Military ranks of Bolivia

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				Senior officers			Junior officers
Parade dress
Combat uniform
Bolivian Army^[2] v t e
Bolivian Army^[2] v t e	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] v t e
Bolivian Army^[3] v t e	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

Navy

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

Paygrade	NCO	SNCO	Both	Both	Both	Both	Both
Insignia
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] v t e
Bolivian Navy^[5] v t e			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] v t e																																			No insignia
Bolivian Navy^[5] v t e	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] v t e
Bolivian Air Force^[6] v t e			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] v t e
Bolivian Air Force^[7] v t e	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				Senior officers			Junior officers
Bolivian Army (1968–2019)^[11]
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]
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]
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
Bolivian Army (1968–2019)^[12]	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]
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
Bolivian Air Force (1968–2019)^[12]	Sub-oficial maestre	Sub-oficial mayor	Sub-oficial primero	Sub-oficial segundo	Sub-oficial inicial	Sargento primero	Sargento segundo	Cabo	Dragoneante	Soldado

References

^ Pike, John. "Bolivian Uniforms and Insignia". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ "Bolivia04-05 - Picture Pages". www.steiner7.com. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
^ ^a ^b "Grados De La Armada Boliviana". armada (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 August 2024.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Bolivia, Opinión (2019-09-14). "Mariscales de Bolivia:museo resguarda su historia". Opinión Bolivia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-12-15.
^ "Bolivia tiene su primera Mariscala - ANF Agencia de Noticias Fides Bolivia". www.noticiasfides.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
^ Gamarra 1991, pp. 239–240.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gamarra 1991, p. 242.
^ ^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.

[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.

[BoliviaNavy-5] "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.

[FOOTNOTEGamarra1991239–240-10] Gamarra 1991, pp. 239–240.

[FOOTNOTEGamarra1991242-11] Gamarra 1991, p. 242.

[FOOTNOTEGamarra1991244-12] Gamarra 1991, p. 244.

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