Washington Fast-Tracks Military Cooperation With Colombia’s New Government — Nothing Signed Yet
Washington and Colombia’s incoming government have been planning an expanded security partnership since July. Nothing has been signed, and the sanctions on Gustavo Petro are still in force.
US Colombia military cooperation is being rebuilt, and it is worth being precise about what that means today. There is no signed agreement. There is a Pentagon meeting in July, a name — “Plan Patriota 2.0” — used by a US official on social media, and reporting that planning began before Abelardo De La Espriella took office on Friday.
Key Facts
- Nothing is signed. There is no treaty, memorandum or basing accord. What exists is planning, a Pentagon meeting and an official’s social-media post.
- The name. “Plan Patriota 2.0”, used by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for the Americas Joseph Humire on 21 July after meeting Colombia’s incoming defence minister.
- What is discussed. Intelligence sharing, extradition, helicopters and counter-drone equipment, a regional training centre in Colombia, and a possible return to aerial coca spraying.
- The money. US security assistance to Colombia fell from about US$400 million to roughly US$187 million in the first year of Trump’s second term.
- Still in place. Gustavo Petro, his family and former interior minister Armando Benedetti remain on the US sanctions list. Washington has not asked for that to be reconsidered.
- Who came today. Nine US officials at the inauguration, almost all security and counter-narcotics. Marco Rubio was not among them.
What US Colombia military cooperation actually amounts to right now
The reporting is real and the caution is warranted. Colombian outlets relaying a New York Times report said on Friday, the day Abelardo De La Espriella was sworn in, that the Trump administration and the incoming Colombian government have been planning an expanded military, intelligence and counter-narcotics partnership. The planning began before the handover. The timetable for joint operations is undefined.
The hard, documented core is narrower than the headline suggests. On 21 July, Joseph Humire, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for the Americas, posted that after meeting Colombia’s incoming defence leadership at the Pentagon the previous week, “we plan to take this partnership to new levels with Plan Patriot 2.0”. Present were vice-president-elect José Manuel Restrepo and defence minister-designate General Jorge Eduardo Mora López, who called it a new stage of cooperation, integration and joint action.
The State Department has said on the record that it is ready to support Colombia’s efforts to strengthen its security forces and defeat narco-terrorists. The Pentagon declined further comment. That is the whole documented record. No agreement has been published.
What is on the table
The elements under discussion, as relayed by Colombian outlets, are: US intelligence sharing and support for Colombian operations against trafficking organisations; extradition of captured traffickers; replenishment of the helicopter fleet and counter-drone systems; a regional counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism training centre based in Colombia; and Colombia joining the inter-American coalition against drug cartels created in March, with Medellín designated as its regional seat.
The most consequential item is the possible return of aerial coca eradication, suspended in Colombia in 2015 over the health effects of glyphosate. Restarting it would mean rebuilding the logistics and clearing the legal restrictions that stopped it. Nobody has said it will happen.
Where this comes from
The relationship broke down badly under Gustavo Petro. In September 2025 the White House determined Colombia had failed demonstrably on counter-narcotics — the first decertification since 1997 — while issuing a waiver that preserved most assistance. In October the US Treasury placed Petro, his wife, his son and then interior minister Armando Benedetti on the sanctions list, and Trump announced an end to payments and subsidies.
As of mid-July, a US under secretary confirmed the White House has not asked for those sanctions to be reconsidered. They are still in force today.
One correction to the usual framing: cooperation never actually stopped. Petro continued intelligence sharing and counter-narcotics work with Washington throughout the rupture. What is being described is an acceleration, not a restart from zero.
What it means if you live in or invest in Colombia
For residents in Bogotá, Medellín or Cartagena, nothing here touches immigration, banking or property. The effect, if it materialises, is regional: more joint operations in the coca and trafficking corridors of Catatumbo, Cauca, Nariño, Putumayo and Chocó, with the road closures, checkpoints and airspace restrictions that come with them.
The caveat that matters is retaliation. A harder military line has historically produced urban responses. Police intercepted a bus carrying around 420 kilograms of explosives intended for military and police targets during inauguration week, which is the concrete illustration. Armed-group combatants have risen from about 13,000 in 2022 to roughly 27,000 in 2025.
For investors, the resolution of the Washington relationship removes the sharpest tail risk hanging over Colombian assets since October — the tariff threat and the sanctioning of a sitting president. That discount is plausibly reversing. But the sanctions themselves have not been lifted, so compliance screening for anyone with Colombian counterparties has not got easier yet. This is general information, not investment advice.
More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has the US signed a military agreement with Colombia?
No. No treaty, memorandum or basing accord has been published. What exists is reported planning, a Pentagon meeting in July and an official’s social-media post naming “Plan Patriota 2.0”.
What is Plan Patriota 2.0?
A name used by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of War Joseph Humire on 21 July for an expanded security partnership with Colombia’s incoming government. No document under that name has been made public.
How much US security aid does Colombia get?
It fell from about US$400 million to roughly US$187 million in the first year of Trump’s second term, according to an administration report to Congress.
Are the sanctions on Petro still in force?
Yes. Gustavo Petro, his wife, his son and former interior minister Armando Benedetti remain on the US sanctions list, and Washington has not asked for that to be reconsidered.
Will coca spraying restart?
It is under discussion. Aerial glyphosate eradication was suspended in Colombia in 2015, and restarting it would require rebuilding the logistics and clearing the legal restrictions that stopped it.
Sources: The New York Times via La FM, Brasil 247 and El Tiempo; US State Department; US Treasury (OFAC); ColombiaOne; Colombia Reports; Cambio.
In depth
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