2001 Chilean Military Parade

The 2001 Chilean Military Parade was held at O'Higgins Park in Santiago on 19 September 2001 to commemorate the Day of the Glories of the Army.

Presided over by President Ricardo Lagos, the military parade involved approximately 8,000 personnel from the Chilean Armed Forces and Carabineros de Chile, as well as military delegations from Argentina and Peru.

The ceremony was characterized by a reduced deployment compared with previous editions, with the Army's Leopard 1 tanks and the Chilean Air Force's combat aircraft omitted from the presentation.

Background

Around 8,000 members of the Armed Forces and Carabineros were scheduled to participate, a considerably smaller contingent than in previous years. The reduction also extended to military equipment: Leopard 1 tanks were excluded from the ground presentation, while Mirage Elkan, Mirage Pantera, A-36 Halcón and F-5 Tiger III combat aircraft did not participate in the aerial display.

The parade included Argentine and Peruvian military delegations. According to contemporary records preserved by the Archivo Presidente Ricardo Lagos, the presence of senior officers from both countries formed part of confidence-building initiatives promoted by the Chilean government, including efforts to increase transparency regarding military expenditure.

The ceremony was also the final military parade attended by General Ricardo Izurieta as commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army, before the end of his term in March 2002, and by General Director Manuel Ugarte as head of Carabineros.

Parade

Shortly before 15:00, President Ricardo Lagos arrived at O'Higgins Park and reviewed the assembled troops accompanied by Defence Minister Mario Fernández. The traditional reception by members of the Gil Letelier equestrian club preceded the military presentation, including cueca performances and the ceremonial offering of chicha to the authorities.

The parade formally began at approximately 15:30 after Lagos authorized Major General Hernán Reyes Santelices to commence the march-past. Chilean formations were joined by military delegations from Argentina and Peru, while personnel who had served in United Nations peacekeeping missions also participated.

Although combat aircraft were absent, the aerial presentation included ENAER T-35 Pillán training aircraft, the Air Force's Halcones aerobatic team and a formation of helicopters.

The final stages included the mounted contingent, comprising approximately 250 horses. The ceremony concluded shortly after 17:30, after around two hours of marching, when Reyes Santelices reported its completion to Lagos.