The military of Colombia, officially the Military Forces of Colombia (Spanish: Fuerzas Militares de Colombia) is the armed forces of Colombia. It consists of:- Colombian National Army Ejército Nacional de Colombia
- Colombian National Armada Armada Nacional de Colombia (Marines and Coast Guard attached)
- Colombian Air Force Fuerza Aérea Colombiana
All these services are under the command of the President of Colombia. All of the services are part of the Ministry of Defense, including the Civil Defense (decentralized) and the National Police (Centralized) which are controlled directly by the Colombian Ministry of Defense.
Its main purpose is to plan and coordinate the Armed Forces for internal and external defense and security. It is composed of an Army, Navy (which includes both marines and coast guard) and an Air Force, all under the leadership of a civilian Minister of Defense.
In 1999, Colombia assigned 3.6% of its GDP to defense, according to the National Planning Department. The armed forces number about 250,000 uniformed personnel: 145,000 military and 105,000 police. These figures do not include assistance personnel such as cooks, medics, mechanics, etc. Many Colombian military personnel has received military training assistance, directly in Colombia and in the United States. The United States has provided equipment and financing to the Colombian military and police through the military assistance program, foreign military sales, and the international narcotics control program, all currently under the Plan Colombia.
Military branches: |
National Army (Ejercito Nacional), National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes naval aviation, marine corps, and coast guard), Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Colombia, FAC) (2007) |
Military service age and obligation: |
18-24 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; service obligation - 18 months (2004) |
Manpower available for military service: |
males age 18-49: 10,212,456 females age 18-49: 10,561,562 (2005 est.) |
Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 18-49: 6,986,228 females age 18-49: 8,794,465 (2005 est.) |
Manpower reaching military service age annually: |
males age 18-49: 389,735 females age 18-49: 383,146 (2005 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
3.4% (2005 est.) |
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