** [image: Just the Facts]<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/a4bc65c6da/utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil> ------------------------------
Thursday, August 15, 2013 Secretary of State Kerry's trip to Colombia and Brazil <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/a613160238/utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%26%2339%3Bs%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/4f0bf626a7> U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry took a quick trip to Brazil and Colombia from Sunday night until Tuesday. This was Secretary Kerrys second trip to the region, following his attendance at the Organization of American States general assembly meeting in Guatemala in June. The visit came after of President Obamas trip to Mexico and Costa Rica<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/81319321c4/utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=trip%20to%20Mexico%20and%20Costa%20Rica&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil>in early May and Vice President Joe Bidens six-day tour<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/6fce5ca21a/utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=six-day%20tour&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil>to Colombia, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago in late May. The Obama Administration has been fairly engaged with the region, mostly with regards to trade. As the New York Times<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/995539f4e8>noted, the increased focus on strengthening ties comes at a time when the United States influence has faded as China has surged as a crucial trading partner for an array of Latin American countries and as Brazil has sought to raise its economic and diplomatic profile. Secretary Kerrys trip also came on the heels of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowdens revelations<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/225c91ba41>that massive global surveillance programs had targeted several Latin American countries -- including several allies like Mexico, Colombia and Brazil and that the agency had established<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/ef4ac0cfba>a data collection center in Brasília, Brazils capital city. The leaked documents drew tremendous regional criticism and have roiled relations<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/579a006fd4>with several governments, particularly<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/8a97caeb50>the Rousseff administration in Brazil. *Colombia* All reports of Secretary Kerrys meetings in Colombia, the United States strongest ally in the region, indicate that the visit went fairly smoothly with no surprises. In his discussions with Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos and Foreign Minister María Ángela Holguín, Kerry reportedly<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/efd2a34cd7>discussed the ongoing peace negotiations with the FARC rebels, trade, energy, counternarcotics, and briefly, the NSA leaks. (For a list of links to articles see Just the Facts' U.S. policy news section<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/d6c4f5ea5e/colombia_tags=U.S.%20Policy&utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=U%2ES%2E%20policy%20news%20section&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil>for Colombia) *Support for peace process* As expected, Kerry reiterated<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/9422e13e9e>the United States support for the peace process, calling it courageous, imaginative and necessary. Although the Obama Administration has already voice its approval of the talks, Kerrys words come at a time when, according to a recent Ipsos poll, 54 percent<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/9011fb8a80>has criticized the process at every opportunity. As was also expected, Secretary Kerry spoke about the high-value the United States places on its relationship with Colombia and lauded<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/a4b49fbbc7>its U.S.-backed efforts in the war on drugs, calling the country one of the very few success stories anywhere. *Issues surrounding NSA surveillance programs assuaged* Ahead of the meeting, there were concerns<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/187c9cef98>that the disclosures about NSA surveillance practices would tarnish the visit. Last Thursday President Santos called for further clarification from Washington about U.S. intelligence practices in Colombia. However, it seemed the Colombian government was satisfied with the explanation provided, as both parties downplayed the revelations following Secretary Kerrys visit. Colombian Foreign Minister María Ángela Holguín said<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/7013dffc46>Colombia had received the necessary assurances to continue work on this, while Kerry noted<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/dccad394b6>the issue played only a small part in the overall discussion. *U.S. security assistance* Before heading to Brazil, Secretary Kerry went to the Colombian National Police Counter-Narcotics Directorate for a briefing on U.S.