Military of Bolivia The Armed Forces of Bolivia ( Spanish : " Fuerzas Armadas de Bolivia " ) are an official organization responsible for the defence , both of external aggression and internal Bolivia . Also ensure security , stability and protect the Bolivian Constitution . The armed forces are constituted by : In addition , there are units formed by " Bolivian Pre - militars " ( " Premilitares " ) , reserve corps , units serving mandatory , and the SAR - FAB of emergency and rescue unit . The current command corresponds to the Admiral Armando Pacheco Gutierrez . Army . The Bolivia Army ( " Ejército de Bolivia " , EB ) is the land branch of the armed forces of Bolivia . Together with the Bolivia army and air force Bolivia , is responsible for protecting Bolivia of internal , external threats and ensure the independence of this country . The Bolivian Army has around 55 , 500 men . There are six military regions ( regiones militares — RMs ) in the army . The Army is organized into ten divisions . The Army maintains a small fleet of utility aircraft , primarily to support headquarters . Combat units directly under the Army general command . Special forces command . RI 12 Manchengo ( ranger ) Montero , RI 16 Jordan ( special forces ) Riberalta , RI 24 M . Arcos ( ranger ) Challapata . Army aviation command . Army aviation company 291 ( La Paz ) , army aviation company 292 ( Santa Cruz ) . Military regions . The Bolivian Army has six military regions ( regiones militares — RMs ) covering the various Departments of Bolivia : The army was organized into ten territorial divisions , each of which , with the exception of Viacha , occupied a region generally corresponding to the administrative departments , with some overlapping . Their division headquarters were located in : RI : infantry regiment RC : cavalry regiment RA : artillery regiment Bat . Ing . : battalion engineer Army organized has ten divisions controlling the following units : The Army maintains a small fleet of utility aircraft , primarily to support headquarters . Uniforms . Army officers , NCOs , and enlisted personnel wear generally gray or , for tropical areas , gray - green service uniforms . Army fatigue uniforms were olive green , and combat uniforms were of US woodland pattern camouflage . The standard headgear for enlisted personnel is the beret bearing the national colors of red , yellow and green . Paratroops " ( paracaidistas ) " were distinguished by black berets , and Special Forces by green berets . Air Force . The Bolivian air force ( " Fuerza Aérea Boliviana " , FAB ) is the air branch of the armed forces of Bolivia . The Bolivian Air Force has nine air bases , located at La Paz , Cochabamba , Santa Cruz , Puerto Suárez , Tarija , Villamontes , Cobija , Riberalta , and Roboré . Major commands included the following : Navy . The Bolivian Naval Force ( " Fuerza Naval Boliviana " in Spanish ) , formerly Bolivian Navy ( " Armada Boliviana " ) is a naval force about 5 , 000 strong in 2008 . Although Bolivia has been landlocked since the War of the Pacific in 1879 , Bolivia established a River and Lake Force ( Fuerza Fluvial y Lacustre ) in January 1963 under the Ministry of National Defense . It consisted of four boats supplied from the United States and 1 , 800 personnel recruited largely from the army . Bolivia ' s naval force was renamed the Bolivian Naval Force ( Fuerza Naval Boliviana ) in January 1966 , but it also has been called the Bolivian Navy ( Armada Boliviana ) . It became a separate branch of the armed forces in 1963 . Bolivia has large rivers that are tributaries to the Amazon which are patrolled to prevent smuggling and drug trafficking . There is also a Bolivian Naval presence on Lake Titicaca , the highest navigable lake in the world , across which runs along the Peruvian frontier . Landlocked Bolivia has not become reconciled with the loss of its coast to Chile , and the Navy exists to keep the hope of recovering its coast alive by cultivating a maritime consciousness . The Bolivian Navy takes part in many parades and government functions , but none more so than the " Día Del Mar " ( Day of the Sea ) in which Bolivia , every year , asks for the coast territories lost to Chile during the War of the Pacific ( fought between Peru and Bolivia against Chile ) from 1879 to 1884 . This is still a sore point for Bolivia , influencing many modern - day political actions and trade decisions . Districts . The Navy is organized into ten naval districts , with flotilla headquarters in Guaqui , Guayaramerín , Puerto Suárez , Riberalta , and San Pedro de Tiquina , and bases in Puerto Busch , Puerto Horquilla , Puerto Villarroel , Trinidad , and Rurrenabaque . Naval vessels include several dozen boats , dozen or more of which are for riverine patrol , including the piranias , and riders , which are powerful river boats . In addition , Bolivia has several seagoing vessels , including the " Santa Cruz de la Sierra " ( PR - 51 ) , and several flagged ships that sail with the permission of the " Capitanias Navales " Naval Registration Office . The " Libertador Simón Bolívar " , a ship acquired from Venezuela , use to navigate from its home port in Rosario , Argentina on the River Paraná . In 1993 , the Navy was formally renamed the " Naval Force " ( " Fuerza Naval " ) and moved with the Bolivian Army under a single military authority . Most of the officers are often educated in the Naval Academy where they graduate with a BS in Military and Naval Science , diploma accredited by the Military University and then they do other studies at the bachelor ' s degree and master ' s level . Argentina has their Naval Military Group in Bolivia advising at the highest level in naval strategy and tactics . Many Bolivian officers practice ocean sailing in Argentinean big naval ships . The Bolivian Navy has several Special Forces units to address both internal and external conflicts . Marine corps . The Marine component of the FNB originated with the creation of the Marine Battalion Almirante Grau in the early 1980s . This unit of 600 men is based on Tiquina naval base on Lake Titicaca . Later changes name to Marine Battalion Independence , based in Chua ( Not to be confused with the Independence RI17 EB ) . At present this battalion maintains a similar number of troops including premilitares . Staff of this unit is part of Task Force Blue Devils or are stationed in various naval bases . There are currently seven infantry battalions which are distributed as follows : Naval Military Police . This specialty is essentially similar to its counterpart in the Army , carrying out operations such as Important Persons Protection ( IPP ) Physical Security ( SEF ) or Patrol Facility ( PAT ) , with additions such as signals or naval protocol . There Naval detachments of PM in all district headquarters or FNB Naval Area . But only have the following units at the Battalion : Strength . Boats . The Bolivian Navy has a total of 173 vessels , mostly stationed on Lake Titicaca : Naval aviation . Bolivia ' s navy operates two utility aircraft for the use of headquarters . Conscription . Since 1904 military service has been compulsory for all fit males between the ages of eighteen and forty - nine . In practice , however , budgetary limitations strictly limited the number of eligible men conscripted , and those traditionally tended to be mostly Indians . Beginning in 1967 , conscripts were legally held on active duty for up to two years , but funds seldom permitted even a full year ' s service . Noncommissioned officers ( NCOs ) and warrant officers , all of whom were volunteers , generally were drawn from mixed - blood cholos ( those of Spanish and Indian descent ) . In the late 1980s , the service obligation was one year , and conscripts had to be at least nineteen years of age . The FF . AA . commander reported in early 1989 that the largest percentage of conscripts came from the middle class . One explanation for this change could have been the flocking of youths to the lucrative coca paste - making business . Military authorities in the Cochabamba area in particular began to experience growing difficulty in enlisting volunteers in the mid - 1980s . Consequently , the military reportedly was resorting to pressgang ing eighteen - year - olds off the city streets to fill their annual quotas . Training installations . Training installations include the Garras International Antinarcotics Training School ( " Escuela Garras del Valor " ) is a military training facility located in Bolivia , which trains military and law enforcement personnel from Bolivia and other Latin American countries in counternarcotics , intelligence , and counterinsurgency techniques . " This article was adapted from the CIA World Factbook 2000 . "