|
 Todo
lo que hace este país para ayudar a Colombia y a las otras naciones de la
región andina apoya la campaña contra el terrorismo mundial liderada por
Estados Unidos, dice Gary Speer (1),
jefe en funciones del Comando Sur de Estados Unidos (Southcom).
En declaraciones ante el Senado, Speer dijo el 24 de abril que los esfuerzos
estadounidenses en Colombia apuntan no sólo a combatir las drogas sino
también a salvar la democracia en ese país y a promover la seguridad y la
estabilidad en la región andina.
Los esfuerzos para ayudar a Colombia muestran progreso, afirmó Speer. Pero
advirtió que los militares colombianos carecen todavía de los
"recursos, el personal, el transporte aéreo y la movilidad para
restablecer un ambiente seguro y libre de peligros en todo el país".
Speer advirtió que si a la amenaza terrorista que hay ahora en Colombia y
otras partes de América Latina "no se la saca a luz y se la elimina,
esa amenaza plantea potencialmente una amenaza seria" a la seguridad
nacional de Estados Unidos y de sus vecinos. Speer citó un informe del
Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos que dice que el 86 por ciento de
todos los actos terroristas contra los intereses estadounidenses durante el
2000 en todo el mundo, ocurrieron en América Latina, predominantemente en
Colombia.
La bomba a las puertas de la embajada de Estados Unidos en Perú, que
precedió a la visita del presidente Bush a ese país en marzo, "indica
que otros grupos terroristas locales plantean amenazas a Estados Unidos en
otras partes del hemisferio", le
dijo Speer a la Subcomisión del Hemisferio Occidental, Cuerpo de Paz y
Asuntos de Narcóticos, que es parte de la Comisión de Relaciones
Exteriores del Senado.
Declaró también que el tráfico de drogas persiste como una "amenaza
corrosiva a la democracia, la estabilidad y la prosperidad de las naciones
de la región", especialmente en la cordillera andina. Agregó que el
tráfico de drogas genera violencia, promueve el crimen y corrompe las
instituciones públicas.
Sobre el tema de cómo luchar contra el tráfico de drogas en la región,
dijo Speer que Estados Unidos apoya volver a establecer el Programa de
Bloqueo del Puente Aéreo en Colombia y Perú, "como medio efectivo de
interceptar la corriente de drogas, armas y contrabando".
Anteriormente este programa demostró ser muy exitoso en desbaratar una red
esencial de "acarreo" para los traficantes de drogas, destacó
Speer. Una vez que se hayan instalado las salvaguardias apropiadas, el
programa debería reiniciarse, dijo.
Subir
1)Gary
D. Speer
Major General
United States Army
Acting
Commander in Chief,
United States Southern Command
Major General Gary D.
Speer assumed the duties as Deputy Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command
on 31 July 2000, subsequent to his nomination for promotion to Major
General. A native of Gadsden, Alabama, he was commissioned a second
lieutenant in the infantry in the Regular Army upon graduation from the
United States Military Academy in 1972.
Major General Speer’s
initial assignment was to the airborne brigade of the 101st Airborne
Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he served as Rifle Platoon Leader
and Rifle Company Executive Officer in the 1st Battalion (Airborne),
503d Parachute Infantry Regiment. Upon formal activation of the first ranger
battalion, activated since World War II, he served as Rifle Platoon Leader,
Rifle Company Executive Officer, and Battalion S4 in the 1st Battalion (Ranger),
75th Infantry Regiment at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Subsequently, he was
assigned as Battalion S-4 and Rifle Company Commander in the 1st Battalion,
46th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), 1st Armored Division in Germany.
While a major, Major
General Speer served on the Army Staff in the Pentagon as the Security
Assistance Action Officer for Latin America. He then returned to troops as
the Battalion Executive Officer of the 2d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment;
Executive Officer of the 3d Brigade, 9th Infantry Division (Motorized);
Commander, 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment (Motorized); and Commander,
2d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Washington.
Major General Speer
served with the Department of State as the Director of Operations, Office of
the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. Subsequently, he commanded the 3d
Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
As a brigade commander, he also served as the Task Force Commander in the
city of Cap Haitian during Operation Uphold Democracy, responsible for the
northern departments of Haiti. His multinational, multi-agency task force
included military contingents from the Caribbean Command (CARICOM),
Guatemala, and the U.S.; police monitors from Argentina, Bolivia, CARICOM,
Canada, and France; U.N. observers; and a variety of other agencies and
non-government organizations from other countries. He also planned and
supervised his soldiers' preparation and deployment for peacekeeping
operations with the multinational force and observer mission in the Sinai,
and military employment in humanitarian missions involving the repatriation
of migrant personnel recovered at sea in the Pacific, hurricane disaster
relief, and fighting forest fires. Major General Speer was the Deputy
Commander, United States Army South, in Panama from 1996 to 1998. Most
recently, he served as the Assistant Division Commander, Operations, 10th
Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York from 24 July 1998 to
6 July 2000, which included command of the Coalition Joint Task Force –
Kuwait (Forward) during January-February 1999.
Major General Speer is a
graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Airborne and
Ranger Schools at Fort Benning, Georgia, the Command and General Staff
College at Fort Leavenworth, and the Army War College in Carlisle,
Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Military Academy
and a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University.
His awards include the
Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf
clusters, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service
Medals with five oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with oak
leaf cluster, the Humanitarian Service Medal with star, the Armed Forces
Expeditionary Medals with two oak leaf clusters, the Expert Infantryman's
Badge, Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Brazil's Peacekeeper Medal,
Guatemala's White Nun Medal, and Paraguay's Marshal Solan Lopez Medal.
Abril
29, 2002
Subir
|