-Colombia collaboration in the drug war and an update on Colombias training of third party foreign forces. *Between 2010 and 2012, Colombia trained<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/564d50fc93/utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=trained&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil>9,983 military and police personnel from 45 countries the top recipients being Mexico, Panama, Honduras, Ecuador and Peru. (** Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, ElSalvador, Argentina , and Paraguay )(See here<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/7133a4f3da/utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=here&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil>for more on Colombian training of foreign forces.) * As a recent Just the Facts podcast<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/b801160638/utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=podcast&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil>noted, Kerry spent 28 years as a United States senator and was a big supporter of U.S. military aid packages to Colombia, but did however condemn human rights abuses in the country, even calling for the U.S. not to certify Colombia to receive aid in 2005 over such concerns. For a previous post on Secretary Kerrys record on Colombia see here<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/9cbf29765c/utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=here&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil>and to read about what topics Secretary Kerry should have touched on when discussing a lasting peace in Colombia, see here<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/bf064eda67/utm_content=cort.greene%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=here&utm_campaign=%5BBlog%5D%20Secretary%20of%20State%20Kerry%27s%20trip%20to%20Colombia%20and%20Brazil>. These include ongoing assassinations of human rights defenders, impunity for military members alleged to have committed human rights abuses and the passage of a military justice system reform that will likely allow that impunity to continue. *Brazil* *NSA revelations fallout* Secretary Kerrys trip<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/d4e1695f14>to Brazil was more contentious, with the NSA leaks eclipsing the rest of the visit. Brazil, an important ally with whom the United States has a warm relationship (albeit nowhere near as close as with Colombia), has been much more vocal<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/87104c816d>in its condemnation of U.S. intelligence programs. As the New Yorker<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/c89dd03660>explained last month, Brazil was the regional center for the NSA spying programs as it is where all transatlantic cables come ashore, making it an important telecommunication hub linking South America to Europe and Africa. Last week, Brazils Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota, along with the foreign ministers of Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela and Uruguay, met<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/3d61672589>with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week to protest the NSA programs. Minister Patriota continued<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/1ca5e517fa>his condemnation in a joint press conference with his U.S. counterpart following an hour-long meeting, sending a clear message: We need to stop practices that violate sovereignty. Minister Patriota was unsatisfied with the details Secretary Kerry had shared with him about NSA surveillance programs, which he said<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/a62aa692d3>presented a new type of challenge in our bilateral relationship And if those challenges are not resolved in a satisfactory way, we run the risk of casting a shadow of distrust over our work." Kerry responded<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/3839b80d99>with vague, appeasing remarks, saying, Brazil is owed answers with respect to those questions, and they will get them. He then defended the NSA surveillance program as something we think we must do to provide security not just for Americans but for Brazilians and for people in the world. *Boeing Contract* That shadow of distrust could have big financial implications for the United States. Ahead of the meeting, the Brazilian government took an anticipated discussion over a coveted $4 billion dollar deal (with expected increases) to purchase 36 fighter jets from the U.S. off the table. Before the NSA leaks, Boeings F/A-18 fighter jet had been favored over competing French and Swedish warplanes. However Reuters<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/19e469626e>reported the NSA scandal has "set back" the United States' chances to land the deal, recording one Brazilian official as saying, We cannot talk about the fighters now. You cannot give such a contract to a country that you do not trust. *Going forward* Aside from the NSA issue, the New York Times<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/b3338c09ee/_r=0>reported, it was clear at the end of Mr. Kerrys visit that solutions to certain problems remain unresolved, like Washingtons requirement that Brazilians traveling to the United States have visas, even though Brazilians rank among the highest-spending foreign tourists and Brazilian companies are increasingly investing in the United States. Reuters<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/3e25a92234>reported Brazilian officials were optimistic that the two countries will be able to move past the scandal, while the New York Times<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/3b0bcbe909/_r=0>and Wall Street Journal<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/9070285c24>pointed out that President Roussetts state visit to Washington the first from a Latin American leader since 2010 when then-Mexican President Calderón came is still on for