NATO hosts Colombian Chief of Defence
Brussels, NATO HQ, 12 May – The Colombian Chief of Defence Admiral Francisco Hernando Cubides Granados was welcomed to NATO Headquarters by the Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC), Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone. During his stay at NATO HQ, he engaged in a series of high-level meetings with NATO military leadership, on NATO-Colombia cooperation.
Admiral Cubides briefed NATO Military Representatives on Colombia’s security strategy and leading role in countering illicit trafficking, in particular through Operation ORION, a multilateral counter narcotics campaign coordinated by Colombia, which sees the participation of numerous international actors, including NATO Allies and Partner countries. In this regard, CMC recognised “Colombia’s extensive experience in maritime security and tackling organised crime”, with a wider link to Colombia’s counter-terrorism agenda. Additionally, Admiral Cavo Dragone highlighted Colombia’s role as a Global Partner, the successful implementation of practical military cooperation between NATO and Colombia, and addressed ways to further strengthen the partnership between the Alliance and its only South American Partner.
Admiral Cubides also met with the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff (DGIMS), Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak, DGIMS highlighted the relevance of linkages between NATO and Colombia’s respective security environments, and recalled the need for strong partnerships with like-minded nations such as Colombia aiming at maintaining the rules-based international order.
The next engagement for Admiral Cubides was a briefing by Major General Dacian-Tiberiu Serban, Director of the IMS Cooperative Security Division. Both parties used the opportunity to discuss practical elements of military cooperation, as defined by the political goals set in Colombia’s Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) and translated into military objectives facilitating the implementation of practical military cooperation. As the current ITPP cycle is coming to an end, and the negotiations for the next ITPP cycle have started, Admiral Cubides and Major General Serban acknowledged the need to continue engaging in cooperation aimed at interoperability between Colombia and NATO.
NATO and Colombia began their cooperation in 2015, which only grew following Colombia’s signing of their ITPP in 2021. At the time, Colombia was the first partner country to sign an ITPP, paving the way for a more streamlined approach to NATO partnerships. Today, the cooperation covers a wide range of issues, including cyber security, terrorism, the fight against corruption and maritime security.