The SOUTHCOM J5 Security Cooperation Division conducted a U.S. Colombia Action Plan Senior Leader Seminar (SLS) in Bogota, Colombia from 10-12 July 2018.
The seminar highlighted the importance of “Aligning Capacity Building with the Security Strategy.” The SLS was a successful collaboration between the SC J5 Security Cooperation Division, the Colombian Vice-Minister of Defense, and the Colombian War College.
During the SLS, a team of academics and military experts presented topics dealing with security strategy development, security cooperation/assistance planning, defense institution building, effective capacity building requirement development, and cyber strategy development. The discussions introduced successful models for strategic planning that consider available and required capabilities to successfully achieve a determined security strategy.
Additionally, the experts highlighted the processes for identifying capacity building requirements and the available capacity building opportunities that can be explored through the USCAP.
Senior representatives from Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, WHINSEC, and the U.S. Defense Governance Management Team attended the SLS. At the end of the formal portion of the SLS representatives expressed their satisfaction with the seminar and requested the organizers consider presenting a condensed version of the seminar to their country defense ministers.
The SLS is part of a SC J5 Security Cooperation Division effort to increase the effectiveness of all SOUTHCOM sponsored capacity building activities.