October. The Obama Administration has been trying to deepen relations with Brazil, a key ally <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?JusttheFacts/8ee506bd3c/36ddb1edf4/3e0ba1ae7c>in the region for energy cooperation, security and environmental policy, and economic integration. Relations have improved under President Rousseff, after a chilling during former President Lula da Silvas tenure. By Sarah Kinosian at 08/15/2013 Tuesday, February 12, 2013 With and without U.S. aid, Colombia's training of other security forces increases <http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=16813> Chinese Army participants in a marksmanship course pose with their Colombian instructors last August (source<http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=16813> ). In its public<http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112hhrg70665/pdf/CHRG-112hhrg70665.pdf> statements<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/04/15/remarks-president-obama-and-president-santos-colombia-joint-press-confer> about <http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116054>Colombia lately, the Obama administration has praised the South American country as a security exporter. As a June 2012 Defense Department release<http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116966> put it, Colombia now serves as a regional training base to help other nations in their counterdrug efforts. Colombia is now not only the Western Hemispheres largest recipient<http://justf.org/country?country=Colombia> of U.S. military and police assistance. Its security forces are also training, advising and otherwise assisting those of third countries. Colombia, for example, offers capacity-building assistance in 16 countries inside and outside the region, including Africa,according<http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116037> to an April 2012 Defense Department news release. Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón told<http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/31/3076606/colombias-military-needs-to-prepare.html> the *Miami Herald* recently that his forces have trained more than 13,000 individuals from 40 countries since 2005. This trend is accelerating. As part of an ongoing High Level Strategic Security Dialogue, in early 2012 the U.S. and Colombian governments developed an Action Plan on Regional Security Cooperation, through which they intend to coordinate aid to third countries. According to a joint press release <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/04/187928.htm>: Both countries will develop complementary security assistance programs and operational efforts to support hemispheric and international partner nations afflicted by effects of transnational organized crime. Increased coordination of U.S. and Colombia defense and security support activities, which are aligned with efforts by both countries to strengthen civilian law enforcement capacity and capabilities, will support whole-of-government strategies and produce a greater effect throughout the hemisphere and West Africa. We dont know the extent of these defense and security support activities, or what portion of them are funded by the United States (probably the majority). However, a combination of primary and secondary sources yields the following examples of what has been happening. With funding from the State Department-managed Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), Colombias National Police participate in a *Central America* Regional Police Reform Project. [T]he Colombian National Police provides training and assistance in such topics as community policing, police academy instructor training, and curriculum development in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama, reads an April 2012 joint press release<http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/04/187928.htm>. To complement this police training by Colombia, the United States trains prosecutors in these countries. Colombia sends mobile training teams to *El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica,* the commander of U.S. Army South, a component of U.S. Southern Command, noted <http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116966> in June 2012. Colombia trains police in *Honduras and Guatemala*, a senior U.S. defense official said<http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116037> in April 2012. That month, members of the Colombian Navys new Coast Guard Mobile Training Group traveled to*Honduras* for its first foreign training mission, with 47 Honduran military students. In July 2012, this unit gave an 11-day course to 37 members of *Panamas* National Police, National Border Service, and Institutional Protection Service. According to a July 2012 release<http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=15913> from Colombias armed forces, the Navy Training Group planned to offer similar courses to *the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala*, and again * Honduras* during the second half of 2012. In November 2012, 12 enlisted men from *Panamas* security forces were receiving training alongside fifty counterparts from Colombias army in Tolemaida, Tolima, the Bogotá daily *El Tiempo* reported<http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-12387887>. The Panamanian government paid the training costs for some, while others received grants, *El Tiempo* indicated, without indicating these grants origin. The militaries of *Ecuador, Argentina*, and*Central American nations* have requested spaces [in this course], the director of the Colombian Armys Non-Commissioned