Military traditions in Peruvian territory go back to
prehispanic times, ranging from small armed bands to the large armies assembled by the
Inca Empire. After the
Spanish conquest, small garrisons were kept at strategic locations but no standing army existed until the
Bourbon reforms of the 18th century. The main purpose of this force was the defense of the
Viceroyalty from
pirates and
corsairs as well as internal
rebellions.
Independence The
Ejército del Perú was officially established on August 18, 1821, when the government of general
José de San Martín established the
Legión Peruana de la Guardia (Peruvian Guard Legion), although some militia units had been formed before. Peruvian troops were key participants in the final campaign against Spanish rule in South America, under the leadership of general
Simón Bolívar, which ended victoriously in the battles of
Junín and
Ayacucho in 1824.
19th century , July 7, 1880.Painting by
Juan Lepiani After the
War of Independence the strong position of the Army and the lack of solid political institutions meant that every
Peruvian president until 1872 held some military rank. The
Ejército del Perú also had a major role in the definition of national borders by participating in several wars against neighbor countries. This included a conflict against Gran Colombia (1828-1829) where naval victories were obtained and the blockade of
Guayaquil but had setbacks in Tarqui, after that an armistice is signed where it is indicated that it remains in statu quo, the Great Colombia dissolves months later product of the war with Peru, the wars of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation (1836-1839), two military invasions to Bolivia and the subsequent expulsion of Bolivian troops from Peruvian soil (1828 and 1841) and a successful occupation of
Ecuador (1858-1860). Starting in 1842, increased state revenues from
guano. Exports allowed the expansion and modernization of the Army, as well as the consolidation of its political power. These improvements were an important factor in the defeat of a Spanish naval expedition at the
Battle of Callao (1866). However, continuous overspending and a growing public debt led to a chronic fiscal crisis in the 1870s which severely affected defense budgets. The consequent lack of military preparedness combined with bad leadership were major causes of Peru's defeat against
Chile in the
War of the Pacific (1879–1883). The reconstruction of the Army started slowly after the war due to a general lack of funds. A major turning point in this process was the arrival in 1896 of a French Military Mission contracted by president
Nicolás de Piérola. By 1900 the peacetime strength of the army was evaluated at six infantry battalions (nearly 2,000 soldiers), two regiments and four squadrons and cavalry (between six and seven hundred soldiers), and one artillery regiment (just over 500 soldiers) for a total of 3,075 personnel. A military school was reportedly operating in the
Chorrillos District of Lima and French officers were continuing to assist in the army's reorganization.
20th century During the early years of the 20th century the Peruvian Army underwent a series of reforms under the guidance of the French Military Mission which operated in the periods 1896–1914, 1919–1924 and 1932–1939. Changes included the streamlining of the
General Staff, the establishment of the
Escuela Superior de Guerra (
War College) in 1904, the creation of four military regions (North, Center, South and Orient) in 1905 and a general professionalization of the military career. Improvements such as these were fundamental for the good performance of the Army in the border skirmishes with
Colombia (Colombian troops are expelled from the territory of La Pedrera in 1911 and the Peruvian Colombian war in 1933) and a victorious
war against Ecuador (1941). Even though the Peruvian Army was not involved in
World War II, this conflict had a significant effect in its development, mainly through the replacement of French military influence by that of the
United States. A US military mission started operations in 1945 followed by an influx of surplus American military equipment delivered as
military aid or sold at a very low cost. Washington also established itself as the leader of continental defense through the creation of the
Inter-American Defense Board in 1942 and the signing of the
Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance in 1947. A parallel development was the founding in 1950 of the
Centro de Altos Estudios Militares (CAEM, Center of High Military Studies) for the formation of
officers in the major problems of the nation beyond those related to its military defense. The Peruvian Army was the main protagonist of the
Gobierno Revolucionario de las Fuerzas Armadas (Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces), an institutionalized
military government that ruled the country between 1968 and 1980. During this period, defense expenditures underwent exponential growth allowing a rapid expansion of the
Armed Forces and an unprecedented level of weapon acquisitions. In the early 1970s, US influence over the Army was replaced by a massive influx of
Soviet training and equipment, including
T-55 tanks, the
BM-21 Grad, AK series rifles and the BTR series APCs plus a new Soviet-styled national military strategy of regaining the lost southern provinces which were now part of Chile. Political power returned to the civilians in the 1980s, but the rise of the
terrorist insurgent group Sendero Luminoso (
Shining Path) prompted the deployment of several Army units in a
counter-insurgency role.
Human rights violations associated with this intervention and a sharp decrease in the defense budget due to a general economic crisis caused serious problems for the Army
morale and readiness as well as a strain on
civil-military relations. In 1981 during the government of
Belaúnde Terry, the
Paquisha war broke out where 3 infiltrated bases from Ecuador were detected in Peruvian territory on the source of the Comaina River, ending with the eviction and bombardment of Ecuadorian bases. The presidency of
Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000) saw the Army regain protagonism in the public scene, but its increased political power led to some cases of
corruption. The
internal conflict ceased for the most part after the capture in 1992 of
Abimael Guzmán, leader of the terrorist group
Shining Path, but a brief
border war with Ecuador broke out in 1995. During this period, women were incorporated into the Army first as
conscripts in 1993 and then as
officers in 1997. Army commandos had an important participation in operation
Chavín de Huantar which put an end to the
Japanese embassy hostage crisis. In 1999, one year after the signing of a peace treaty with Ecuador
conscription was abolished and replaced by a voluntary
military service for both genders.
21st century The downfall of the
Alberto Fujimori regime left the Peruvian Army in a difficult state, with some of its senior officers compromised in scandals of
corruption and
human rights violations. Several reforms were undertaken during the presidencies of
Valentín Paniagua (2000–2001) and
Alejandro Toledo (2001–2006), among them the prosecution of criminal cases related to the military, the reorganization of the military rank system and an increased civilian supervision through a revamped
Ministry of Defense. The outcome of this and other initiatives is a major factor of order, major preparation, new equipment and development of the
Ejército del Perú. G-3 America (G3 and Associates International Corporation) facilitated the incorporation of new technology to eliminate or reduce terrorism. They have been working tenaciously in getting the right equipment for the Armed Forces while working with the US State Department and US companies to accomplish it. The Ollanta Humalla administration has also had the Army engaged in training members of Peru's indigenous peoples for the duties of national defense as well as, through the BECA 18 program, helping to reduce poverty while teaching the youth of the values of national service. His term also saw the revival of the Army's modernization process with the arrival of the Type 81 MRL, pushing its BM-21s into retirement. The Peruvian Ministry of Defence has awarded a US$67 million contract to
General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada for 32
Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) for the
Peruvian Marines. The contract was signed through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a Crown corporation of the Government of Canada. In 2016, the
Defense Security Cooperation Agency of the United States made a determination to approve a possible Foreign Military Sale to Peru of 178 reconditioned
Stryker infantry carrier vehicles. In 2023, amidst the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States was reported to be pushing Central and South American countries with large quantities of Russian equipment to provide them to Ukraine, by either donating them or exchanging them for U.S. military equipment. Analysts report that Peru is a likely candidate, due to their large quantities of Russian equipment. ==Organization==