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Colombia - Army

Last modified: 2021-08-26 by klaus-michael schneider
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Standard
image by Jaume Ollé and Eugene Ipavec, 22 August 2005



See also:


Reverse side


Standard - reverse
image by Eugene Ipavec, 3 March 2006

The new Colombian Army flag (it is "new" because the Army's Coat of Arms has been slightly changed - see below).
Source: <www.revistaaeronautica.mil.co>.
E.R., 22 August 2005 and 5 June 2006


Variant


Standard - variant
image by Eugene Ipavec, 2 June 2006

Another version of the flag is the plain red background charged with the new Coat of Arms. The reverse of the flag is still the same.
Source: Colombian Army's official website.
E.R., 2 and 5 June 2006

There is probably what one would call another variant of the Colombian Army Flag. The flag featured as official on the Colombian Army official website is the plain red flag plus the Coat of Arms but the background of the circles in the Coat of Arms are red instead of white, as seen at <www.ejercito.mil.co>.
E.R., 31 August 2009


Previous Standart


Previous Standart
image by Jaume Ollé, 5 November 2001

Ejercito de la Republica de Colombia - This flag can be seen (in an arty, animated way), at the frame "organizacion" at <www.mindefensa.gov.co>.
Guillermo Tell, 3 June 2000

I have found the complete description of the Coat of Arms of the Colombian Army Flag in Spanish:
"Será de forma Suiza, acuartelado en cruz, es decir en cuatro cuarteles, así:
El cantón diestro del Jefe será de gules, con dos fusiles de oro, con correas de los mismos, de los cuales uno irá en barra y otro en Banda es decir, cruzados.
El cantón diestro de la punta será de sable, con dos tubos de canón en oro cruzados en sotuer.
El cantón siniestro de la punta será en púrpura, con un castillo almenado en oro.
El cantón derecho del Jefe en gules, el color del fuego y de la sangre, que conviene a los héroes y a los mártires, simboliza fortaleza, victoria, osadía, alteza y ardid, cualidades inherentes al infante, cuya idiosincrasia trata de representarse con este color. En el centro de este cuartel van dos fusiles cruzados uno en barra y otro en banda. El fusil es el arma básica de un Ejército, por eso esta figura está en la parte más importante para este caso, del escudo . Las cualidades de ser el arma básica y más antigua le dan la propiedad.
El campo siniestro en oro simboliza juicio, inteligencia, madurez de espíritu, nobleza, magnanimidad, riqueza, poder y sabiduría. Este cuartel lleva de oro dos sables cruzados en sotuer y por si mismos representan la caballería, cuyo patrono, San Jorge, es espejo de gentiles hombres.
El cantón diestro de la punta en sable significa la idea de la sombra misteriosa, prudencia, sin reparos, caracteriza lo que esta más allá de la inteligencia ,lo ignoto, color seco y duro que evoca al hierro, a la ceniza. Simboliza también la tristeza, el rigor, la humildad y la franqueza, color de luto.
Lleva de oro dos tubos de canón en sotuer, es la insignia por excelencia de los artilleros que el cuatro de diciembre evocan a su patrona, Santa Bárbara.
El cantón siniestro de la punta lleva de púrpura un castillo de tres torres almenadas en oro.
La púrpura significa modestia, prudencia, humildad, soledad, deseo y nostalgia del triunfo, es el color de la cereza en sazón.
El castillo con torres almenadas habla del fortalecimiento logrado a base de voluntad y esfuerzo humano.
Timbre
El escudo estará timbrado por un yelmo en acero brunido mirando a la derecha como símbolo de legitimidad.
La calva del casco llevará como cimera tres plumas con los colores de la Bandera Nacional.
Adornos exteriores
Llevará a cada lado lambrequines o lamequines de hojas de acanto en gules y plata.
Divisa o Empresa
Llevará a cada lado lambrequines o lamequines de hojas de acanto en gules y plata."
Source: Official Website of the Colombian Army at <www.ejercito.mil.co>.
Santiago Tazon, 22 January 2002

The Colombian Army flag has been modified again, this time to add another Combat Arm: Cuerpo de Logística (Logistics Corp, represented by the Logistics School).
The new Army's Coat of arms is seen here.
(Source: http://www.ejercito.mil.co/index.php?idcategoria=78408).
This new Coat of arms has been updated in 2005 and can also be seen here. Thus, the pattern is the same, a plain red background flag with the updated Coat of arms.
Esteban Rivera, 19 August 2012


War Flag

The Colombian Army War Flag can be seen here and here. Both of the above pictures were taken on August 7, 2009. Notice that on top of the Coat of Arms it reads REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA in golden capital letters and on the bottom it says EJERCITO.
Also notice that the ratio is like the official Colombian flag.
E.R., 10 August 2009


