It is 100 days since I assumed command of the Military Forces
We set out, first of all, the strengthening of security by stabilizing the most critical regions of the country and we are working to facilitate the elections process. We have fulfilled this and we are doing it.
Today, I could mention figures; I could tell you about results, operations, tons of cocaine hydrochloride findings, loses in criminal structures, ringleaders eliminated. And yes, we do all of that on a daily basis; it's public, it's verifiable everywhere.
Today, I want to tell you about the soul of the Military Forces. The true report, more than a figure, is the attitude of 246,000 men and women who get up every day with the clear purpose of serving Colombia, even risking their own lives, if necessary.
In these 100 days, unfortunately, we have lost 10 men in combat and 100 more have been wounded. This shows us that the Military Forces are not stopping: they are working for Colombia.
This pain comes together with the sacrifice of the 69 military and police officers who died in the crash of the Hercules C-130 aircraft of the Colombian Aerospace Force. Men and women who fulfilled their duty until the last day, who honored their vocation of service until the end with devotion in the fulfillment of the institutional mission. Their dedication, their courage and their commitment to Colombia will remain forever in memory, as an example of what it means to serve the homeland.
These soldiers are Colombians; they are the children of Colombians. Many have been of the same regions where they are fighting today and, even so, they leave their families, their children, their wives and their parents behind, to go to the most difficult, most distant and most forgotten places in the country to fulfill the mission.
There where the State presence is just beginning, there is a Colombian soldier of land, sea, air and river, fulfilling the mission entrusted to us by the Constitution: “To defend sovereignty, independence, and security of the national territory and the constitutional order, protecting the inhabitants and their resources.”
The elimination of organized armed groups and organized crime groups is permanent. With determination, operations are being carried out to combat drug trafficking, illicit activities, illegal mining and all those who intend to take away the tranquility of Colombia.
We have strengthened military control of the territory. soldiers are stationed in all 32 departments of the country. We are in every corner: in the rainforests, in the rivers, in the mountains, in the borders, in the sea, in the air and in the same way in cyberspace. We are carrying out special operations, strengthening the resources and progressing, step by step, in weakening the
criminal structures.
We are doing it with determination, with discipline and with honor. I in the same way want to talk to you sensibly, because, of course, we have challenges, vulnerabilities and problems that hit the inhabitants and the country. We are aware that we cannot stop, because the conflict evolves, technology changes, and that demands that we in the same way do it, as does any Army, Navy and Air Force in the world. This is the true report: the courage, resilience and absolute dedication of my troops.
To the commanders of the Army, the Navy and the Aerospace Force, and to each of the men and women who lead from the level of the military and tactical operation, thank you for your commitment and for your dedication. Without your work and your leadership, this would not be possible.
To Colombia: thank you for trusting, for believing in your military Forces and for recognizing the sacrifice of those who get up every day so that you can live in peace.
These military Forces have never failed you, and they will never fail you.
On behalf of the soldiers of land, sea, air and river,
General of the Republic Hugo Alejandro López Barreto, Chief of the Colombian Military Forces
