The massive departure of high-ranking officers from the Colombian Armed Forces

One hundred ten senior officers of the Colombian Armed Forces (FFAA), of the ranks of colonel and lieutenant colonel, have requested their departure from active duty during the current 2023, apparently due to disagreement with the assignment of services.

Given this situation that was made public last week, the Ministry of Defense justified the request of the officers, in the fact of not having been called for promotion courses (circular No. 2023305000523121 MDN-COGFM-COEJC-SECEJ-JEMGF-COPER-DIPER-29.60), or by request -voluntary- of retirement of these, but recognizing only the departure of 23 officers.

However, after information rights were filed by the radio network Bluradio, the Colombian Army acknowledged that 89 officers have already retired, representing double or even three times the number of officers who left this institution in the past years.

Infodefensa.com has been able to establish that the massive departure of these officers is mainly due to changes in pension allowances – percentages to which a lieutenant colonel or colonel is entitled to each of the five years of service in their respective grade – which has led to a general lack of motivation and a massive request for voluntary retirements.

However, another motivation is the growing and strong demoralization of the officer corps of the Armed Forces as a whole due to the current security policy and the immediate censure of those who express their dissatisfaction with what is happening in the area of public order, which finally translates into retirement or the qualification of services.

SOARING INSECURITY

The situation of security, citizen coexistence, and public order has been deteriorating steadily and progressively, partly due to the directives of the current government, aimed at ceasing actions and operations against the main organized armed groups – AGC, ELN, and dissidents and relapses of the FARC-EP -, which has increased crimes such as drug trafficking, extortion, and kidnapping.

In addition, within the Armed Forces, there is an intense discomfort with the national government’s management, through the Ministries of the Interior and Justice, in the sense of favoring the reincorporation into civilian life of persons accused and convicted of drug trafficking, terrorism, and subversion, under the figure of “peace managers” (which is also being accessed irregularly after payments of approximately US$630,000).

This situation has also annoyed the Minister of Defense, who doesn’t agree with these facts.

REGULATION OF COCA LEAF CULTIVATION

These situations would be motivated by the Colombian government’s interest in quickly and satisfactorily advancing its entire peace process, precisely with all the drug trafficking organizations (around 21 to 23), to recover security and public order, mainly in the rural areas of the country.

With the additional objective of proposing and advancing a public policy of regulation and legalization of crops such as coca leaf, as an alternative to combat drug trafficking effectively, given the failure of the current war against it.

With information from Infodefensa