Recruiting flag


image by Esteban Rivera, 01 May 2012

Administratively speaking the Colombian Army is subdivided into the following Jefaturas (Offices). Organizational Chart: Source: http://www.ejercito.mil.co/?idcategoria=27
- JEOPE (Jefatura de Operaciones) (Operations Office)
- JELOG (Jefatura de Logística) (Logistics Office)
- JEDEH (Jefatura de Desarrollo Humano) (Human Development Office)
- JEDOC (Jefatura de Educación y Doctrina) (Education and Doctrine Office)
- JEDIH (Jefatura de Derechos Humanos y Derecho Internacional Humanitario) (Human Rights and International Humantiarian Law Office)
- JEING (Jefatura de Ingenieros) (Engineers Office)
- JEFIP (Jefatura Presupuestal y Financiera) (Budget and Financial Office)
- JEREC (Jefatura de Reclutamiento) (Recruiting Office)
- JEJUR (Jefatura Jurídica) (Law Office)

The flag of the JEREC (Jefatura de Reclutamiento) (full name Jefatura de Reclutamiento y Control de Reservas) (Recruiting and Reserves Control Office) is a horizontal flag, horizontally divided into three equal stripes (top black, middle red and bottom white) with the logo in the middle
Image taken on August 23, 2010)
For additional information go to: Reclutamiento (official website)
Esteban Rivera, 01 May 2012


Distinctive sign in military vehicles


image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 June 2005

The distinctive sign in military vehicles used in Colombia.
Source: "Himnos y Símbolos de Nuestra Colombia", page 182. Written in 2000 by Julio Cesar García, edited by Camer Editores. ISBN 958-33-1489-7.
I am not aware that this symbol is used on a flag.
E.R., 12 June 2005

This looks suspiciously like the interwar emblem of Armor in the US Army, and the triangular shape and color arrangement is still used by Armored formations; divisions, I believe, have their number in black on the yellow apex, and there is often a motto, slogan, or nickname in a separate label at the bottom beneath the actual emblem.
Ron Lahav, 12 June 2005

The distinctive mark on armoured units (i.e. tanks) used by the Colombian Army, is based on the same symbol as the US Army uses.
E.R., 18 April 2008


Colombian Army Coat of Arms


image from <www.ejercito.mil.co>

There has been a recent change in the Coat of Arms of the Colombian Army published on the Army's official website on May 17, 2005, the image and also the official explanation in Spanish.
Most important facts:
1. The current version of the Colombian National Army Coat of Arms was designed back in 1936 and had been unmodified until very recently.
2. The new modification was introduced under Resolution No. 0523 of 2005 by the Army Commander, to include the recently created Army Branches: - Aviación del Ejército (Army's Aviation), created in 1990 - Inteligencia Militar (Military Intelligence), created in 1996 - Comunicaciones (Communications), created in 1997.
From top to bottom (left to right), the colors and arms of the following Branches are represented in the Coat of Arms:
- Top left: two crossed rifles over red background: Infantry
- Top right: two crossed swords over yellow background: Cavalry
- Middle left: two crossed cannons over black background: Artillery
- Middle right: brick castle over purple background: Engineers
- Lower left: two crossed signal flags over orange background: Communications
- Lower right: a compass on purple background: Military Intelligence
- Bottom: pilots wings over blue background:  Army Aviation.
It is also worth noticing that each Army Battalion/Brigade (depending on the Branch) will have the background colors displayed on the Coat of Arms, plus the Coat of Arms of that specific unit.
Source: <www.ejercito.mil.co>
 E.R., 12 June 2005


Previous Coat of Arms


image by Jaume Ollé, 5 November 2001


"Fé en la causa" (Faith in the cause)


image located by Esteban Rivera, 22 October 2014

There's a campaign that started within the Colombian Army to promote core military values superior to that of the enemy's (that is, guerrillas, paramilitaries and all other forms of armed violence in the country) to achieve undisputed victory. This campaign was launched in January of 2011 and involves now all other Military Forces (that is: the Navy and the Air Force as well). The name of the campaign is "Fé en la causa" (Faith in the cause). It promotes what it's called a "Comportamiento Ético Superior" (Superior Ethical Behavior) on and off the battlefield (but mainly on the field).
Its flag is the logo of the campaign on a horizontal pixellated digital camouflage flag.
Image is a screenshot of RCN news broadcast of October 20, 2014 in which the flag of "Fé en la causa" is displayed, during an interview of the Commander General of the Military Forces of Colombia regarding "Operación Odiseo" (Operation Odysseus) where the top Farc commander was killed, back in 2011.
Esteban Rivera, 22 October 2014