Military ranks of Bolivia

Bolivian Military Flag

The Armed Forces of Bolivia has four main branches: Army, Navy, Air Force and the National Police Force. Each of the four branches has a similar structure,[1] each having four pay grades: non-commissioned officers, senior non-commissioned officers, commissioned officers and general staff. However, the SNCO roles vary depending on the branch; some of these hold specialisations.

Army

The Army trains all its personnel in the following:

  • Army NCO School, Sucre
  • Military College of Bolivia, La Paz

Officer ranks

Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
Parade dress
Combat uniform General Ejército EB Pecho General Division EB Pecho General Brigada EB Pecho Coronel Ejército EB Pecho Teniente Coronel Ejército EB Pecho Mayor Ejército EB Pecho Capitán Ejército EB Pecho Teniente Ejército EB Pecho Subteniente Ejército EB Pecho
 Bolivian Army[2]
 General Ejército EB Pecho General Division EB Pecho General Brigada EB Pecho Coronel Ejército EB Pecho Teniente Coronel Ejército EB Pecho Mayor Ejército EB Pecho Capitan Ejército EB Pecho Teniente Ejército EB Pecho Subteniente Ejército EB Pecho
General de ejército General de división General de brigada Coronel Teniente coronel Mayor Captáin Teniente Subteniente

Enlisted ranks

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
Parade dress
Combat uniform
 Bolivian Army[3]
Sub-oficial maestre Sub-oficial mayor Sub-oficial 1° Sub-oficial 2° Sub-oficial inicial Sargento 1° Sargento 2° Sargento inicial° Cabo Dragoneante Soldado raso

Despite being a landlocked country, Bolivia has a large quantity of rivers and lakes which the majority of their naval operations take place on, one example of this is Lake Titicaca,[4] which is shared between Bolivia and Peru.

The Navy, unlike the other three branches, has different specialisations for the NCOs and SNCOs once they reach the rank of 'seaman'. Once a specialisation has been achieved, the sailors' insignia will be adjusted slightly, to make his/her profession more visible. Those corps are as follows:

  • Machinist Corps
  • Medical Corps
  • Divers Corps
  • Logistics Corps
  • Quartermasters Corps
  • Signals Corps
Insignia
Paygrade NCO SNCO Both Both Both Both Both
Corps Machinist Medical Divers Logistics Quartermasters Signals

Any rank between Seaman and Master Chief Petty Officer can have a specialisation as part of their regular rank insignia, the only corps where the insignia varies is within the Machinist Corps, where both NCO and SNCO have a different insignia, this also helps determine their qualifications and what they are responsible for.

The most Senior Non-Commissioned Officer, Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer, holds no specific specialisation. The SNCO would have been a specialist at a lower rank. This sailor would also be the overseer of each of the Corps, ensuring that this branch's members are fully trained and equipped.

Officer ranks

Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
 Bolivian Navy[5]
Almirante Vicealmirante Contraalmirante Capitán de navío Capitán de fragata Capitán de corbeta Teniente de navío Teniente de fragata Alférez

Enlisted ranks

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
 Bolivian Navy[5]
 No insignia
Sub-oficial maestre Sub-oficial mayor Sub-oficial primero Sub-oficial segundo Sub-oficial inicial Sargento primero Sargento segundo Sargento inicial Cabo conscripto Marinero de primero Marinero de segunda

Air Force

Officer ranks

Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
 Bolivian Air Force[6]
General de fuerza aeréa General de división aeréa General de brigada aeréa Coronel aviador Teniente coronel aviador Mayor aviador Captáin aviador Teniente aviador Subteniente aviador

Enlisted ranks

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
 Bolivian Air Force[7]
Sub-oficial maestre Sub-oficial mayor Sub-oficial primero Sub-oficial segundo Sub-oficial inicial Sergento primero Sargento segundo Sargento inicial Cabo Dragoneante Soldado raso

