News

TRANSCRIPT

DoD News Briefing


Tuesday, April 14, 1998 - 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD (PA)

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Q: General Wilhelm from SOUTHCOM has openly criticized the reforms -- the recent reforms of [the] Colombian military. Also the Washington Post quoted a supposed DIA intelligence report Friday, saying that Colombia could be -- the military could be defeated in five years by the guerrillas. How concerned are you of the instability, the situation of instability in Colombia at this point?

A: We're concerned. I think General Wilhelm has made it very clear that we're concerned. I can't comment on any reports about intelligence analysis, but we have been looking at, monitoring the situation in Colombia. I think General Wilhelm gave a very full description when he testified before Congress of exactly what his concerns are. He enumerated seven specific concerns, as I recall.

Q: Are you concerned about the situation for the region strategically or also for the fight against drugs and how important it would be for the military to be strong in Colombia?

A: We are concerned for both reasons, but our primary reason is the worry about the flow of narcotics out of the area. That is the primary reason why we have a military mission of about 200 people in Colombia manning radars and doing other things to try to stop the flow of drugs out of Colombia and out of the region generally.

Q: Will you consider ever a more direct participation, like sending peace forces or anything like that at some point to Colombia?

A: We are not involved in counterinsurgency operations in Colombia and we don't have any plans to become involved. What we are doing is working with the Colombian military through training programs, the so-called IMET program, for instance, small unit exchanges, educational programs, to try to make the Colombian military more professional. That's a program that's been going on for some time. We're spending I think about... We're also providing some radios and other equipment to help the Colombian military deal with some of the problems that General Wilhelm enumerated. One was communications, for instance.

So there's some assistance through equipment and some assistance through training.

Q: Is there a concern more to the government, not having the support of the government in Colombia?

A: I guess I don't fully understand that question.

Q: More like the military might need, a national strategy. There might be a military strategy but not a national strategy that supports that military strategy. Is that a concern that you...

A: I'm sure that President Sampere is concerned about the state of the military. One of our major concerns right now is to make sure that the elections take place as scheduled and smoothly. In the past, some of the insurgent groups there, the National Army of Liberation and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, have interfered with the electoral process by killing people or kidnapping people, and otherwise, wreaking havoc. We hope that does not happen, that the elections can proceed in a democratic and orderly fashion.

Press: Thank you.