Jump alongside the 82nd Airborne with a paratrooper's wild skydive video from Colombia
Colombia is one of the US's closest partners in the region, and the two countries' militaries have worked together closely for decades. The US has also provided billions in aid to Colombia under Plan Colombia and, later, the so-called Peace Colombia.
"We are honored to train with Colombia — a close friend of the US and Global Partner to NATO," US Navy Adm. Craig Faller, head of Southern Command, said in the release. "This airborne exercise demonstrates the interoperability, lethality and professionalism of our militaries."
The exercise was done at Tolemaida air base in Cundinamarca department, southwest of Bogota in central Colombia. But it comes amid a period of heightened tension with Venezuela, which has contentions relations with Colombia, especially along their shared border to the east
The US has increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government, while Colombia has been grappling with the brunt of the millions of Venezuelans who've fled their country due to political violence, widespread shortages, and eroding law and order.
Faller has underscored the importance of partnerships for improving security in the region.
At a press briefing in Florida on January 23, Faller pointed to Venezuela as a "safe haven" and "base of opportunity" for dissident members of the demobilized FARC rebel group, as well as guerrillas from the ELN rebel group and "terrorists groups" involved in narco-trafficking.
Source: US Defense Department
"The best way to deter or defeat any of these threats is with these partnerships," Faller said. "Their capacity and ours helps both secure the US and partners."
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