Over 300 U.S. Soldiers to Join Military Exercises in Colombia

Previously, President De la Espriella formalized his country’s accession to Trump’s Shield of the Americas.

On Monday, the Colombian army announced that more than 300 U.S. soldiers will participate in joint military exercises in Colombia focused on combating drug trafficking, illegal mining and unmanned aerial systems.

The U.S. military personnel will arrive on Tuesday at the Tolemaida military base, located in the municipality of Nilo, in the department of Cundinamarca, where the fourth edition of the “Southern Vanguard 2026” training exercise will take place through Nov. 11.

During the exercises, members of the Colombian army’s No. 1 Counter-Narcotics Battalion will exchange tactics, techniques and procedures with light infantry soldiers from the U.S. Army Mountain battalion.

The training will begin on Oct. 30, with a simulated aeromedical evacuation from Tolemaida to the facilities of the Cavalry School in Bogota, using aircraft and specialized medical equipment.

“The objective will be to verify the medical care and first aid procedures used by medical personnel from both armies to assist a person who would have been injured in a mined area,” the Colombian army said.

🇺🇸🇵🇪🇦🇷🇨🇱 O Exército dos EUA concluiu no dia 18 de setembro o Exercício Southern Vanguard 2026, uma operação internacional que contou com 400 militares dos EUA, Argentina, Chile e Peru treinando em conjunto situações de combate na selva amazônica peruana. pic.twitter.com/bZcK6NALun

— Análise Geopolítica (@AnaliseGeopol) October 2, 2026

The text reads, “On Sept. 18, the U.S. Army concluded Exercise Southern Vanguard 2026, an international operation involving 400 military personnel from the U.S., Argentina, Chile, and Peru, who trained together in combat scenarios within the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.”

Colombian authorities explained that the exercises aim to strengthen “military cooperation and assess both forces’ ability to operate jointly, coordinate maneuvers and make decisions in operational scenarios.”

The arrival of the military personnel comes amid closer relations between Bogota and Washington since Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, a U.S. citizen, took office on Aug. 7, with security cooperation and the fight against drug trafficking as central pillars of the bilateral agenda.

The far-right president formalized Colombia’s accession to the Shield of the Americas, an initiative promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump to strengthen regional cooperation against drug trafficking and criminal organizations.

The rapprochement was evident on Sept. 8, when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Barranquilla and met with De la Espriella in the first high-level meeting between the two governments since the Colombian president took office.

Following the meeting, the two countries announced the so-called Barranquilla Accords, a road map that includes, among other issues, security cooperation and the fight against drug trafficking.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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