U.S. Southern Command: General Charles E. Wilhelm and the Shaping of U.S. Military Engagement in Colombia, 1997–2000

Abstract

As commander of the U.S. Southern Command, General Charles E. Wilhelm played a significant role in shaping—rather than merely implementing—a major change in U.S. policy toward Colombia. Before he took the helm of the Southern Command in 1997, U.S. engagement with the Colombian military was stunted. Before Wilhelm retired in 2000, U.S. Army Special Forces had trained the first of three U.S.equipped Colombian Army counterdrug battalions, and Congress had approved a $1.3 billion aid package to support a Colombian government initiative known as Plan Colombia, of which nearly 80 percent was earmarked for the Colombian military. This catapulted Colombia into the position of being the third largest U.S. foreign-aid recipient (behind Israel and Egypt), and represented the first step toward active U.S. involvement in Colombia’s internal security situation. Furthermore, it marked a major shift from engagement almost exclusively with the Colombian National Police (CNP) to the Colombian military.

Tell me this is not a Vietnam again.

Senator Ted Stevens

Sir, it is not a Vietnam again. I spent 1965, ‘66, ‘69 and ‘70 in Vietnam and I think I’ll know it when I see it happening again. When I go to Colombia I do not feel a quagmire sucking at my boots.

General Charles E. Wilhelm, Commander

U.S. Southern Command²

The views expressed in this chapter are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. government.