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Colombia - Military School Flags

Pre-Military Schools:

See also:

Military Schools - Overview

The military schools were influenced by ESMIC established in 1907, itself based on the previously existing "Colegios Militares" (Military Schools) that were established right after the country's first attempt at autonomous rule since the declaration of Independence on July 20, 1810 and the first of such schools which were set up from December of that same year onwards as previous steps for the formation of Officers and Non-commissioned Officers. In fact, the ESMIC had its own baccalaureate program first established through "Decreto 1909 del 25 de Octubre de 1938" (Decree 1909 of October 25, 1938) (https://www.suin-juriscol.gov.co/viewDocument.asp?id=1369211). However the current vision of a military school is the basic education of students with a military orientation. The first of these types of schools was the "Academia Militar de Ramírez" (Ramirez' Military Academy) in Bogotá in 1940, followed by the "Colegio Militar Cooperativo" in 1950, the latter changing its name to "Colegio Militar Caldas".

The Ministry of Education, through "Resolución 2674 de Septiembre de 1952" (Resolution 2674 of September 1952), complemented by "Resolución 1617 de 1965" (Resolution 1617 of 1965) of the Ministry of Defense and "Resolución 3367 de Noviembre de 1967" (Resolution 3367 of November 1967) of the Ministry of Education, as well as "Decreto 546 del 29 de Marzo de 1967 del Ministerio de Defensa" (Decree 546 of March 29, 1967 of the Ministry of Defense, https://www.mineducacion.gov.co/1780/articles-104101_archivo_pdf.pdf) established the guidelines for military instruction, the latter being modified by the "Decreto No. 1472 del 29 de Julio de 1971" (Decree No. 1472 of July 29, 1971) (https://www.suin-juriscol.gov.co/viewDocument.asp?id=1293232).

In 1962 the "Instituto Militar Alemán" (German Military Institute), also in Bogotá which changed its name to "Instituto Militar Antonio Ricaurte" ('Antonio Ricaurte' Military Institute) in 1973. This school was the first that accepted girls (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch).

The fact that military instruction is given to the school gives it a particular organization and assigns it regimes of discipline and internal conduct that are expressed through regulations issued by the rector (Schoolmaster/Principal) and that are of course strictly observed by the teaching staff, the students and the officials of the administrative services.

Despite its military character, the school is not a barracks housing a corps of troops, nor do its cadets in any way constitute an integral part of the Public Force (Military and Police).

As of 2018 in the country there were a total of 45 "Colegios Militares" (source: https://es.scribd.com/document/698265709/Tesis-de-Historia-Colegios-Militares) and up to 2021 this number was 82 (source: https://www.facebook.com/FuerzasMilitaresColombia/posts).

Sources: "Academia Colombiana de Historia Militar, Boletín No. 4" (Colombian Academy of Military History, Bulletin No. 4), p. 3402, 3426 and 4882 (https://www.ellibrototal.com/ltotal/?t=1&d=21811) ,
"Colegios militares en Colombia: construcción de la historia de instituciones educativas con orientación militar" (Military schools in Colombia: building the history of educational institutions with a military orientation) (2018) by Rubén Darío Carvajal Real (https://es.scribd.com/document/698265709/Tesis-de-Historia-Colegios-Militares),
http://www.ofecfuturoscientificos.com/Colegios_militares.html
"Memoria del Ministro de Defensa Nacional al Congreso de 1966" (Memoirs of the Minister of National Defense to the 1966 Congress" (https://esdegrepositorio.edu.co/items/9a20bc7a-5443-471f-bd20-4d01e401a471) and
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escuela_Militar_de_Cadetes_General_Jos%C3%A9_ar%C3%ADa_C%C3%B3rdova

Esteban Rivera, 11 August 2026

There has recently been a slight change in the way the Schools are arranged in the Colombian Army. The schools are under a specific category according to its purpose:

Escuelas de Formación (Formation Schools):
- Escuela Militar de Cadetes "General José María Córdova"
- Escuela Militar de Suboficiales "Sargento Inocencio Chincá"
- Escuela de Soldados Profesionales
- Centro de Educación Militar
- Escuela de Armas y Servicios
- Escuela de Infantería
- Escuela de Caballería
- Escuela de Artillería
- Escuela de Ingenieros
- Escuela de Comunicaciones
- Escuela de Logística
- Escuela de Policía Militar (ESPOM, Military Police School, official website)
- Escuela de Relaciones Civiles y Militares
- Escuela de Equitación (ESCEQ, Equestrian School, official abbreviation, official website)
- Escuela de Aviación del Ejército (ESAVE)
- Escuela de Inteligencia y Contrainteligencia "Brigadier General Ricardo Charry Solano"
- Batallón de Servicios para la Educación Militar (BASEM, Military Education Services Battalion, official website)
- Compañía Avanzada de Tiro (CITAE, Advanced Shooting Company, official website)
- Centro Nacional de Entrenamiento (CENAE, Training National Center, official website, located in Tolemaida, Cundinamarca
- Escuela de Lanceros
- Escuela de Paracaidismo Militar
- Escuela de Soldados Profesionales (ESPRO, Professional Soldiers School, official website, it is located in the same facilities as the CENAE)
- Escuela de Fuerzas Especiales (ESFES, Special Forces School, see also BRFER, official website)
- Centro de Instrucción y Reentrenamiento Tropas Ejército (CERTE, Army Troops Center of Instruction and Training, official abbreviation, official website)
- Batallón de Mantenimiento de Ingenieros (BAMAI, Engineers Maintenance Battalion, official website)

Each of these schools have their own Coat of Arms, flags and some even have pennants:
E.R., 9 June 2007