Peruvian Army

The Peruvian Army (Spanish: Ejército del Perú, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding internal security, conducting disaster relief operations and participating in international peacekeeping operations. It celebrates the anniversary of the Battle of Ayacucho (1824) on December 9 .

History

Military traditions in Peruvian territory go back to prehispanic times, ranging from small armed bands to the large armies assembled by the Inca Empire. After the Spanish conquest, small garrisons were kept at strategic locations but no standing army existed until the Bourbon reforms of the 18th century. The main purpose of this force was the defense of the Viceroyalty from pirates and corsairs as well as internal rebellions.

Independence

The "Ejército del Perú" was officially established on August 18, 1821 when the government of general José de San Martín established the "Legión Peruana de la Guardia" (Peruvian Guard Legion), although some militia units had been formed before. Peruvian troops were key participants in the final campaign against Spanish rule in South America, under the leadership of general Simón Bolívar, which ended victoriously in the battles of Junín and Ayacucho in 1824.

19th century

After the War of Independence the strong position of the Army and the lack of solid political institutions meant that every Peruvian president until 1872 held some military rank. The "Ejército del Perú" also had a major role in the definition of national borders by participating in several wars against neighbor countries. This included an indecisive conflict against the Gran Colombia (1828-1829), the wars of the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy (1836-1839), two invasions of Bolivia (1827-1828 and 1841) and a brief occupation of Ecuador (1859-1860). Starting in 1842, increased state revenues from guano exports allowed the expansion and modernization of the Army, as well as the consolidation of its political power. This improvements were an important factor in the defeat of a Spanish naval expedition at the Battle of Callao (1866). However, continuous overspending and a growing public debt led to a chronic fiscal crisis in the 1870s which severely affected defense budgets. The consequent lack of military preparedness combined with bad leadership were major causes of Peru's defeat against Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). The reconstruction of the Army started slowly after the war due to a general lack of funds. A major turning point in this process was the arrival in 1896 of a French Military Mission contracted by president Nicolás de Piérola.

20th century

During the early years of the 20th century the Peruvian Army underwent a series of reforms under the guidance of the French Military Mission which operated in the periods 1896-1914, 1919-1924 and 1932-1939. Changes included the streamlining of the General Staff, the establishment of the "Escuela Superior de Guerra" (War College) in 1904, the creation of four military regions (North, Center, South and Orient) in 1905 and a general professionalization of the military career. Improvements such as this were instrumental in the good performance of the Army in border skirmishes with Colombia (1911 and 1932) and a major war against Ecuador (1941).

Even though the Peruvian Army was not involved in World War II, this conflict had a significant effect in its development, mainly through the replacement of French military influence by that of the United States. A US military mission started operations in 1945 followed by an influx of surplus American military equipment delivered as military aid or sold at a very low cost. Washington also established itself as the leader of continental defense through the creation of the Inter-American Defense Board in 1942 and the signing of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance in 1947. A parallel development was the founding in 1950 of the "Centro de Altos Estudios Militares" (CAEM, Center of High Military Studies) for the formation of officers in the major problems of the nation beyond those related to its military defense.

The Peruvian Army was the main protagonist of the "Gobierno Revolucionario de las Fuerzas Armadas" (Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces), an institutionalized military government that ruled the country between 1968 and 1980. During this period, defense expenditures underwent exponential growth allowing a rapid expansion of the Armed Forces and an unprecedented level of weapon acquisitions. In the early 1970s, US influence over the Army was replaced by a massive influx of Soviet training and equipment. Political power returned to the civilians in the 1980s, but the rise of the terrorist insurgent group "Sendero Luminoso" (Shining Path) prompted the deployment of several Army units in a counter-insurgency role. Human rights violations associated with this intervention and a sharp decrease in the defense budget due to a general economic crisis caused serious problems for the Army morale and readiness as well as a strain on civil-military relations.

