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.
The Army trains all its personnel in the following:
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parade dress | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Combat uniform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bolivian Army [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General de ejército | General de división | General de brigada | Coronel | Teniente coronel | Mayor | Captáin | Teniente | Subteniente |
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:
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.
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolivian Naval Force [5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Almirante | Vicealmirante | Contraalmirante | Capitán de navío | Capitán de fragata | Capitán de corbeta | Teniente de navío | Teniente de fragata | Alférez | Cadete |
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolivian Naval Force [6] | 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 |
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolivian Air Force [7] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | Cadete |
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolivian Air Force [8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 |
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 ; [9] and Juana Azurduy de Padilla, Marshal of the Greath Fatherland (posthumous). [10]
The ranks were introduced in 1968, based on design by the Central American Defense Council (Spanish : Consejo de Defensa Centroamericano; CONDECO). [11]
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolivian Army (1968–2019) [12] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General de ejercito | General de división | General de brigada | Coronel | Teniente coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente | Subteniente | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bolivian Naval Force (1968–2019) [12] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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) [12] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 |
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolivian Army (1968–2019) [13] | 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 Naval Force (1968–2019) [13] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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) [13] | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sub-oficial maestre | Sub-oficial mayor | Sub-oficial primero | Sub-oficial segundo | Sub-oficial inicial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo | Dragoneante | Soldado |
Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world.
The Bolivian Navy is a branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. As of 2008, the Bolivian Navy had approximately 5,000 personnel. Although Bolivia has been landlocked since the War of the Pacific and the Treaty of Peace and Friendship (1904), Bolivia established a River and Lake Force in January 1963 under the Ministry of National Defense. It consisted of four boats supplied from the United States and 1,800 personnel recruited largely from the Bolivian Army. The Bolivian Navy was renamed the Bolivian Naval Force in January 1966, but it has since been called the Bolivian Navy as well. It became a separate branch of the armed forces in 1963. Bolivia has large rivers which are tributaries to the Amazon which are patrolled to prevent smuggling and drug trafficking. Bolivia also maintains a naval presence on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, which the country shares with Peru.
Second sergeant is typically a non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries.
Ship-of-the-line lieutenant is a naval officer rank, used in a number of countries. The name derives from the name of the largest class of warship, the ship of the line, as opposed to smaller types of warship.
Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette. The equivalent rank is lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies, lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, and lieutenant-commander in the Royal Canadian Navy – a bilingual country which actually uses the term capitaine de corvette (capc) for the rank of lieutenant-commander when written or spoken in French.
Frigate captain is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries. Corvette captain lies one level below frigate captain.
Frigate lieutenant is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries.
First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries.
Rank comparison chart of all armies and land forces of North and South American states.
Rank comparison chart of air forces of North and South American states.
Rank comparison chart of navies of North and South American states.
Rank comparison chart of navies of North and South American states.
Rank comparison chart of armies/ land forces of North and South American states.
Rank comparison chart of Non-commissioned officer and enlisted ranks for air forces of North and South American states.
Rank comparison chart of officers for armies/land forces of Hispanophone states.
Rank comparison chart of Non-commissioned officer and enlisted ranks for navies of Hispanophone states.
Rank comparison chart of Non-commissioned officer and enlisted ranks for air forces of Hispanophone states.
Rank comparison chart of officers for air forces of Hispanophone states.
Rank comparison chart of officers for navies of Hispanophone states.