This effort is responsive to Plan Colombia and consistent with current US policy. The proposed fiscal year 2000 supplemental request will provide the resources necessary to promote essential facets of the Department's assistance to Colombian interdiction efforts. Let me outline for you how this supplemental funding would enhance each of our baseline counterdrug programs in Colombia in support of our overall source zone strategy. Air Interdiction Colombia requires aircraft that can track drug traffickers engaged in aerial smuggling. These radars will provide the Colombian Air Force the organic ability to conduct terminal aerial intercepts of drug smugglers.
Aerial intercepts are intricate operations and require adequate ground based coordination.
Therefore, the supplemental will also fund the upgrade of the Colombian Air Force radar command and control center as well as additional ground based radars to assist in detecting and sorting aircraft operating in eastern Colombia. Critical to this air interdiction effort are supplemental initiatives, under State Department authority, that will upgrade Colombian Air Force counterdrug aircraft for the air intercept mission. The supplemental also requests funding for US Customs Service airborne early warning aircraft upgrades to ensure that these crucial platforms will continue to be available for the source zone interdiction mission. The supplemental funding focuses extensive resources on improving Colombia's counterdrug ground interdiction programs. The Department has completed training of a counterdrug battalion that is now operational in the Putumayo region.