Ecuadorian Army The Ecuadorian Army ( " Ejército Ecuatoriano " ) is the land component of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces . Its 24 , 135 soldiers are deployed in relation to its military doctrine . The contemporary Ecuadorian Army incorporates many jungle and special forces infantry units into its structure . Mission . To develop territorial - power , in order to accomplish institutional objectives , which guarantee the integrity and sovereignty of the national territory and contribute to the security and development of the nation , as well as to accomplish all objectives indicated by the military strategic planning . " ART 26 LEY ORGÁNICA DE LA DEFENSA NACIONAL " Vision . To be an institution of the highest level and credibility , systematically integrated , with professional military personnel , orientated on ethics and moral . Capable of adapting itself to new requirements which guarantee peace , security and the nations development . History . The Ecuadorian Armed Forces history could start as early as 1531 , when civil war ravaged through the inca empire . In a key battle near Riobamba , where Huascar s troops were met and defeated by Atahualpa s troops . Atahualpa s final victory over Huascar in the days just before the Spanish conquerors arrived , are seen until today , as a source of national pride . This did not safe Atahualpa and his army from total defeat , only a year later at the Battle of Cajamarca against the Spanish conquerors . It would take almost 300 years when Ecuador s struggle for emancipation from the Spanish colonial rule would reach its peak at the Battle of Pichincha . Following a victory , Ecuadorian troops would become part of the " Gran - Colombian " coalition . These were years in which warfare dominated . First , the country found itself on the front lines of Gran Colombia s efforts to liberate Peru from Spanish rule between 1822 and 1825 ; afterward , in 1828 and 1829 , Ecuadorian troops would find themselves in the middle of an armed struggle between Peru and Gran Colombia over the location of their common border . After a long campaign the forces of Gran Colombia , under the leadership of Sucre and Venezuelan General Juan José Flores , proved victorious . The Treaty of 1829 fixed the border on the line that had divided the " Quito audiencia " and the Viceroyalty of Peru before independence . By 1859 the nation was on the brink of anarchy . This led to a civil war and the first Ecuadorian - Peruvian conflict . Backed by Guillermo Franco , an Ecuadorian General , the Peruvian army led by General Ramón Castilla arrived in Guayaquil . Accusing Guillermo Franco of treason for signing a treaty with the Peruvians , Gabriel García Moreno , allied with former enemy General Juan José Flores , attacked Franco ' s forces . After several battles , García Moreno ' s forces were able to force Franco ' s troops to retreat back to Guayaquil , the site of the final battle . Ecuador s victory at the Battle of Guayaquil deterred the Peruvians and re - unified the country . Ecuadorian troops would face their greatest challenge and defeat , when in 1941 , under controversial circumstances , another Ecuadorian – Peruvian War erupted . A much larger and better equipped Peruvian force , quickly overwhelmed the Ecuadorian forces , driving them back from Zarumilla and invading the Ecuadorian province of El Oro . The government of Ecuador , saw itself forced to accept Perus territorial claims . Subsequently Peruvian troops withdrew from the invaded El Oro province . However , occasional clashes kept occurring and flared into another outbreak of serious fighting in January 1981 called the Paquisha War , for the control of three watchposts set up by Ecuadorian troops inside a disputed border area . The conflict ceased with the Peruvian Army gaining control of the disputed area . In 1995 , Ecuadorian troops would become part of the longest - running source of armed international conflict in the Western Hemisphere when both sides encountered again in the " Cordillera del Cóndor " . Focus of all fighting would become a small outpost called " Tiwintza " by the Ecuadorians ( and " Tiwinza " or " Tihuintsa " by the Peruvians ) until the signing of a ceasefire . Structure . Already back in 1989 the Army was with around 40 . 000 troops nearly four times the combined strength of the Navy and air force . In 2003 , it was structured into four independent Army Division s operating around 25 Infantry Battalion s . These battalion s were implemented in Brigade s which were not numbered consecutively but carried odd numbers in the series 1 to 27 . All Brigade s had also a Special Forces and engineer , or at least a communications and Logistic Support Company . As of 2008 , along with the Air Force and Navy , the Army ( also referred to as Land Forces ) is undergoing a reform in order to maximize is joint capability . This process involves the creation of U . S . like Operational Commands . There are 4 Operational Joint Commands to be geographically distributed . Leadership . The General of the Army is the highest rank of the Ecuadorian Army . Usually the Chief of Staff of the Army is also the General of the Army , and it is common for this general to hold the Chief of the Joint Staff position as well . " PATRIA I " . Since 2009 a restructurization within the Ecuadorian Armed Forces has been launched under the name of " PATRIA I " . It shall be completed by 2011 and improve military structure , equipment and operations within the Ecuadorian territory . The Ecuadorian territory has been also newly divided into five " Joint Task Force Zones " or " Fuerzas de Tarea Conjunta " , four on mainland Ecuador , the fifth being the maritime territory ( including the Galapagos Islands ) . Changes concerning structure and troop - deployment as of 2010 are not available due to the fact that the Ecuadorian Armed Forces keep such information restricted . Army Aviation . The aviation element of the Army ( " Ejército " ) was formed in 1954 originally named " Servicio Aéreo del Ejército " ( SAE ) . It was renamed " Aviación del Ejército Equatorina " ( AEE ) in 1978 . From 1981 onward the flying elements were concentrated into an aviation - brigade , effectively transforming the army - aviation into an operational brigade within the army - structure . Honouring the army - aviation ' s role in the Paquisha conflict in 1981 , the unit was renamed " Brigada de Aviación del Ejército No . 15 " Paquisha " " ( BAE ) on July 1 , 1987 . Finally , in 1996 the BAE gained the status of a full arm within the army recognising its vital role in the Cenepa conflict of 1995 . At present the BAE No . 15 consists of : Organization . As of November 2004 , the " Ecuadorian Land Forces " Order of Battle was as followed : " ( under construction ) " Equipment As of 2011 . Historically , the Army depended on a wide variety of foreign suppliers for virtually all of its equipment needs . Only in the 1980s did it begin to develop a modest domestic arms industry as the Directorate of Army Industries manufactured rifle ammunition , uniforms , boots , and other consumable items . The Army ' s present day equipment is mostly of western origins .