First founded as a Region, its headquarters were relocated by
Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro's administration from
Lambayeque to
Piura in 1930. It was then reorganized under
Manuel Prado's administration and renamed as the
Northern Army Detachment () in January 1941, under the command of then General
Eloy Ureta. After
hostilities broke out with
Ecuador on July of the same year, the division took on a major role during the conflict, carrying out
an offensive on the Ecuadorian coast. In the 1960s, the unit was again renamed to the
1st Military Region, and again in 2003 as the
Northern Military Region. The division's coat of arms features a
Sun of May and other features that represent certain elements of the division. ==Organization==