Ecuador

Republic of Ecuador

The region today known as the Republic of Ecuador became part of the great Incan Empire in 1463. As the Spanish colonized more of South America, they passed along European diseases which took a terrible toll on the indigenous population and at the same time reduced the ability of the locals to resist colonization. By 1563, Quito had become the seat of a real audiencia (administrative district) of Spain, which controlled the region for the next 257 years. A movement towards independence from Spain had its birth in Quito on August 10, 1809, a date that is significant to the entire continent. Liberation took several years, but following the Ecuadorian War of Independence (1820 to 1822) in which Spanish forces were defeated by a coalition of South American military forces the Republic of Gran Colombia was formed. In 1830, Ecuador broke away and formed its own republic.

A long-standing dispute with Peru over control of territory in the Amazon basin culminated in war in 1941 (Guerra del 41). After a few weeks of fighting, the conflict was ended by diplomatic means, with Peru having taken some territorial gains. Another clash between the two nations in 1981, known as the Paquisha War, lasted only a few days (22 January to 5 Febuary). The Cenapa War, running from 26 January to 28 Febuary 1995, again brought the two nations into a shooting war. It was not until the late 20th century that a final border demarcation was agreed to, in 1999.

Camouflage Patterns of Ecuador

• Circa 1956, and under the guidance of military advisors from the United States of America, the Ecuadorian Armed Forces formed its first parachute unit, composed of thirty-five men. This was followed in 1957 by the first Commando Course, which produced forty-five graduates who went on to form the Cuerpo de Paracaidistas or Parachute Corps. In time, a Special Forces Detachment was also added, then a Special Forces Group, leading still later to the ultimate formation of the Special Forces Brigade, or Brigada de Fuerzas Especiales (BFE) of the present era. During the earliest years of airborne training, Ecuadorian paratroopers were outfitted in "frogskin" pattern camouflage uniforms, either provided by their American instructors, or locally produced from camouflaged parachute shroud material. This would mark the earliest appearance of camouflage military clothing in Ecuador.

• Ecuador produced a series of tiger stripe variant patterns from the 1970s until the very early 1990s. Referred to frequently as "red tiger stripe" or "orange tiger stripe" in reference to the prominent bright colors incorporated into the pattern, at least two main variations are known to exist. Some versions have very finely detailed features, similar to those produced by South Vietnam, whilst other versions appear "blurry," as though the pattern was sloppily printed or the dyes bled into each other. Each type has a series of sub-variants, attributable to the wide variety of dyes and fabrics employed in production.

• Dating to the late 1980s, this woodland variant with a blue-dominant colorway was worn briefly by some units of the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE)

• Beginning in the early 1990s, Ecuador's use of tiger stripe patterns disappeared and the standard camouflage uniform became a copy of the US m81 woodland pattern camouflage. As with the "red tiger" pattern, multiple manufacturers produced a wide variety of variations of this pattern.

• Special units of the Ecuador National Police such as the Grupo de Intervención y Rescate (GIR), Grupo de Operaciones Especiales (GOE), and the Grupo Especial Móvil Antinarcóticos have worn a "grey/urban" colorway of the woodland design, again with multiple manufacturers and variations.

• The woodland pattern variant seen here, with a brown/purple colorway, was issued previously to some members of the Guias Penitenciarios (prison guards) of the Ecuadorian Penal System. The use of camouflage may have been limited to special SWAT-type units like the present-say Grupo Especial Alpha or GEA.

• Another variation based on the m81 woodland camouflage design was issued to personnel of the Cuerpo de Bomberos or fire departments of various regional jurisdictions. Whether the pattern was worn universally as a work uniform, or only by special units is unknown.

• In 2007, the Armed Forces adopted a new pixelated camouflage design similar to the USMC MARPAT camouflage but with a more green color palette. The Ecuadorian pattern features black, bright green & khaki shapes on a brown background. This was not only adopted by the Army, but also operational ground elements of the Navy (Marine Corps) and Air Force.

• The Instituto Nacional Penitenciario y Carcelario (INPEC) or National Penitentiary and Prison Institute issues a bright blue pixelated camouflage design to instructors as well as graduating employees of the prison and penitentiary system.

• Emergency Response personnel have been documented wearing a pixelated camouflage design with a grey/black colorway. It may be a modern variation of the older woodland-derived design of the National Police.

• Tactical personnel of the Grupo Especial Alpha de Guias Penitenciarios (Prison Guards Special Group Alpha) working within the Ecuadorian Penal System have a pixelated camouflage design incorporating black, medium brown, and dark khaki on a sand-colored background.

• Although each major cosmopolitan area maintains its own Cuerpo de Bomberos (Fire Department), the tradition of wearing brightly colored camouflage has continued into the present day with the adoption of a pixelated camouflage pattern seen here.

• The GOE, GIR and GEMA of the National Police have now transitioned to a pixelated version of their old "urban woodland" pattern.

• In late 2018, the Ministry of Defense announced it would adopt a new camouflage uniform, the Jaguar M.1. Designed by the Ecuadorian company FabrilFame SA, the pattern is primarily intended to function in heavy jungle and tropical environments, incorporating a high percentage of green shades, interspersed with smaller amounts of khaki and brown. Although similar to Multicam, at least at a distance, the coloration and physical shapes incorporated into the pattern make it distinctive and not simply a re-colored clone.

• Circa 2022, the Infanteria de Marina or Marine Corps of the Ecuadorian Navy discontinued use of the earlier MARPAT-influenced digital pattern, and adopted a copy of the US Navy's NWU-3 pixelated design. Presumably the pattern is produced in China, without the US Navy logo embedded into the design.