Military ranks of the Colombian Armed Forces

Military Forces of Colombia Fuerzas Militares de Colombia
The tri-service badge of the colombian armed forces.
Founded	7 August 1819
Service branches	Army Navy Air Force
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	President Juan Manuel Santos
Minister of Defense	Juan Carlos Pinzón
Commanding General, Military Forces of Colombia	General Alejandro Navas Ramos

The Military ranks of the Colombian armed forces consist of the list and ordering of the different military ranks, for the Officers, Non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and soldiers, seamen and airmen ("other ranks") of the Military Forces of Colombia. The ranks are visually represented by insignias placed on the uniforms, usually at the shoulders, sleeves and shirt collars.

Note that a literal translation from Spanish to English may be misleading as the rank names don't necessarily follow the customary order used in anglophone military ranks in all cases.

Foundational law

The professional ranking of the Military Forces of Colombia is founded on the article 217 of the Political Constitution of Colombia,^[1] regimented through multiple Laws and Decrees, starting with the Decree #1790 from 2000,^[2] up to the latest and most updated one, Law #1405 of 2010.^[3]

According to the former, the rankings of the military officers were slightly modified: It adds the ranks of "Lieutenant General" (Spanish: Teniente General) for the Army and the National Police, "Air Lieutenant General" (Spanish: Teniente General del Aire) for the Air Force, and "Squadron Admiral" ( Spanish: Almirante de Escuadra) for the Navy. These ranks are identified by 3 (three) stars or suns according to the service branch. This change was instituted in order to more accurately reflect international standards in the command structure used by other armed forces. The maximum rank formally achievable by an officer of the armed forces is that of General or Admiral of 4 (four) stars or suns, according to the service branch.

In terms of protocol, the established order for the forces is Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, as established by the Military Rules of Protocol (Reglamento de Protocolo Militar FFMM)^[4]

Army

Coat of Arms of the Colombian National Army

The Colombian Army is the largest of the three service branches of the Military Forces of Colombia, tasked with defending sovereignty and law and order across the national territory. The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Army personnel.^[5][6]

	Ranks and Insignias - Colombian National Army
NATO code[n 1]	OF-10	OF-9		OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1
Colombia	No equivalent
Spanish	-	General del Ejército		Teniente General	Mayor General	Brigadier General	Coronel	Teniente Coronel	Mayor	Capitán	Teniente	Subteniente
Abbr.	-	GR		TG	MG	BG	CR	TC	MY	CT	TE	ST
English	-	General of the Army		Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier General	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant
NATO code[n 1]		OR-9		OR-8	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
Colombia													No Insignia
Spanish		Sargento Mayor de Comando Conjunto	Sargento Mayor de Comando	Sargento Mayor	Sargento Primero	Sargento Vice Primero	Sargento Segundo	Cabo Primero	Cabo Segundo	Cabo Tercero	Dragoneante	Soldado Profesional	Soldado
Abbr.		SMCC	SMC	SM	SP	SV	SS	CP	CS	C3	DG	SLP	SL
English		Joint Command Sergeant Major	Command Sergeant Major	Sergeant Major	First Sergeant	Sergeant First Class	Second Sergeant	First Corporal	Second Corporal	Third Corporal	Private First Class	Private (Professional)	Private Basic

Navy

Coat of Arms of the Colombian Navy

The Colombian Navy (Spanish: 'Armada de la República de Colombia') is the maritime service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia, responsible for security and defense in both the Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific seas of Colombia, the extensive network of rivers inside the country, and a few small land areas under its direct jurisdiction. The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Navy personnel. ^{[5] [7]}

Officer ranks are similar to the Austro-Hungarian Navy, but the insignia follow the US and British patterns with the use of the executive curl.

	Ranks and Insignias - Colombian Navy
NATO code[n 1]	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1
Colombia	No equivalent
Spanish	-	Almirante	Almirante de Escuadra	Vicealmirante	Contralmirante	Capitán de Navío	Capitán de Fragata	Capitán de Corbeta	Teniente de Navío	Teniente de Fragata	Teniente de Corbeta
Abbr.	-	ALM	ALME	VALM	CALM	CN	CF	CC	TN	TF	TK
English	-	Admiral	Squadron Admiral	Vice Admiral	Rear Admiral, Counter Admiral	Ship-of-the-line Captain	Frigate Captain	Corvette Captain	Ship-of-the-line Lieutenant	Frigate Lieutenant	Corvette Lieutenant
NATO code[n 1]		OR-9		OR-8	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
Colombia											No equivalent
Spanish		Suboficial Jefe Técnico de Comando Conjunto	Suboficial Jefe Técnico de Comando	Suboficial Jefe Técnico	Suboficial Jefe	Suboficial Primero	Suboficial Segundo	Suboficial Tercero	Marinero Primero	Marinero Segundo	-
Abbr.		SJTCC	SJTC	SJT	SJ	S1	S2	S3	MA1	MA2	-
English		Joint Command Chief Technical Petty Officer	Command Chief Technical Petty Officer	Chief Technical Petty Officer	Chief Petty Officer	Petty Officer First Class	Petty Officer Second Class	Petty Officer Third Class	Seaman	Seaman Recruit	-

