For a week, a delegation of nine National Army rescue soldiers, with extensive experience in humanitarian aid operations, participated in a multinational exercise that brought together armies from all over the continent.
P茅ek谩amba - which means earthquake in Mayan language - was the name for this operation, whose objective was to strengthen collective resources to face natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies, taking as a reference real experiences, such as earthquakes of great magnitude.
This large-scale exercise, led by Mexico, counted on the participation of 168 soldiers from countries such as Canada, the United States, Argentina and Colombia, among others.
The activity was carried out in stages, including a planning phase and the activation of 13 simultaneous and progressive environments, in which the participants provided support to the inhabitants to face a simulated disaster.
The Colombian Army provided highly trained personnel in search and rescue in collapsed structures, assistance to forest fires, rope rescue and administration of temporary accommodation shelters. It is important to highlight that the Disaster Prevention Engineer Brigade is an international benchmark thanks to its preparation as a USARCOL13 team.
This type of immersive experiences is key to strengthen interoperability, joint work and establish roadmaps in the face of logistical and tactical challenges in real and complex environments.
The participation in the P茅ek谩amba Operation reaffirms the commitment of Colombian National Army to constant preparation, the exchange of knowledge and the consolidation of regional cooperation.
With each training, the soldiers reaffirm their vocation of service and their ability to provide a timely, efficient and humane response to any emergency, always protecting the life and well-being of Colombians.
Source: Press - Engineer Command
