The United States has seen its influence fall in the south of the continent, which is why Joe Biden decided that Colombia, a country with which Washington has a good relationship, be considered a strategic military ally of the US outside of NATO, which It will allow deepening defense cooperation with the Latin American country, the third on the continent to achieve this special status.
Biden had already announced that he planned to grant that advantage to Colombia during the visit to the White House in March by his Colombian counterpart, Iván Duque, and today he notified the US Congress of his intention to do so.
“I notify you of my intention to designate Colombia as a strategic military ally outside of NATO,” the president stated in his letter to Congress.
“I will make this designation in recognition of the importance of the relationship between the United States and Colombia and Colombia‘s crucial contributions to regional and international security,” Biden added in the brief message.
IN GREEN COLOR NATO MEMBER COUNTRIES. IN ORANGE, COUNTRIES WITH AN IMPORTANT NON-NATO ALLY CHARACTER.
Under US law, the US president must notify Congress at least 30 days before designating a country as a non- NATO strategic military ally.
Therefore, technically, Biden will be free to grant that special status to Colombia as of May 21.
Colombia will thus become the third Latin American country, after Brazil and Argentina, and the nineteenth in the world to obtain the rank of US strategic military ally outside NATO.
That denomination opens the door to the delivery of surplus defense articles and the organization of joint maneuvers with the United States.
