Army South commander heads to Colombia to strengthen partnerships

Maj. Gen. Frederick S. Rudesheim (left), U.S. Army South commanding general, greets Colombian officers at the Colombian military headquarters in Bogota, Colombia Jan. 22.

BOGOTA, Colombia – U.S. Army South’s commanding general arrived in Bogota, Colombia Jan. 21 where he will spend the next several days meeting with the U.S. ambassador, taking part in discussions with key leaders in the Colombian army and visiting various military installations.

“The armies of Colombia and the United States continue to share a strong relationship,” said Maj. Michael L. Burgoyne, U.S. Army South Andean Ridge desk officer. “It’s vital that Maj. Gen. Rudesheim continue to strengthen personal relationships during visits such as this one.”

During 2012, Army South and the Colombian army strengthened their commitment to building and sustaining enduring partnerships during several interactions including the annual Army bilateral Staff Talks in March, aviation and maintenance rotary wing subject matter expert exchange in April and a visit to the Army South headquarters by Colombian War College students in August.

The Colombian army also played a key role in Army South’s 2012 Fuerzas Aliadas PANAMAX exercise when more than 50 Colombian military personnel travelled to Fort Sam Houston to lead the land component portion of the exercise for the second year in a row. PANAMAX brings together sea, air and land forces in a joint and combined operation focused on defending the Panama Canal from attacks by a violent extremist organization as well as responding to natural disasters and pandemic outbreaks in various locations.

“Colombia is one of our closest partners in the hemisphere and our interaction with the Colombian army during this past year exemplifies that our military relations with them are excellent,” said Burgoyne. “During the next few days Maj. Gen. Rudesheim will have the opportunity to hear from several Colombian army leaders on their perspective regarding regional security issues of mutual concern and discuss ways in which we can enhance our security cooperation, as well as contribute to regional stability.”