Marine Infantry

Coat of arms of the Colombian Marine Infantry

In Colombia, the Marine Infantry is a Corps depending on the Colombian Navy and not a full service branch on its own. Being tasked with amphibious and riverine and littoral operations, the MI presents a somewhat odd combination of ranking names derived from the Army, combined with naval insignias. The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Marine Infantry personnel.^[5]

	Ranks and Insignias - Colombian Marine Infantry
NATO code[n 1]	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1
Colombia	No equivalent
Spanish	-	General	Teniente General	Mayor General	Brigadier	Coronel	Teniente Coronel	Mayor	Capitán	Teniente	Subteniente
Abbr.	-	GR	TG	MG	BG	CR	TC	MY	CT	TE	ST
English	-	General	Lieutenant General	Major General	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Sub-lieutenant
NATO code[n 1]		OR-9		OR-8	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
Colombia											No Insignia
Spanish		Sargento Mayor de Comando Conjunto	Sargento Mayor de Comando	Sargento Mayor	Sargento Primero	Sargento Vice Primero	Sargento Segundo	Cabo Primero	Cabo Segundo	Cabo Tercero	Infante Regular
Abbr.		SMCCCIM	SMCCIM	SMCIM	SPCIM	SVCIM	SSCIM	CPCIM	CSCIM	C3CIM	-
English		Joint Command Sergeant Major	Command Sergeant Major	Sergeant Major	First Sergeant	Sergeant First Class	Second Sergeant	First Corporal	Second Corporal	Third Corporal	Private, Marine

Air Force

Coat of arms of the Colombian Air Force

The Colombian Air Force is the service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia tasked with the protection and defense of the Colombian sovereign airspace. The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Air Force personnel.^[5]

	Ranks and Insignias - Colombian Air Force
NATO code[n 1]	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1
Colombia	No Equivalent
Spanish	-	General del Aire	Teniente General del Aire	Mayor General del Aire	Brigadier General del Aire	Coronel	Teniente Coronel	Mayor	Capitán	Teniente	Subteniente
Abbr.	-	GR	TG	MG	BG	CR	TC	MY	CT	TE	ST
English	-	General of the Air	Lieutenant General of the Air	Major General of the Air	Brigadier General of the Air	Colonel	Lieutenant Colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second Lieutenant
NATO code[n 1]		OR-9		OR-8	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
Colombia											No equivalent
Spanish		Técnico Jefe de Comando Conjunto	Técnico Jefe de Comando	Técnico Jefe	Técnico Subjefe	Técnico Primero	Técnico Segundo	Técnico Tercero	Técnico Cuarto	Aerotécnico	-
Abbr.		TJCC	TJC	TJ	TS	TP	T2	T3	T4	AT	-
English		Joint Command Chief Technician	Command Chief Technician	Senior Chief Technician	Chief Technician	Technician First Class	Technician 2nd Class	Technician 3rd Class	Junior Technician	Airman	-

See also

• Military Forces of Colombia
• Colombian Ministry of Defense
• Colombian National Police
• Ranks and insignia of NATO
• List of comparative military ranks
• Rank (military)

Notes

1. Colombia is not a member of NATO, so there is not an official equivalence between the Colombian military ranks and those defined by NATO. The displayed parallel is approximate and for illustration purposes only.

References

1. Secretaría Senado de la República de Colombia (ed.). "Constitución Política de Colombia" (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 April 2011.
2. Secretaría Senado de la República de Colombia (ed.). "Decreto 1790 de 2000 - Normas de carrera del personal de oficiales y suboficiales de las Fuerzas Militares" (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 April 2011.
3. Secretaría Senado de la República de Colombia (ed.). "Ley 1405 de 2010 - Nuevos Grados Militares" (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 April 2011.
4. Policía Nacional de Colombia (ed.). "Reglamento de Ceremonial y Protocolo Policial" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 April 2011.
5. Congreso de la República de Colombia (28 July 2010). "Ley 1405 de 2010 Nuevos Grados Militares" (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 April 2011.
6. Ejército de Colombia (15 March 2011). "Grados y distintivos del Ejército" (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 April 2011.
7. Armada Republica de Colombia (2006). "Insignias de la Armada" (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 April 2011.

External links

• Colombian Army - Official site (Spanish)
• Colombian Navy - Official site (Spanish)
• Colombian Air Force - Official site (Spanish)