Instrucción Militar Básica (IMB): Since Ecuador's Decreto Ejecutivo 111 (January 2024) declared an "internal armed conflict" against criminal organizations, basic military training has shifted from peacetime orientation toward active counter-criminal operations preparation. Recruits entering in 2024–2025 are trained for deployment against organized criminal groups operating inside Ecuadorian territory — a fundamental shift from pre-2022 training doctrine. Duration: 8–12 semanas de instrucción básica; oficiales: 4 años en la Escuela Superior Militar (ESMIL), Academia de Guerra Naval, or Escuela de Aviación Militar. Location: Escuelas de formación por arma — Army primarily at Escuela Superior Militar (Quito area), Salinas Naval School, FAE at Escuela de Aviación Militar.

The 2024 internal conflict declaration transformed infantry's risk profile. Soldiers who joined for border security and garrison duty found themselves operationally deployed against armed criminal organizations after January 2024. The mission changed faster than recruitment messaging updated. Anyone considering joining the Ecuadorian Army in 2024–2025 is considering active service in an internal armed conflict — not peacetime military service.

The soldier who knows the Ordenanza de las Fuerzas Armadas, the disciplinary code, and the legal framework for the internal armed conflict declaration. Since January 2024, knowing the rules of engagement for operations against domestic criminal organizations has become immediately practical — not academic.

Key terms include: Conflicto Armado Interno: The "internal armed conflict" declared by President Noboa via Decreto Ejecutivo 111 in January 2024. Under this declaration, criminal organizations including Los Choneros, Los Lobos, and La Fatales were designated as "non-state armed belligerents" and the military was authorized to conduct operations against them on Ecuadorian soil. The declaration fundamentally changed the mission profile of Ecuador's armed forces.; BOE: Batallón de Operaciones Especiales — Ecuador's special operations ground force. The most demanding selection and training pipeline in the Ecuadorian Army. BOE has been the primary operational unit since the internal conflict declaration, with the highest operational tempo and risk exposure of any Army unit.; La Amazonia: Ecuador's Amazon region — the operational area along the Colombia border where the BOE and regular Army units conduct the most operationally complex missions. Criminal organizations with Colombian connections operate in this zone. The jungle and river terrain creates specific operational challenges distinct from the coastal and urban missions..