COUNTER-DRUG BRIGADE CHANGE OF COMMAND

UNCLAS BOGOTA 010848 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR INL/LP AND WHA/AND E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR MOPS PINR CO SUBJECT: COUNTER-DRUG BRIGADE CHANGE OF COMMAND ¶1. (U) The Colombian Army Counter- Drug Brigade (CD BDE) will be getting a new commander in mid-December. Brigadier General (BG) Jorge Octavio ARDILA Silva will replace outgoing CD BDE Commander BG Luis Felipe PAREDESParedes Cadena, who will assume command of the 2nd Brigade in Barranquilla. ¶2. (SBU) BG Ardila Silva is from the engineer branch and is currently the Chief of Logistics for the Army. His past assignments include being second- in- command at the 4th Division hHeadquarters and a tour as mMilitary aAttache in the U.S. ¶3. (SBU) BG Ardila Silva is well known to the current Narcotics Police (DIRAN) Commander, BG Jorge Baron, which augers well for the DIRAN-CD BDE operations in support of aerial eradication. ¶4. (SBU) Previous CD BDE commanders have lasted from one to two years in the unit. It is not unusual for a commander to be transferred after one year, especially given the forced retirement of six active duty generals during the first part of 2005. ¶5. (U) BG Ardila Silva is not a relative of has no relation to BG Luis Alberto Ardila Silva, the 6th Division commander and the commanderorganization to whomich the CD BDE head reportsadministratively belongs. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: Preliminary human rights checks within the embassy show no derogatory information on BG Jorge Ardila Silva. End comment. DRUCKER