Tidd visits Colombia, gets firsthand look at units leading the charge against traffickers, insurgents

Photo By Michael Wimbish | POPAYAN, Colombia (April 20, 2016) -- Navy Adm. Kurt W. Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command, poses with Colombian citizens who have been assisted by the "Fe en Colombia" campaign developed by the Colombian Army's 3rd Division in Popayan, Colombia. Many communities near the city have been negatively impacted by the presence of illegally armed groups and transnational criminal organizations and have received assistance from the Colombian government, NGOs, and the private sector as part of the campaign. Tidd was in Colombia April 21 - 22 to meet with military leadership there and get a firsthand look at Colombian military troops on the front lines of efforts to disrupt the activities of narco-traffickers and illegally armed groups. (DoD Photo)  

COLOMBIA

04.21.2016

Story by Michael Wimbish   

U.S. Southern Command

By U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs

COLOMBIA (April 21, 2016) -- Navy Adm. Kurt W. Tidd, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, visited Colombia this week to meet with military leadership there and get a firsthand look at Colombian military troops on the front lines of efforts to disrupt the activities of narco-traffickers and organized armed groups.

This was Tidd’s second visit to Colombia since assuming command of SOUTHCOM in January and comes a month after the high-profile visit by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. Tidd’s visit aimed to reiterate the U.S. military’s commitment to working closely with Colombian forces to support security in Colombia and the region.

“This visit has afforded me an opportunity to personally express our commitment to remain fully engaged with them as equal partners who value and respect what they contribute to our shared security and to the region,” Tidd said in a statement.

During the two-day visit, Tidd -- accompanied by Colombian Gen. Juan Rodriguez, chief of the Colombian armed forces – visited Colombian units operating in Colombia’s southwestern departments, where organized armed groups are known to operate. Criminal activities in the region include coca cultivation, cocaine production, illicit trafficking and illegal mining. The region is important to the country's agriculture, commerce and trade.

On the first day of the trip, Tidd toured Tumaco where he visited Task Force Poseidon, a counter-narcotrafficking task force focused on disrupting illicit traffic along the region's Pacific coast and remote river systems.

He also visited the Colombian Army's Special Counter-Narcotrafficking Brigade, meeting with Colombian special operations personnel who conduct operations targeting cocaine labs and other cocaine production infrastructure, and the U.S. military personnel there who support them.

Later, Tidd traveled to Popayan, Colombia, to tour the Fe en Colombia (Faith in Colombia) business expo at the Colombian Army's 3rd Division headquarters. Fe en Colombia is a public-private campaign initiated by the 3rd Division to assist communities impacted by violence associated with illegally-armed and organized crime groups.

The campaign's collaboration between government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector aims to improve living conditions for thousands of citizens who reside in affected communities.
On the Day 2 of the trip, Tidd visited the Colombian military base in Tolemaida.

There, Tidd visited an aviation division, was briefed on the Colombian Armed Forces Human Rights Program and toured their de-mining museum. He also saw a demonstration by a Colombian military engineering brigade and met with U.S. military personnel who support the Colombian armed forces at the base.

“I’m very impressed with the professionalism and dedication to service of the brave Colombian men and women I had the opportunity to meet during this visit. It is easy to understand why they are so trusted and respected by their compatriots and the international community,” said Tidd.

Also during the visit, Tidd met with U.S. Ambassador Kevin Whitaker to discuss the command’s support to the U.S. government’s cooperation with Colombia, and was accompanied on various legs of his trip by subject matter experts from USAID and the Department of State.

• Date Taken: 04.21.2016
• Date Posted: 04.21.2016 14:05
• Story ID: 196101
• Location: CO