The Bolivian Army is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. Figures on the size and composition of the Bolivian army vary considerably, with little official data available. It is estimated that the army has between 26,000 and 60,000 men. On June 26, 2024, the General of the Army, General Juan José Zúñiga, was dismissed and replaced with José Wilson Sánchez due to the former leading a coup attempt against President Luis Arce.

History

Organization

Combat units directly under the Army general command

Special forces command

The Special Forces command controls the following units:

Army aviation command

Regional

The Bolivian Army has six military regions (regiones militares—RMs) covering the various Departments of Bolivia:

Army Divisions

The army is organized into ten territorial divisions, titled Army Divisions (AD), plus a mechanized division, each of which, with the exception of Viacha, occupy a region generally corresponding to the administrative departments, with some overlapping. These and their respective divisional headquarters and constituent units are: Regimental abbreviations RIE/IR/PIR: infantry regiment RC/ACR: cavalry regiment RA: artillery regiment Bat.Ing./CEB: Engineer battalion The 11 divisions control the following units: The Army maintains a small fleet of utility aircraft, primarily to support headquarters.

Equipment

Vehicles

Aircraft

Uniforms

Army officers, NCOs, and enlisted personnel generally wear gray service uniforms. In tropical areas they wear gray-green service uniforms. Army fatigue uniforms are olive green, and combat uniforms consist of US woodland pattern camouflage and desert pattern camouflage. The standard headgear for enlisted personnel is a beret bearing the national colors of red, yellow, and green. Armoured troops and paratroopers are distinguished by black berets. Special forces wear distinctive camouflage uniforms with green berets.

2024 coup attempt

On June 26, 2024, the General of the Bolivian Army, General Juan José Zúñiga lead an attempted coup against the democratically elected President, Luis Arce, who was elected in the 2020 general election with 55.1% of the vote. The army stormed the Presidential Palace in the capital of La Paz. Subsequently, the Generals of the three branches of the military were dismissed, with Juan José Zúñiga, the leader of the coup attempt, being arrested the same day. He was replaced as General of the Army by José Wilson Sánchez.