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. After a few weeks of fighting, the conflict was ended by diplomatic means, with Peru having taken some territorial gains. However, tensions and fighting between the two nations would continue well into the late 20th century, with a final border demarcation being agreed to in 1999.

Camouflage Patterns of 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.

• 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.

• Also dating to the early 1990s was a woodland variant with a specific colorway, worn by the Ecuadorian Air Force.

• Special units of the Ecuador National Police 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. The Ecuadorian pattern features black, green & khaki shapes on a brown background.

• 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.