Since we spread our wings, we have forged the cohesion of the country in the heights, adding determination, commitment and sense of duty. Once among the clouds, we built bridges that overcame the difficult geography, connecting institutions, cultures and traditions, invaluable heritages that constitute the reality of who we are: a diverse Colombia that writes its own destiny with the tenacity of its people.
The ingenuity that lead us to fly for the first time in 1919, by adapting North American and European aircraft to Andean, Amazonian and tropical conditions, was conceived not only by the illusion of entrepreneurs who crossed the Atlantic, but in the same way, by the commitment of Colombian aviators who dreamed of uniting the country and giving direction to progress. They became the first bearers of our vocation of victory.
The light aircraft with which we conquered the winds were replaced by robust and metal structures, powered by jet engines, pistons and more aerodynamic designs and even vertical flight, such as versatile helicopters. To this, the jet era came, with airplanes that exceeded the speed of sound, revolutionizing the strategy in the execution of operations being faster and more powerful, to the finding of new horizons.
A separate chapter is reserved to the specialized contribution of the Colombian Aerospace Force to the construction, assistance to deal with natural disasters and humanitarian operations that save lives. The support for the rescue of indigenous children in Operation Esperanza, as well as the repatriation of our compatriots from Israel – in the middle of the conflict - are some representative examples of the tireless operation that we are carrying out.
By overcoming enormous challenges in the heart of the most remote regions and territories, under the rigor of the elements, we can put in the skies an air power that has changed the history of the nation for 104 years. This unwavering energy, forged by the efforts of compatriots from all corners of the country, has not only led us to dominate the celestial frontier, but in the same way to transcend and become the great institution that we are today: the Colombian Aerospace Force.
Assets such as the Space Operations Center, SpOC, FACSAT-1 and FACSAT-2, analogue astronaut missions, the Antarctic program and systems that combine the advantages of artificial intelligence with satellite images to combat the predation of sensitive ecosystems, demonstrate the work of our Institution in the domains that conceive the contemporary evolution of societies. Those are developments that mark the way for innovation, research, development and national industrialization.
This is how we go to the stars, it has become a new frontier to provide security, protect life, create knowledge and inspire this branch that lives and progress for Colombia. Those who have made this evolution possible - Officers, Non-commissioned Officers, Soldiers and civil servants - as well as those who will continue to give it vitality and impetus - Cadets and Students, future leaders of aerospace power - are the same Colombians to whom we serve and belong to. Many of them, men and women who decide to proudly wear our celestial badge, to give wings to the country.
Now, as we observe the surface of the Earth beyond the limits of gravity, the Homeland and the Institution reflect on tomorrow. With certainty, in this course, promoted by the same nation, there is enough imagination and energy to conceive the progress of Colombia. A present and a future that is written with the eyes on space. Ad Astra!
By General Luis Carlos Córdoba Avendaño
Commander of the Colombian Aerospace Force
