Although French officers comprised the first foreign military mission to Ecuador in the 1890s, the Ecuadorian armed forces relied primarily on Chilean and Italian assistance throughout the early years of the twentieth century. In 1903 the Prussian-trained Chilean armed forces furnished a military mission and opened Chile's military academy to Ecuadorian cadets. The Chilean navy also provided sea training to Ecuadorian midshipmen, and Chilean officers staffed the Army War Academy until 1962. In 1922 an Italian military mission organized a system of army training schools in aviation, cavalry, infantry, and engineering. Beginning in 1935, United States specialists operating under private contracts gradually replaced Italian flight instructors. Italy withdrew its entire military mission in 1940 when it entered World War II.
Data as of 1989