US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA6950

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INTELLIGENCE CAPACITY DIMINISHED BY LOSS OF FUNDING

Identifier: 05BOGOTA6950
Wikileaks: View 05BOGOTA6950 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Bogota
Created: 2005-07-25 19:52:00
Classification: SECRET
Tags: PREL PGOV SNAR MASS PREF EAID KJUS CO
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.


 
S E C R E T BOGOTA 006950 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SNAR, MASS, PREF, EAID, KJUS, CO 
SUBJECT: INTELLIGENCE CAPACITY DIMINISHED BY LOSS OF FUNDING 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
1. (S) The loss of the two airborne reconnaissance low (ARL) 
platforms due to funding constraints will have a critical 
impact on both U.S. and Colombian intelligence operations. 
The arrival of the "Shula Dragon" aircraft on July 15 offset 
requirements, but without either of the ARLs, our 
intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capability has 
been reduced by 66 percent. 
 
2. (S) Major General Fracica, who commanded Plan Patriota's 
Joint Task Force Omega, said the loss of ARL "could not have 
happened at a worse time," as the task force is surging to 
locate a reported FARC High Command meeting that includes 
Mono Jojoy and his Eastern and Southern Bloc Field 
commanders.  Currently, one ARL platform will remain in 
country with very limited target engagement criteria. 
Missions can only be flown to locate U.S. hostages, to 
protect the U.S. military, and to protect President Uribe. 
MILGROUP has requested these criteria be eased to allow the 
ARL to participate in surge operations to locate FARC meeting 
areas, or that SOUTHCOM consider deploying an additional or 
alternative platform to support Plan Patriota IIB operations. 
 
3. (C) With the reduction of deployments of Special Forces 
Operational Detachment-Alpha (SFODA) forces to Colombia, 
MILGROUP intends to provide operational planning assistance 
to the 18th BDE in Arauca with a PCS planning assistance 
training team (PATT) as opposed to the currently deployed 
Operational Detachment-B.  This will provide continuity as 
the brigade trains, plans and conducts operations with the 
recently arrived helicopter package.  Under this study, 
Operational Detachment-A would continue tactical training at 
Saravena and the permanent PATTs would assume the 
infrastructure security strategy (ISS) planning assistance 
role in Arauca. 
WOOD 

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