Officers School (*Escuela Militar de Suboficiales*), Col. Juan Felipe Yepes, said. Weve now had more than 100 [students] from other countries, and more requests keep coming. In May 2012, the Tolemaida army base graduated<http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=14562> 22 members of *Panamas* National Border Service who took part in International 81-Millimeter Mortars Course No. 02. Colombia is also offering training to some neighbors in *South America*. In August 2012, *Peru* sent two naval officers to Coveñas, on Colombias Caribbean coast, for an explosives technician course. The Navy of Colombia has invited the Navy of Peru to send Navy personnel to participate in several courses, among them the Marines course, during the 2012 academic year, reads a Peruvian government resolution [PDF<http://www.asesorempresarial.com/web/pdf/31082012.pdf>]. That month, seven Colombian Special Forces and Army helicopter pilots paid a visit<http://www.eluniversal.com.co/cartagena/nacional/en-peru-el-ejercito-colombiano-demostro-que-es-es-un-modelo-para-seguir-86330> to Junín, Peru for a 15-day exchange of experiences with about 90 representatives of that countrys security forces. In October 2012, the commander of Perus army paid a visit to the Colombian Armys Tolemaida base, where he highlighted the training, capacities and skills that his men acquire there, according to a Colombian Army release<http://www.cenae.mil.co/?idcategoria=338189> . The U.S. government has encouraged Peru to work more closely with Colombia. The United States stands ready to work with Peru on joint planning, on information sharing, trilateral cooperation with Colombia to address our shared security concerns, said<http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=5133> outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta during an October 2012 visit to Lima. In January 2013, the director of Ecuadors military academy paid a visit<http://www.fuerzasmilitares.org/noticias/colombia/ejercito-nacional/2206-nos-visita-el-director-de-la-escuela-militar-del-ejercito-del-ecuador> to the Colombian Armys Tolemaida base to learn about the academic procedures the Colombian Military uses to educate and train its own soldiers. In October 2012, the commanding officers of the Marine Corps of*Ecuador* visited Colombias Marine Training Base, where they viewed a demonstration of some of the training that the facility offers. The release<http://www.armada.mil.co/content/visita-del-personal-del-comando-infanter-de-marina-ecuatoriana> from Colombias Navy did not indicate whether Ecuadorian personnel have received, or will receive, training at this base. Training of forces from the *Caribbean* has included the Colombian Naval Academys December 2012 graduation<http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=18467> of two cadets from the *Dominican Republic*. Colombias training relationship with *Mexico* is quite extensive. It has included the instruction of thousands of Mexican policemen, as the *Washington Post* reported<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012106325_pf.html> back in January 2011. Early one morning shortly before dawn, Colombian police commandos barked orders like drill sergeants at six Mexican policemen and two Mexican soldiers during a mock attack here outside Cajica, a town on a frigid mountain in central Colombia. The target in the training exercise: a heavily defended rebel camp. It was the tail end of four months of training that included lessons on how to carry out operations in the jungle, jump from helicopters, defuse bombs and conduct raids on urban strongholds. Colombian service members have trained more than two dozen Mexican helicopter pilots as of April 2012, a U.S. Defense official said in a Pentagon news release<http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116037> . Sixteen <http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=283550> Mexican students 15 federal police and one army soldier participated in the grueling 19-week course given by the Colombian National Polices (CNP) elite *Jungla* commando unit between July and December 2011. Also taking part in the course, at the Jungla base in Tolima department, were about 58 students from ten other<http://bogota.usembassy.gov/pr_deajungladec6_2011.html> Latin American countries: *Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama*, and*Paraguay*. (Not all of them graduated.) This Colombian initiative is supported by the U.S. Embassy through its Narcotics Affairs Section (NAS) and the DEA, reads a U.S. embassy press release<http://bogota.usembassy.gov/pr_deajungladec6_2011.html>. Since 2007, the NAS-financed CNP National Training Center in Pijaos has trained nearly 300 international students. NAS has allotted nearly 8 million dollars in the construction of the training centers initial phase, inaugurated in 2008. Sources reveal several other multi-country training events. The Colombian Armys *Lancero* Special Forces unit, similar to the U.S. Armys Rangers, now offers an international course at the Tolemaida base. Colombias armed forces report <http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=18428> that 581 trainees from 18 countries have taken the *Lancero*course including, in December 2012, 15 graduates from *Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, France*, and *Peru*. The Colombian Armed Forces Superior War College hosted<http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=13561> the April 2012 Inter-American Naval War Games, in which representatives from *Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Mexico, Peru*, and *the