Recent History
Infanteria de Marina [Naval Infantry]
Colombian Marine Corps - ColMar
By 1955, the National Police and Army removed a high percent of their troops leaving the Navy with sole jurisdiction of the oriental region. In addition, the Armada and its marines were also serving important functions along the southern rivers of the country. In July 1955, the first landing of acerbo troops were preparing the doctrines of amphibious warfare, thanks to the instruction of officers and NCOs in United States and the American Mission for the effect.
A new dimension of battle appeared in 1957, in Puerto Leguizamo, created the "FLUVIAL command", the first unit called "Flotilla Avispa" (Wasp Flotilla), gives rise to operations in rivers and bodies of water in the national territory. They demonstrated the increased velocity and maneuverability capabilities gained by using small armed boats and hencemarked the beginning of the Colombian riverine history. The “Flotilla Avispa” was comprised of 7 small armed boats; six boats would form the taskforce and one would function for command and control. The boats used weremade of aluminum, 13 feet long, capable of carrying over 1700 pounds of cargo (800 kilos) and manned by six marines. They maintained this rudimentary 7ship organization until 1971 when the force organization and equipment were nolonger adequate to contend with the organized formation of subversive guerrillas.
On April 9, 1956, the Marine Corps noncommissioned officers school was founded, headquartered in Turbaco (Bolivar), then moved to veal (Cartagena) and currently works at Coveñas. On July 3, 1958, graduating at the Naval School of cadets the first eight Subtenientes of marine infantry.
In 1964, the government created the infantry Directorate of Navy, and in 1967, is called Marine Corps command. The specialty of amphibious command born in the year of 1956, with a group of men who received a strong and intensive training, giving rise to the battalion of special forces of infantry of Navy, name it currently retains.
The existence of two established subversive groups trained in guerrilla tactics provided the government with a formidable opponent. As a result, the Ministry of War sought to once again make use of the Marines…in the control of national order. By the 1970s, Marine units had a presence in 10 forward stations including Tumaco, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Bogotá, and various other ports. The riverine force of the “Flotilla Avispa” would also experience a transformation. Congressional Resolution No. 8511, enacted on December 14, 1971, approved the creation of the “Comandos de Selva” (Jungle Commandos). The end of the decade saw the emergence of a unit of amphibious troops that could operate along the rivers. The Jungle Commandos received psychological, tactical, and technical training specific for riverine combat. The decade of the 1970s became better known as the time of “War on the Rivers.”
Based on no. 1 today marine infantry training center formation and IM training, based in Cove, began work in the year of 1975, incorporating conscripts to advance its basic instruction, through the training battalions, subsequently transferring them to the tactical units of Marine Corps.
By the end of the 1970 the Colombian Marine Corps had grown to a Brigade comprised of four rifle battalions, a training base in Coveñas, and a Non-Commissioned Officer training school. Concurrently, theriverine force had grown to eight riverine elements that deployed along theMagdalena, Cauca, Meta, Guaviare, Inirida, Putumayo, Caguán, and Orteguaza rivers. The addition of drug cartels to the already existing problem of theguerrillas, however, meant that the Jungle Commandos would have to undergoanother change to confront their new enemies. Therefore, in 1980, under the direction of Brigadier General Numa Pompilio Rojas Currea, the small riverine fleet began to change its structure and organization. By 1981 the formal re-designation of the JungleCommandos to Riverine Combat Element (Elemento de Combate Fluvial ECF)completed the transformation.
Marines arrived at the level of unit operations on 15 January 1984, with the presence of the Marine Corps on the land jurisdiction of the National Navy, archipelagos, Islands, coasts and river arteries. With its slogan "LA will TODO LO tops". Since then the Marine Corps has had several changes in line with the operational situation and public order of Colombia.
By 1989, the new Colombian riverine force had grown to 18 riverine combat elements and was active over a great part of Colombia’s river system. Also in 1989, the United States became heavily involved in Colombia as part of its longstanding War on Drugs. Under the Andean Initiative, the US Marine Corps (USMC) reinvigorated the Colombian Riverine Program. Under thisprogram the Colombian Marines (COLMAR) received US assistance in boat procurement, riverine seminars, infrastructure development, and establishing a new Colombian riverine school.
On August 4, 1999, Puerto Leguizamo, along the river Putumayo, becamethe stage in the inaugural ceremony of the first Marine Infantry Riverine Brigade. This ceremony, attended by President Pastrana, was of historic significance. The new Riverine Brigade united the 30 existing riverine combat elements (RCE)and 9 deployed detachments into five riverine battalions and was given total responsibility for the riverine security in Colombia. Since 1999, the Colombian Riverine Force has increased in size and is organized to includetwo Riverine Brigades with eight Riverine Battalions (BAFLIM), three Riverine Assault Battalions (BASFLIM), 63 Riverine Combat Elements (ECF), and Advanced Riverine Posts (PFA) and naval bases used for logistical support.
In early 2007 Colombian President Uribe ordered a battalion of Colombian Marines (COLMAR) to support the Police on urban patrols and counterdrug operations. "Joint Task Force Buenaventura" was formed early in 2007, with a short-term (perhaps three-month) surge of personnel to 1,200 Marines and 1,050 Police (four times the prior level of 571 Police). The COLMAR's regional brigade had a highly successful track record fighting drugs in the southwest, with seizures mushrooming from one kilo in January 2006 to 2,500 kilos in January 2007. It accounted for 80 percent of the Navy's national interdiction volumes in 2006. Military pressure through expanded patrols, extensive psyops outreach to recruit informants, and generous amnesty offers for demobilization began prompting surrenders. January 2007 netted 128 captures and 160 desertions. The COLMAR said, "Deserters told us that if the public forces maintain this level of pressure, the rest will demobilize too. Our current level of effort is asphyxiating them."
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