THE ROLE OF THE ECUADORIAN ARMED FORCES: HISTORICAL STRUCTURE AND CHANGING SECURITY ENVIRONMENTS

This work addresses the central points of the construction process of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces to the new challenges, perceptions and responses related to the present environment of security and defense, from a structural and long-term historical perspective, which allows the understanding of this institution as key component of the complex Ecuadorian State-society, and its relations with different moments in the world and regional order. As an introductory point, a historical reading is presented, addressing the period between the conformation of the Republic to the culmination of the delimitation of its land border; in a second moment, the Pre and Pos scenario of the Peace Treaty with Peru from 1998 to 2007 will be analyzed; later it reviews the scenarios, perceptions and responses of Ecuador in the face of changes in the security environment in the decade 2008-2019.