The General Command of the Colombian Military Forces proudly celebrates 68 years of its creation with a special ceremony that will take place in the parade field of the Infantry School, in the North of Bogotá.
During the ceremony presided over by the Minister of Defense, Guillermo Botero Nieto and the general commander of the Military Forces, Major General Luis Fernando Navarro Jiménez, 121 Distinguished Service Medals of the Military Forces will be granted, they are the maximum distinction and recognition given to personalities that have served to the homeland. In the same way, 139 men and women officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers and civilians of land, sea and air will be decorated with the Medal Fe en la Causa of the General Command of the military forces.
A glimpse of history
Since its creation, in 1951, the General Command has been directed towards achieving effectiveness in the preparation and strategic direction of the Military Forces to ensure the coordination of efforts to fulfill its mission with joint and effective work which will always be the main objective.
When, at the beginning of the 1950s, Colombia was mired in an institutional crisis, as a result of the political violence generated by the death of the liberal party leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitán, in all corners of the country there were continuous acts of barbarism that the police force could not control due to lack of resources. This circumstance was what led the National Government to determine the restructuration in the organization of the Military Forces. The executive then saw the need to separate the functions of the command and the functions of the General Staff in order to achieve greater efficiency in the preparation and execution of these operations.
Since then, the General Command has been responsible for the preparation of strategic plans related to the use of the Military Forces in national defense.
Through more than six decades, the Colombian Military Forces have accumulated a great experience in the fight against different threats. Today they have all the human, technological and operational capacity to fight those threats.
The Colombian military forces operate jointly to combat any type of illegal structure or group that may hit the peace and security of Colombians.
The creation of Joint Commands and Joint Task Forces at a strategic level has been a success for the development and efficiency of joint operations against illegal groups, which has led to important successful operations that remain in the minds of Colombians.
Operations such as Jaque, Camaleón, Némesis, Fortaleza I and II, Sodoma, Orinoquía, among others, are just a sample of the importance of combining in a decisive way the ground experience of the troops of the Army and the Navy infantry, with the naval intelligence and the precision of Aircrafts of the Colombian Air Force.
Today, the Military Forces of Colombia are recognized throughout the world not only for their enormous operational capacity, but in the same way for the great professionalism of their men and women. Of course, in the same way the compatriots recognize this effort, showing their support and favorability with the confidence reflected in successive opinion polls.
Source: Strategic Communications - General Command of the Military Forces
