Colombia's Defense Ministry Asserts Military Air Capability Secure

The Colombian Ministry of Defense rejected reports that the country's armed forces were weakening ahead of the incoming president Abelardo de la Espriella. The ministry emphasized that institutional capacity includes personnel, doctrine, training, infrastructure and logistics, not just equipment numbers.

It reported that the armed forces and police have a total of 620 aircraft, of which 168 are retired or pending replacement, 275 are operational and ready for daily missions, and 177 are under maintenance or inspection. The ministry set a target to raise operational readiness from 61 % to 75 % and highlighted the need for sustained investment in maintenance, spare parts, infrastructure and training to achieve this goal.