Department of Defense Spokesman Lt. Col. Devin T. Robinson provided the following readout:
On April 13-14, 2023, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs (DASD), Mr. Daniel Erikson, co-chaired the 18th annual U.S.-Colombia Defense Bilateral Working Group with Colombian Vice Minister of Defense for Policy and International Affairs, Alberto Lara and Vice Minister of Defense for Strategy and Planning, MG (Ret) Ricardo Díaz. The meeting took place in Bogota, Colombia.
Participants included the DASD for Counternarcotics & Stabilization Policy, Jim Saenz; U.S. Chargé d’Affairs, Embassy Bogotá, Francisco L. Palmieri; Deputy Director, Western Hemisphere Affairs; Joint Staff J5, Strategic Plans and Policy, Brig Gen Greg Krane; Deputy J5, USSOUTHCOM, Jeff Hughes; Acting Director, Office of Security Assistance, Department of State, Bureau of Political Military Affairs, Greg Hermsmeyer; and Director of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, Dr. Paul Angelo.
Established through a joint agreement in 1999, the U.S.-Colombia Defense Bilateral Working Group represents a core component of the defense relationship and provides a strategic framework to guide bilateral cooperation. The forum is a mechanism to discuss strategic-level defense issues and to guide future activities in the areas of defense and security.
DASD Erikson and the Vice Ministers discussed: 1) Defense Sector Institution Building, 2) International Security Cooperation, 3) Strengthening Strategic Intelligence Capacity, 4) Total Peace (Counternarcotics, Territorial Stabilization, and Peace Agreement Implementation), and 5) Emergent Transboundary Challenges.
During the Defense Bilateral Working Group meeting, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their defense cooperation and emphasized the importance of adhering to the highest standards of democratic values, the rule of law, and human rights in all aspects for the bilateral defense relationship. They also underscored the importance of strong inter-agency cooperation between their two governments to combat human smuggling and develop strategies to reduce irregular migration, especially in the Darien region.