unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (09/19/89)
Andean strategy.
Q: Are they mostly working with police or troops or the
military?
A: I don't know the answer to that.
Q: You said in Colombia there are two kinds of teams. One is
specifical a counter-narcotics team. What is the other team?
A: I said there were two types of teams that would be assigned
to Colombia. Those specifically sent under the 506A emergency
aid package, the $65 million aid package to Colombia in specific
support of their counter- narcotics effort. And then we have
also military training teams in Latin America to honor other
requests from those countries that may not be directly related
to the counter-narcotics mission. Now I'm not positive how you
break that number two down in Colombia. That was Charlie's
question and that's the one that we're taking and we'll get an
answer for you.
Q: Can you extend that to Bolivia and Peru too, and let us know
what these teams are?
A: Yes, we'll do our best on that.
Q: Just to clear up the number again, you said there were seven
teams with numbers under 50 people?
A: The total number is under 50, fewer than 50.
Q: The number you gave later was 50 to 100.
A: All right.
Q: The total number involved, but no more than 50 at any one
time?
A: I understand your question. But you see, not all the people
that are in Colombia, and this may be useful, not all the
number--as opposed to everything else I've said here this
morning. (Laughter) Not all the people that are in Colombia
are military training teams. You have other kinds of people
that go down there to assist. Military training teams have a
very specific mission that's worked out for a very specific
purpose. Other support personnel may include people to unload
airplanes. They don't count under military training teams.
People to check out the security of airfields. They don't count
in military training teams. Other kinds of support personnel.
Now all of that is within the 50 to 100 number in Colombia under
the President's emergency package. The 50 to 100 people will
include military training teams and other support personnel. The
number, fewer than 50 is the number that applies to the military
training teams that we currently have in Latin America in the
counter-narcotics program.
Q: Could you tell us if any of these teams are tactical advisers
as opposed to people just teaching others to use machine guns
or...
A: It will vary from team to team, and depending on what the
training mission is.
Q: How about now?
A: I don't know that we'll get into that sort of detail. But
let me just say that as a general matter military training teams
provide specific equipment training, but they also provide
tactical training as well. That's the job of military training
teams.
Q: According to the U.S. Army, 564 Colombia officers and
soldiers have been training in the United States. I wonder what
other specific missions the training teams that will be sent
from the United States on a case-by-case basis. Are the
training teams supposed to give a higher quality of combat
capabilities to the Colombian forces and police forces?
A: The question is: are our training teams intended to provide
a higher quality. I don't know. I don't want to necessarily
buy off on that language. The point is that these training
teams go down at the request of the host country. Sometimes
it's tactical training, sometimes it's specific equipment
training. But obviously, those countries have capable military
forces now. I'm not sure I want to get into the business of
judging the varying qualities of their forces.
Q: In other words, my point of the question is that so far this
year only U.S. Army has given special training on various levels
to Colombian military personnel totaling 564 this year, in
Arizona and elsewhere. What other levels of requirements are
requested by the Colombian government at this time?
A: I don't know the answer to that. Maybe the Army could
provide it for you, but I don't have that sort of detail.
Q: Has there been any additional equipment sent since Tuesday,
since the 2.4 million?
A: Let's see where we stand on the President's emergency aid
package. I don't have it broken down. We could probably figure
it out as we go along information I have is cumulative to to
date, so let me run through that.
To date, we have provided about $13 million worth of aid to the
Colombian military and civilian authorities. I'm told now, by
the way, that the dollar figures we're giving you include not
only the equipment itself but also the shipping charges of
getting it there. In other words, the mission to fly the C-5's
down and the other things. The money to do that has to come out
of the total $65 million package.
So to date, $13 million worth of aid under the emergency package.
For the police, five UH-1 helicopters, small arms with
ammunition; machine guns with ammunition; grenade launchers with
ammunition; Claymore mines; flares; and weapon systems for
helicopters. For the Army, vehicles; radios; medical
equipment; grenade launchers; machine guns and small arms, all
with ammunition For the Air Force, the two C-130's with spare
parts; the 0A-37's with spare parts. For the Judiciary, the 500
bulletproof vests. For the Director of Administrative Security
which is sort of Colombia's version of the FBI, small arms and
smoke grenades.
Q: There's a story on the wire saying that the Colombian judges
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