Dominican Republic* participated in threat simulations to coordinate joint action. In June 2012, Colombia hosted<http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116681> *Fuerzas Comando*, an annual competition between Latin Americas Special Forces sponsored by U.S. Southern Command. Those competing at the Colombian National Training Center in Tolemaida included *the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States*, and*Uruguay*. Another multi-nation event took place in Cartagena in June-August 2012, where Colombias Navy trained officers from *Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru*, and *the United States*. They received coast guard instruction, according to a Notimex article: maritime interdiction procedures, maneuvers, exercises with interceptor craft, defense and survival techniques. Since this courses inauguration in 2012, Notimex notes, Colombia has given it to 114 students from 24 Western Hemisphere countries. A new session<http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=16945> of this two-month Coast Guard course began in September 2012 with the participation of 14 trainees from *Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama*, and *Peru*. In October 2012, Colombias Army hosted<http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=17630> a First International Doctrine Symposium in Bogotá, with the presence of representatives from *Brazil, Chile, China, Spain, the United Kingdom*, and *the United States*. Colombia is also training some personnel from outside Latin America. *Peoples Republic of China*Colonel Deng Yubo said that [Chinese personnel] have been in Tolemaida for a month receiving marksmanship training, reported<http://www.eluniversal.com.co/cartagena/nacional/en-peru-el-ejercito-colombiano-demostro-que-es-es-un-modelo-para-seguir-86330> Colombias Colprensa wire service in August 2012. The ten-week course took place<http://www.cgfm.mil.co/CGFMPortal/faces/index.jsp?id=16813> at the Colombian Armys Lancero School. Police from ten *African* countries were in<http://www.elheraldo.co/region/colombia-ayuda-a-africa-en-estrategia-antidroga-97159> Santa Marta, on Colombias Caribbean coast, in January 2013 to take part in a Colombian National Police-hosted port and airport security seminar. According to an April 2012 Pentagon news release<http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=116037>, [T]he Defense Department is looking to Colombia and Brazil, both of which already have deep ties to Africa and now provide assistance there, to help U.S. Africa Command with peacekeeping and other efforts there. Even as they face their countrys own unresolved armed conflict and organized crime challenges, Colombias security forces will be increasing their training of other countries militaries and police. This will often happen with U.S. support. This was a chief topic when top officials from both countries met in Bogotá last November to continue the U.S.-Colombia High Level Strategic Security Dialogue. An unnamed Defense Department official said <http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=118122> in October, were building a detailed action plan where we and the Colombians will coordinate who does what so we leverage the resources and capabilities we have to effectively do capacity building and training and other things in Central America and in other places. While Colombia has a lot of experience with the type of operations that police around Latin America must carry out today organized crime investigations, drug interdiction, efforts to arrest kingpins the expansion of its training raises concerns, especially when the U.S. government is paying the bill. - What *human rights messages* are Colombian trainers conveying, both inside and outside the classroom? Colombias armed forces continue to confront allegations, including judicial cases, of thousands of abuses in the past 10-20 years. Some of the most prominent are a wave of extrajudicial executions during the mid-2000s and widespread collaboration with murderous paramilitary groups in the 1990s and early 2000s. Colombian military officials frequently express disdain for, or outright anger at, the countrys judicial system and non-governmental human rights defenders, and their institution recently pressed successfully to reduce civilian courts jurisdiction over them in human rights cases. - Especially when the U.S. government is paying, what assurances do we have about the*quality and rigor* of the training and education being provided? Colombian officers have long experience in combat and fighting organized crime, but their ability as trainers and the quality of their instructor courses is unknown. - When the U.S. government is paying, how can citizens and congressional oversight personnel get information about courses given, recipient countries and units, the identities of trainers, the number of trainees, and the overall cost? Training by U.S. officials generally shows up in the State Departments annual Foreign Military Training Reports, but the work of U.S.-funded Colombian trainers rarely, if ever, appears in these reports. This raises a critical *transparency* issue. - When the U.S. government is paying, and information about training events is unavailable or difficult to obtain, how can we verify that *human rights conditions in foreign aid law* are being respected? How can we be sure that the units and individuals giving and receiving the training are clear of credible allegations of past abuse? (WOLA Intern Elizabeth Glusman contributed much research to this post.) 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