In the late 1980s, the Colombian armed forces comprised three armed services: the National Army (Ejército Nacional), the National Navy (Armada Nacional), and the Colombian Air Force. In 1988 these military forces were made up of some 86,300 personnel, an increase of 16,100 since 1987. The General Command of the Military Forces exercised control over the three armed services. The General Directorate of the National Police (Dirección General de la Policía Nacional), although also headed by a senior military officer, was under the direct command of the Ministry of National Defense as it had been since the 1950s (see The National Police and Law Enforcement Authorities , this ch.). The building housing the Ministry of National Defense in Bogotá--called the National Administrative Center--served as the headquarters for the nation's military forces. Each of the three service commanders maintained headquarters in that building. Paralleling the United States military organization, the armed forces headquarters staff was divided into five departments: D-1 (personnel), D-2 (intelligence), D-3 (operations), D-4 (logistics), and D-5 (civil concerns). Headquarters staff members were specifically denied command functions.

Data as of December 1988