Honorary ranks

In the Armed Forces, the title Marshal is a military distinction granted to generals for exceptional achievements and it is used to denote a senior military leader. Unlike other military titles named "marshal", it is not a military rank. Six individuals in the history of Bolivia have been assigned the rank: Antonio José de Sucre, Marshal of Ayacucho; Andrés de Santa Cruz, Marshal of Zepita; Otto Philipp Braun, Marshal of Montenegro; José Ballivián, Marshal of Ingavi; Bernardino Bilbao Rioja, Marshal of Kilometer 7 ;[8] and Juana Azurduy de Padilla, Marshal of the Greath Fatherland (posthumous).[9]

Historical ranks

The ranks were introduced in 1968, based on design by the Central American Defense Council (Spanish: Consejo de Defensa Centroamericano; CONDECO).[10]

Officers
Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
 Bolivian Army
(1968–2019)[11]
General de ejercito General de división General de brigada Coronel Teniente coronel Mayor Capitán Teniente Subteniente
 Bolivian Navy
(1968–2019)[11]
Almirante Vicealmirante Contraalmirante Capitán de navío Capitán de fragata Capitán de corbeta Teniente de navio Teniente de fragata Teniente de corbeta Alférez
 Bolivian Air Force
(1968–2019)[11]
General de fuerza aeréa General de división aeréa General de brigada aeréa Coronel aviador Teniente coronel aviador Mayor aviador Capitán aviador Teniente aviador Subteniente aviador
Enlisted
Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
 Bolivian Army
(1968–2019)[12] 		No insignia No insignia
Sub-oficial maestre Sub-oficial mayor Sub-oficial primero Sub-oficial segundo Sub-oficial inicial Sargento primero Sargento segundo Cabo Dragoneante Soldado
 Bolivian Navy
(1968–2019)[12]
Sub-oficial maestre Sub-oficial mayor Sub-oficial primero Sub-oficial segundo Sub-oficial inicial Sargento primero Sargento segundo Cabo Marinero de primero Marinero de segunda
 Bolivian Air Force
(1968–2019)[12] 		No insignia
Sub-oficial maestre Sub-oficial mayor Sub-oficial primero Sub-oficial segundo Sub-oficial inicial Sargento primero Sargento segundo Cabo Dragoneante Soldado

References

  1. ^ Pike, John. "Bolivian Uniforms and Insignia". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  2. ^ Ministry of Defense (Bolivia) [@mindefbolivia] (10 December 2019). "Conoce la jerarquía de los grados del #Ejército" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Ministry of Defense (Bolivia) [@mindefbolivia] (16 December 2019). "Hoy te invitamos a conocer la jerarquía de los grados de Suboficiales, Sargentos y Tropa" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "Bolivia04-05 - Picture Pages". www.steiner7.com. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  5. ^ a b "Grados De La Armada Boliviana". armada (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  6. ^ Ministry of Defense (Bolivia) [@mindefbolivia] (18 December 2019). "Conoce la jerarquía de los grados de la #FuerzaAéreaBoliviana" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Ministry of Defense (Bolivia) [@mindefbolivia] (6 January 2020). "Hoy te invitamos a conocer la jerarquía de los grados de Suboficiales, Sargentos y Tropa" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Bolivia, Opinión (2019-09-14). "Mariscales de Bolivia:museo resguarda su historia". Opinión Bolivia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  9. ^ "Bolivia tiene su primera Mariscala - ANF Agencia de Noticias Fides Bolivia". www.noticiasfides.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  10. ^ Gamarra 1991, pp. 239–240.
  11. ^ a b c Gamarra 1991, p. 242.
  12. ^ a b c Gamarra 1991, p. 244.
  • "6: Del Grado y Ascenso". LEY Nº 1405 DE 30 DE DICIEMBRE DE 1992 JAIME PAZ ZAMORA PRESIDENTE CONSTITUCIONAL DE LA REPÚBLICA (in Spanish). p. 31.
  • Gamarra, Eduardo A. (1991). "National Security". In Hudson, Rex A.; Hanratty, Dennis Michael (eds.). Bolivia: a country study. Area Handbook (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. LCCN 90026427. Retrieved 20 December 2021.