Lancero
Encyclopedia
Colombian Army
The National Army of Colombia is the land military force of the government of Colombia and the largest service of the Colombian Armed Forces...
. The course takes place at the School of Lanceros of Colombia in Tolemaida, Department of Tolima
Department of Tolima
Tolima is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the Andean region, in the center-west of the country. It is bordered on the north and the west by the department of Caldas; on the east by the department of Cundinamarca; on the south by the department of Huila, and on the west by the...
in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
Overview
The Colombian Army has been in a military conflictColombian Armed Conflict
The Colombian armed conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict in Colombia that has existed since approximately 1964 or 1966, between the Colombian government and peasant guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed...
with rebel guerrillas
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
for the last four decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
s. This has led the Colombian Government and its military forces to develop different training courses specifically aimed to the training of both soldiers and officers for this kind of warfare. The term Lancero was chosen as a way to honor a specific unit of fighters (Lanceros) that helped the army of Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
in his conflict for the independence of Colombia. This unit showed special bravery and strength during the Vargas Swamp Battle
Vargas Swamp Battle
Vargas Swamp Battle was an armed conflict that occurred near Paipa, on July 25, 1819. The joint Venezuelan and Neogranadan army commanded by Simón Bolívar was trying to prevent the Spanish forces from arriving at Santafe de Bogotá, which was lightly defended, before they did...
.
History of the Course
The course was created as a result of the reform that took place inside the National Army of Colombia organization during the early 60s as a way to specialize and refocus the national army towards an irregular conflictIrregular military
Irregular military refers to any non-standard military. Being defined by exclusion, there is significant variance in what comes under the term. It can refer to the type of military organization, or to the type of tactics used....
with armed peasants in the mountains of Colombia. Inexperienced and with little knowledge of guerrilla warfare the Colombian Army sent its own officers to Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, USA so they could take the Ranger Course that takes place there and as a way to apply their acquired knowledge in Colombia's specific situation.
The techniques learned in the American course were modified and taught to Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
s, lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
s, Ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
s, Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
s and some enlisted and ranking officers of the Naval Infantry. This techniques were later spread across all the Colombian military components.
In 1959 the army created companies of Lanceros. These newly created companies were more agile and flexible thus, leading to more successful operations. They were added as supportive personnel for units where the enemy was even more aggressive and active.
In 1966 an outbreak of dispersed bandits called for the creation of even sharper and faster units. This year the Colombian Army's military command put into effect a more extensive training program to combat the rebels; this program would later become a single course called "Contraguerrillas"
Since this time the Lancero course has focused on the training of Soldiers, Army officers and even Police officers for the needs of a country with an enemy that hides among the civilian population
Asymmetric warfare
Asymmetric warfare is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly....
. After more than forty years the course has gained some notoriety among military personnel around the globe
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
largely due to its focusing on guerrilla warfare and not on regular military warfare.
The Lancero and Lanza concept
The term Lancero which can be translated as lancerLancer
A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used in mounted warfare by the Assyrians as early as and subsequently by Greek, Persian, Gallic, Han-Chinese, nomadic and Roman horsemen...
has subsequently led to the use of the term Lanza (Lance
Lance
A Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
) as a way to refer to a fellow soldier. In fact the course has emphasized on the importance of cooperative work between two soldiers as a way to accomplish goals (one being the Lanza or spear and the other one being the lancero or lance carrier). Thus, the terms Lanza and Lancero are both colloquial and honoring ways to call a fellow soldier or an officer.
See also
- RangerRanger Indoctrination ProgramRanger Assessment and Selection Program is an 8 week course held at Fort Benning, Georgia. RASP is required for all ranks. As of 2010, RASP replaced both the RIP for enlisted Soldiers and ROP for Officers, both commissioned and non-commissioned. and below to be assigned to the U.S...
- LanceLanceA Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
- Fire and maneuver