It is headed by the Commandant of the National Army (Comandante del Ejército Nacional), falls under the authority of the Commandant General of the Military Forces (Comandante General de las Fuerzas Militares), and is supervised by the Ministry of National Defense, which answers to the President of Colombia.

The mission statement of the Colombian Army is to conduct military operations oriented towards defending the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity (of the nation), and protecting the civilian population, and private and state resources, to contribute in generating an environment of peace, security, and development, that guarantees the constitutional order of the nation.

Guecha warriors were allowed to wear feathered crowns and golden jewels, unlike the common man in the Muisca Confederation.

Due to Colombia's challenging geography and the lack of communication between many provinces and cities, the juntas declared themselves sovereign from each other.

[7] With New Granada once again under control of the Spanish, Morillo launched a campaign known as El Terror by executing many of the leaders of the independence movement – often in public squares – who supported Simón Bolívar's Guerra a muerte.

With independence gained after the defeat of the Spanish Royalist forces at the Battle of Boyacá in 1819, the republic of Gran Colombia was established by the Constitution of Cúcuta in 1821, with its capital in Bogotá.

The government addressed this by founding and organizing military schools and colleges, but was hampered by the constant civil wars that financially drained the country's economy.

In 1839 General Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera hired Italian Colonel Agustin Códazzi as an inspector of the army.

With the ending of the Thousand Days War, General Rafael Reyes Prieto was elected President of Colombia with many ambitious plans to reorganize and professionalize the army.

[9] In 1907 a military reform was carried out by President Rafael Reyes Prieto right in the aftermath of the Thousand Days War which had devastated the country economically and morally.

[14] The League of Nations was asked to mediate with the support of Brazilian diplomats, and eventually oversaw the peaceful return of the area to Colombian control.

The process generated an interesting historical precedent: for the first time ever, soldiers wore the armband of an international organization (the League of Nations) as they performed peacekeeping duties.

[15] On the outbreak of Second World War in September 1939, Colombia, in accordance with its international policy, declared itself a belligerent, as did many other Latin American countries, and received arms and equipment from the United States as part of the Lend Lease program.

After the war, the army continued to receive assistance from American missions, and officers attended courses in the United States.

[16] The Colombian Army is presently at war with leftist rebels of the FARC, ELN and EPL, as well as other minor rebellious groups.

Part of the resources provided by this initiative would be directed to the support of the Colombian Army by strengthening its combat and logistics capabilities.

This was the beginning of the modernization of the army: Colombian soldiers began receiving the training and technology to confront the guerrillas head-on.

Several aspects of the mission were apparently designed to mimic previous Venezuelan hostage transfers, including the actual composition of the group and the type and markings of the helicopters used.

The hostages were handcuffed and loaded aboard, and the local FARC commander César and an additional rebel also boarded the helicopters.

Colombian Army Divisions are static Regional Commands As a result of several iterative modernization efforts, the Colombian Army has also created several distinct brigades and special operations groups, whose tasks range widely, from Presidential guard duties, to Rapid Aerial Deployment, to Hostage Rescue, to Anti-narcotics operations, and more.

The Presidential Guard was called up to protect the life of President Mariano Ospina Pérez and the lives of the members who were attending the 9th Pan-American Conference.

The Rapid Deployment Force (Spanish: Fuerza de Despliegue Rápido), also known as FUDRA, is the premier light infantry airborne division of the Colombian Army.

Specializing in air assault operations, it carries the distinction of being the most logistically mobile infantry corps in the entire Colombian Armed Forces, and whose mission statement is to have the perpetual capability to respond to any crisis in any part of the country's national borders in rapid fashion.

Created on 7 December 1999 as part of a modernization effort of the armed forces during the Pastrana administration, its current function is to carry out pre-emptive offensive operations against insurgents and criminal groups.

[26] It is considered an elite unit of the army, and was one of the key factors that led to FARC losing much of its territorial gains and logistical capabilities.

Its greatest accomplishment was on the 23rd September 2010 – during Operation Sodoma – when the FARC's top military commander Jorge Briceño Suárez aka Mono Jojoy was successfully killed in action.

They are composed of highly qualified personnel who conduct hostage rescues and dismantling of criminal gangs at the root of crimes which compromise the personal freedom of Colombians.

The Urban Counter-Terrorism Special Forces Group - Alpha, otherwise known as AFEAU (Spanish: Agrupación de Fuerzas Especiales Antiterroristas Urbanas) is an elite special operations unit within the Colombian Army, dedicated to performing high-value target acquisition or elimination, VIP protection, hostage rescue, quick reaction support, and counter assault operations within urban areas.

The Policía Militar (PM) are very common where they can be seen guarding closed roads, museums, embassies, government buildings, and airports.

[39] Since 2006 the National Army of Colombia changed its uniform type from forest (woodland) to a modernized design, featuring a new digital camouflage pattern (pixel).