Colombian Army
| Colombian National Army Ejército Nacional de Colombia |
|
|---|---|
 |
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| Active | August 19, 1819 – present |
| Country | Colombia |
| Role | Foreign and Domestic Defense |
| Size | 235,538 (2009) |
| Garrison/HQ | Colombian Ministry of Defense |
| Motto(s) | Patria, Honor, Lealtad - ("Homeland, Honor, Loyalty") |
| Colors | Red with Army Crest |
| March | "Himno del Ejército" |
| Anniversaries | August 7 (Battle of Boyacá) |
| Engagements |
Colombian Independence War Gran Colombia–Peru War Ecuadorian–Colombian War Thousand Days War (Civil war) War Against Peru Korean War Colombian Armed Conflict |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Juan Manuel Santos |
| Notable commanders |
Simon Bolivar, Francisco de Paula Santander, Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, Harold Bedoya Pizarro, Manuel José Bonett Rafael Reyes Prieto |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
The National Army of Colombia (Spanish: Ejército Nacional de Colombia) is the land military force of Colombia and the largest branch of the Colombian Armed Forces. It is responsible for carrying out land-based military operations along with the Colombian Naval Infantry (Infanteria de Marina) and for protecting the Colombian state against domestic or foreign threats.
The modern Colombian Army has its roots in the Army of the Commoners (Ejército de los Comuneros), which was formed on 7 August 1819 – before the establishment of the present day Colombia – to meet the demands of the Revolutionary War against the Spanish Empire. After their triumph against the Spanish, the Congress of Angostura created the Greater Colombian Army, to replace the disbanded Commoners Army.
The Colombian Army traces its history back to the 1770s and 1780s, when the Comuneros (Commoners) – mostly descendants of Spanish and Amerindians – decided to separate from the Spanish Empire to create their own country and initiated a revolutionary war.
On July 20 of 1810, Colombia declared its independence from the Spanish Empire, a Volunteer National Guard was raised composed of infantry and cavalry units. As independence was declared, and with the Spanish driven out temporarily, a nationwide civil war known as la Patria Boba (the Foolish Fatherland) broke out from 1810 to 1816 between federalists and centralists as many cities and provinces across the country set up their own autonomous junta. The junta declared themselves sovereign from each other as result of the lack of communications between many provinces and cities due to Colombia's complicated mountain terrain. This prevented a full establishment of a regular army, and it would take 9 years before a truly national army would be formed. This gave a rise to a prolonged period of instability and Spanish were able to take advantage of this with Spanish crown sending General Pablo Morillo.
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Wikipedia