 20 December 2018 . Presidente anuncia para el lunes 24 cambio del Alto Mando en las FFAA y la Policía . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200131030549/http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/seguridad_nacional/Cambio-morales-alto-mando-militar-policial_0_3060293953.html . 31 January 2020 . la-razon.com . Spanish.
  14. Web site: Baldwin . Montero . Nuevo Alto Mando de las FFAA asume compromiso de apoyo a la agenda 2025 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20191226162702/http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/Bolivia-Alto_Mando-FFAA-comandantes_0_2627737213.html . 26 December 2019 . la-razon.com . Spanish.
  15. News: Posesionan al nuevo Alto Mando de las FFAA; una mujer es jefa del Estado Mayor. 30 December 2015. Los Tiempos.
  16. Web site: Morales posesiona a nuevo alto mando militar de las FFAA. 18 December 2014. Los Tiempos.
  17. Web site: Morales posesiona a nuevo Alto Mando Militar. 3 December 2012. Los Tiempos.
  18. Web site: Farfán . Williams . FFAA define que Comandante en Jefe ocupe el cargo tres años . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171220224032/http://www.la-razon.com/nacional/seguridad_nacional/FFAA-define-Comandante-Jefe-cargo_0_2840115972.html . 20 December 2017 . la-razon.com . Spanish.
  19. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 22888, 14 de agosto de 1991 . lexivox.org/ . 20 December 2021 . es . 22 October 2015.
  20. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 23240, 20 de julio de 1992 . lexivox.org/ . 20 December 2021 . es . 22 October 2015.
  21. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 23910, 15 de diciembre de 1994 . lexivox.org/ . 30 August 2022 . es . 4 June 2019.
  22. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 24401, 1 de noviembre de 1996 . lexivox.org/ . 30 August 2022 . es . 22 October 2015.
  23. News: FFAA: Presidente relevará al Alto Mando Militar . 30 August 2022 . noticiasfides.com . 22 November 2000 . es.
  24. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 25992, 24 de noviembre de 2000 . lexivox.org . 30 August 2022 . es . 22 October 2015.
  25. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 26757, 8 de agosto de 2002 . lexivox.org . 30 August 2022 . es . 27 June 2022.
  26. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 27257, 24 de noviembre de 2003 . lexivox.org . 30 August 2022 . es . 22 October 2015.
  27. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 28202, 14 de junio de 2005 . lexivox.org . 30 August 2022 . es . 27 June 2022.
  28. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 29880, 5 de enero de 2009 . lexivox.org . 30 August 2022 . es . 27 June 2022.
  29. News: 5 January 2009 . Presidente boliviano renueva cúpula militar . es . reuters.com . 30 August 2022.
  30. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 408, 24 de enero de 2010 . lexivox.org . 20 December 2021 . es . 4 June 2019.
  31. Web site: Bolivia: Decreto Presidencial Nº 825, 22 de marzo de 2011 . lexivox.org . 20 December 2021 . es . 22 October 2015.
  32. News: Gral. Tito Roger Gandarillas nuevo Comandante en Jefe de las FF.AA. . 10 October 2021 . impresa.lapatria.bo . 5 January 2012 . es.
  33. News: Presidente releva al Alto Mando Militar y posesiona al general Edwin de la Fuente como comandante de las FFAA . 10 October 2021 . la-razon.com . 3 December 2012 . es.
  34. News: El presidente de Bolivia nombra nuevos jefes de las Fuerzas Armadas . 10 October 2021 . AméricaEconomía . 14 December 2013 . es.
  35. News: Bolivia renueva el Alto Mando de sus Fuerzas Armadas . 10 October 2021 . infodefensa.com . 22 December 2014 . es.
  36. News: Jaramillo . Diego . Gonzalo Durán, nuevo comandante de las FFAA . 10 October 2021 . eldeber.com.bo . 30 December 2015 . es.
  37. News: Morales posesiona al nuevo Alto Mando Militar con ruptura de la secuencia de mando . 10 October 2021 . paginasiete.bo . 29 December 2016 . es.
  38. News: Almirante Yamil Borda Sosa es Comandante en Jefe de FFAA . 10 October 2021 . eldiario.net . 11 December 2017 . es.
  39. Web site: El general Williams Kaliman Romero asume como comandante en jefe de las FFAA . 24 December 2018 . Los Tiempos.
  40. News: El Gral. Carlos Orellana es el nuevo comandante en jefe de las FFAA de Bolivia . 10 October 2021 . fmbolivia.com.bo/ . 13 November 2019 . es.
  41. Web site: ORBAT del Ejercito de Bolivia . 2009-08-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090209225432/http://saorbats.com.ar/ORBAT-Bolivia-%20EB.htm . 9 February 2009. Alt URL
  42. Web site: Bolivia's landlocked sailors pine for the high seas. Carroll. Rory. Schipani. Andres. 27 August 2008. The Guardian. 15 November 2019.
  43. Web site: Every year on 'Día Del Mar,' Bolivia celebrates the coastline they lost. Chantelle. Bacigalupo. 22 March 2019. PRI.org. 15 November 2019.
  44. "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, 15 January 2007.
  45. Web site: United States promotes rule of law, transparency in the Americas. . 26 May 2005 . Embassy of the United States: Montevideo . 3 February 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080317115029/http://montevideo.usembassy.gov/usaweb/paginas/400a-00EN.shtml . 17 March 2008 .
  46. Web site: Andean Counterdrug Initiative: International Narcotics and Law Enforcement: FY 2002 Budget Justification. May 2001. U.S. Dept. of State (official website). 3 February 2010.
  47. Web site: New York Times Misleads Readers on Drug War in Bolivia. Ledebur. Kathryn. 4 September 2008. Media Accuracy on Latin America. 3 February 2010.

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