The presidency of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) saw the Army regain protagonism in the public scene, but its increased political power led to widespread corruption. The internal conflict ceased for the most part after the capture in 1992 of Abimael Guzmán, leader of Shining Path, but a brief border war with Ecuador broke out in 1995. During this period, women were incorporated into the Army first as conscripts in 1993 and then as officers in 1997. Army commandos had an important participation in operation "Chavín de Huantar" which put an end to the Japanese embassy hostage crisis. In 1999, one year after the signing of a peace treaty with Ecuador conscription was abolished and replaced by a voluntary military service.

21st century

The downfall of the Alberto Fujimori regime left the Peruvian Army in a state of disarray, with many of its senior officers compromised in scandals of corruption and human rights violations. To cope with this situation several reforms were undertaken during the presidencies of Valentín Paniagua (2000-2001) and Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), among them the prosecution of criminal cases related to the military, the reorganization of the military rank system and an increased civilian supervision through a revamped Ministry of Defense. The outcome of this and other initiatives will be a major factor in the future development of the "Ejército del Perú".

Organization

The current Commander-in-Chief of the Peruvian Army is General César Reinoso. Land forces are subordinated to the Ministry of Defense and ultimately to the President as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. They are organized as follows:

** "Comandancia General del Ejército" (Army General Command)
** "Estado Mayor General del Ejército" (Army General Staff)
** "Inspectoría General del Ejército" (Army General Inspectorate)
** "Secretaría General del Ejército" (Army General Secretariat)

Operational units are assigned to one of the following military regions, which are directly subordinate to the Army General Command.

"Región Militar del Norte"

North Military Region, headquartered at Piura

* 1st Cavalry Brigade (Sullana)
* 1st Infantry Brigade (Tumbes)
* 7th Infantry Brigade (Lambayeque)
* 32nd Infantry Brigade (Trujillo)
* 6th Jungle Brigade (El Milagro)

"Región Militar del Centro"

Center Military Region, headquartered at Lima

* 18th Armored Brigade (Lima)
* 2nd Infantry Brigade (Ayacucho)
* 31st Infantry Brigade (Huancayo)
* 1st Special Forces Brigade (Lima)
* 3rd Special Forces Brigade (Tarapoto)
* 1st Army Aviation Brigade (Callao)

"Región Militar del Sur"

South Military Region, headquartered at Arequipa

* 3rd Armored Brigade (Moquegua)
* 3rd Cavalry Brigade (Tacna)
* 4th Mountain Brigade (Puno)
* 5th Mountain Brigade (Cuzco)

"Región Militar del Oriente"

Orient Military Region, headquartered at Iquitos

* 5th Jungle Brigade (Iquitos)

Personnel

Notes

ources

* Basadre, Jorge, "Historia de la República del Perú". Editorial Universitaria, 1983.
* Cobas, Efraín, "Las Fuerzas Armadas Peruanas en el Siglo XXI". CESLA, 2003.
*Cruz, César, "Latin America Air Forces Survey - Peru". "Air Forces Monthly" 220: 77-78 (July 2006).
*International Institute for Strategic Studies, "The Military Balance 2000-2001". IISS, 2000.
* Mejía, Lewis and César Cruz, "La Aviación del Ejército del Perú".
"Defensa" 290: 42-48 (June 2002).
* Ministerio de Defensa del Perú, "Libro blanco de la defensa nacional".
http://www.mindef.gob.pe/lb_2005/index.htm
* Rial, Juan, "Los militares tras el fin del régimen de Fujimori-Montesinos".
http://www.resdal.org/art-rial.htm
* Tecnología Militar, N°1/2006 ISSN 0 722-2904
* Marchessini, Alejo, "Plan Bolognesi: Actualidad y Futuro del Ejército del Peru". Defensa 347 (March 2007).

ee also

* Cenepa War
* Ecuadorian-Peruvian war
* Paquisha War
* War of the Pacific

External links

* [http://www.ejercito.mil.pe/ Official Peruvian Army Website]
* [http://armoreddefense.com/gallery/Peruvian-Army Armored Defense]