US embassy cable - 04BOGOTA12360

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 012360 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/01/2014 
TAGS: MARR, PGOV, CO 
SUBJECT: COLOMBIANS CREATE NEW CARIBBEAN JOINT COMMAND FOR 
INTER-SERVICE COOPERATION 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (U) On November 17, the Colombian military (COLMIL) 
announced the creation of a new joint command for the 
Caribbean coastal region, designed to maximize the military's 
assets in that area.  The Caribbean Joint Command will cover 
the area from La Guajira Department in northeast Colombia to 
Choco Department bordering Panama in the northwest when it 
becomes operational later this month.  Major General Mario 
Montoya Uribe, who gained fame as commander of the 
counter-narcotics Joint Task Force South in southeastern 
Colombia from 1999 to 2000, will direct the Caribbean Joint 
Command while also remaining in command of the Army's First 
Division.  In his new role, Montoya will have operational 
command over 40,000 Army troops from the Second, Fourth, 
Tenth, Eleventh and Seventeenth Brigades; 10,000 sailors and 
marines from the Caribbean Naval Force; and elements of the 
Third and Fifth Air Combat Commands of the Colombian Air 
Force.  He will also have a stand-alone staff for the Joint 
Command. 
 
2. (C) The new Caribbean Joint Command builds off the 
successes of Joint Task Force Omega.  JTF-Omega's "Plan 
Patriota" operations against the FARC in southeastern 
Colombia have been among the best examples of joint 
operations and cross-service cooperation in Colombia to date. 
 Although the Caribbean operations will differ from JTF-Omega 
actions in that there will not be a single campaign with one 
constant target, COLMIL officials hope that a joint command 
will improve the coordination and effectiveness of the 
COLMIL's Caribbean operations.  Montoya's long-standing 
military experience will probably aid him in establishing an 
inter-service force and in improving the synchronization of 
COLMIL resources in the north.  Each service will still be 
responsible for providing the resources and command structure 
outside of joint command operations. 
 
3. (C) COLMIL contacts said this experiment could lead to 
further joint commands in other areas.  While independent 
commanders may chafe at the new command structure, it could 
help improve missions and reduce the possibility of 
inter-service rivalry. 
WOOD