Homeland Security

Bush Notifies Congress of U.S. Counterdrug Personnel in Colombia

(Almost 400 Americans are in Colombia to support anti-drug efforts)
(390)
As required by law, President Bush submitted a report on February 20
to notify the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate of the
number, location, activities and length of assignment of all U.S.
military personnel and U.S. civilian contractors involved in
supporting the Plan Colombia comprehensive anti-narcotics campaign in
that Andean nation.
In his letter accompanying the report to the congressional leaders,
Bush indicated that 208 military personnel and 279 civilian
contractors were based in Colombia as of January 13, 2003, to help
support Plan Colombia.
Following is the text of the president's letter to the congressional
leaders:
(begin text)
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
February 20, 2003
Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President of the Senate
February 20, 2003
TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
February 20, 2003
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
Pursuant to section 3204(f), title III, chapter 2 of the Emergency
Supplemental Act, 2000 (the "Act"), as enacted in the Military
Construction Appropriations Act, 2001, Public Law 106-246, I am
providing a report prepared by my Administration that provides "the
aggregate number, locations, activities, and lengths of assignment for
all temporary and permanent U.S. military personnel and U.S.
individual civilians retained as contractors involved in the
anti-narcotics campaign in Colombia."
In so doing, I note and appreciate the continued strong bipartisan
support given to U.S. programs assisting Colombia in the Act and
elsewhere.
This report is classified because of force protection considerations
and the high level of terrorist threat in Colombia. However, the
aggregate numbers given below are unclassified.
The report indicates that as of January 13, 2003, the end of this
reporting period, there were 208 temporary and permanent U.S. military
personnel and 279 U.S. civilians retained as individual contractors in
Colombia involved in supporting Plan Colombia. This report further
indicates that during November and December 2002, and January 2003,
these figures never exceeded the ceilings established in section
3204(b) of the Act, as amended.
Sincerely,
GEORGE W. BUSH
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)