Within the framework of the international cooperation instruments established by Colombia and France, the Toucan Royal operation was carried out for the second consecutive year in the waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Surface and air units of the Colombian Navy together with a Surface unit of the National Navy of France conducted for four days exercises about maritime interception, tactical maneuvers, aeronautical operations, and tactical communications, among others.
With the testing of the naval resources of the Oceanic Ship ARC Victoria, of an aircraft and of Coast Guard units of the Colombian Navy together with the French ship La Combattante, the aim was to increase the interoperability and the level of training in security and sea control tasks of the participants, as well as to strengthen the bonds of partnership and cooperation in pursuit of peace, security, the defense of the Western hemisphere and the protection of common maritime interests, freedom of navigation and national sovereignty.
The Tucán Royal operation is part of a strategy to combat drug trafficking by sea and its related crimes that is carried out by the two navies, through which various activities of the military operation and naval training are carried out, in order to enhance the resources of the two institutions and improve interoperability for a more effective development of operations to combat transnational crime by sea.
It is important to highlight that in 2023 the French National Navy deployed four ships in its overseas territories in the Caribbean region to missions with the Colombian Navy, including Operation UNITAS, through which it positions as a strategic ally of Colombia in its frontal fight against transnational crime and the protection of life throughout the national territory.
Colombia is constant in its current various international cooperation agreements with neighboring countries in the Caribbean Sea, through which the Colombian Navy coordinates and participates in multinational operations for defense and security cooperation, understanding this as a contribution to the progress and development of nations in the region thanks to safer maritime spaces for navigability, and global and regional maritime governance.
Source: Press – Navy of Colombia
