Colombia Looks to NATO and Beyond in Regional Defense
Over the last two years, the Colombian government has given high priority to diplomatic efforts meant to shore up its immediate security situation, actively pursuing bilateral, trilateral and multilateral agreements with various governments in the region and beyond.
Colombia occupies a strategic position in the western hemisphere: it has a large territory connecting North America with the South, and it has enormous shores on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. This geostrategic advantage allows Colombia to act as a gate of entry for South America, and its network of sea ports processes a large volume of commodities and other shipments coming in and out of the United States and Europe on a daily basis.
Bogota is also trying to position itself as an important hub in terms of regional defense, boosting its domestic military training and capacity building for fighting drug trafficking networks, terrorism, and other sources of transnational crime. These capacity building programs include military training, and intelligence and technology sharing agreements with various countries such as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Chile, Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, and Korea. Official working relationships have also been established with the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Cooperation with the United States plays a large role in Columbia’s overall security outlook. In addition to a local DEA presence in Bogota, the United States has also supported Colombia in its risk management efforts, the transformation of its armed forces, and the war against drug traffickers and organized crime. Under Washington’s guidance, the Santos government has taken a leading role in the region as a country with a vast experience in matters of security.
http://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/colombia-looks-to-nato-and-beyond-in-regional-defense-4903/