Joint Task Force OMEGA
Encyclopedia
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
involving the Military of Colombia
Military of Colombia
The Military Forces of Colombia are the armed forces of the Republic of Colombia.-Services:The Military of Colombia consists of:* National Army of Colombia * Colombian National Armada - Marines, Navy and Coast Guard attached* Colombian Air Force...
in support of Plan Patriota
Plan Patriota
Plan Patriota is military plan developed by the Government of Colombia with the financial support of the Government of the United States in an effort to uproot the guerrilla groups in Colombia, more specifically the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army...
(Now replaced by Plan Consolidación) assembled with the main purpose of capturing the leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
(FARC).
Mission
Its purpose is to conduct military operations, planning, developing and implementing assault operations, surveillance, interdiction, security and support, combating and neutralizing the narco-terrorist organizations, with an emphasis on neutralizing their leaders, their logistics infrastructure, economic base, and precipitate the military defeat of their armed paramilitariesParamilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
.
Organization
The JTF OMEGA was formed by the best 15,000 soldiers in the military of Colombia selected from the Army, Air ForceColombian Air Force
The Colombian Air Force or FAC is the Air Force of the Republic of Colombia.The Colombian Air Force is one of the three institutions of the Armed Forces of Colombia, charge according to the 1991 Constitution of the work to exercise and maintain control of Colombia's airspace to defend the...
and Navy
Colombian National Armada
The Colombian Navy , also known as the "Armada Nacional" or just the "Armada" in Spanish, is the naval branch of the military forces of Colombia....
. The task force headquarters is located in the Military Fort Larandia
Fuerte Militar Larandia
The Larandia Army Post is Colombian Military base located in Caqueta, southern Colombia shared by the Colombian National Army, the Colombian National Police, the Colombian Air Force and a small number of United States Military and US civilian personnel giving support and training to Colombian...
in the Department of Caqueta.
Field units
Field units of the Task Force consist of eight brigades as follows- Mobile Brigades 1, 2 and 3 which make up the Rapid Deployment ForceRapid Deployment ForceA rapid deployment force is a military formation capable of quick deployment of its forces. Such forces typically consist of elite military units and may receive priority in equipment and training to prepare them for their mission....
Fuerza de Despliegue Rápido or "FUDRA", these units are based in La MacarenaLa Macarena, MetaLa Macarena is a town and municipality in the Meta Department, located about 280 km south of Bogotá, Colombia.The town was included in the former El Caguan DMZ...
in the Department of MetaMeta DepartmentMeta is a department of Colombia. It is close to the geographic center of the country, to the east of the Andean mountains. A large portion of the department, which is also crossed by the Meta River, is covered by a grassland plain known as the Llanos. Its capital is Villavicencio...
; - Mobile Brigade No. 6 based in Cartagena del ChairáCartagena del ChairáCartagena del Chairá is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Caquetá. The town gained notoriety during the failed FARC-Government peace process between the Government of Colombia and the guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia which still maintains operations and...
, Department of GuaviareGuaviare DepartmentGuaviare is a department of Colombia. It is in the southern central region of the country. Its capital is San José del Guaviare. Guaviare was created on July 4, 1991 by the new Political Constitution of Colombia... - Mobile Brigade No. 7 based in CalamarCalamar, GuaviareCalamar is a town and municipality in the Guaviare Department, Colombia....
, Department of GuaviareGuaviare DepartmentGuaviare is a department of Colombia. It is in the southern central region of the country. Its capital is San José del Guaviare. Guaviare was created on July 4, 1991 by the new Political Constitution of Colombia... - Mobile Brigade No. 9 based in San Vicente del CaguánSan Vicente del CaguánSan Vicente del Caguán is a town and municipality in Caquetá Department, Colombia.Between 1998 and 2002, San Vicente del Caguán was the center of the demilitarized zone , which was created as a safe haven for the FARC. Two days after the peace talks were ended, Ingrid Betancourt was kidnapped while...
, Department of GuaviareGuaviare DepartmentGuaviare is a department of Colombia. It is in the southern central region of the country. Its capital is San José del Guaviare. Guaviare was created on July 4, 1991 by the new Political Constitution of Colombia... - Mobile Brigade No. 10 based in MirafloresMiraflores, GuaviareMiraflores is a town and municipality in the Guaviare Department, Colombia. The municipality was created on February 8, 1990. On August 1998 a Colombian National Police Base was overran by the FARC guerrillas and later rebuilt and reoccupied on February 2004...
, Department of GuaviareGuaviare DepartmentGuaviare is a department of Colombia. It is in the southern central region of the country. Its capital is San José del Guaviare. Guaviare was created on July 4, 1991 by the new Political Constitution of Colombia... - Mobile Brigade No. 22 based in Peñas Coloradas, Department of Caqueta.
Apart from the land component, the JTF has a river component located in Tres Esquinas, Department of Caqueta, and an aviation component in the bases of Larandia
Fuerte Militar Larandia
The Larandia Army Post is Colombian Military base located in Caqueta, southern Colombia shared by the Colombian National Army, the Colombian National Police, the Colombian Air Force and a small number of United States Military and US civilian personnel giving support and training to Colombian...
and Apiay
Apiay Air Force Base
Captain Luis Fernando Gómez Niño Air Base , is a Colombian military base assigned to the Colombian Air Force Combat Air Command No. 2 . It also hosts members of the Colombian Army and Colombian Navy...
.
Operations
Operations left 137 members of the Colombian military killed in actionKilled in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
and 1,300 wounded. After the end of Plan Patriota
Plan Patriota
Plan Patriota is military plan developed by the Government of Colombia with the financial support of the Government of the United States in an effort to uproot the guerrilla groups in Colombia, more specifically the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army...
, The Joint Task Force OMEGA was renamed to OMEGA Campaign on December 10, 2006 to support the Plan Consolidación.
Commanders
- General Reinaldo Castellanos (????-2004)
- General Carlos Alberto Fracica (2004-2005)
- General Gilberto Rocha (2005-2006)
- General Alejandro Navas (2006-2008)
- General Javier Alberto Florez Aristizabal (2008-present)
Guerrilla infiltration scandal
During an operation on July 15, 2007 in the jungles of Colombia by the Colombian National Army soldiers pertaining to the 17th Counter-Guerrilla Battalion 2nd Mobile Brigade, localized a FARC campsite in the village of Montañitas, in the municipality of MesetasMesetas
Mesetas is a town and municipality in the Meta Department, Colombia....
, Meta Department
Meta Department
Meta is a department of Colombia. It is close to the geographic center of the country, to the east of the Andean mountains. A large portion of the department, which is also crossed by the Meta River, is covered by a grassland plain known as the Llanos. Its capital is Villavicencio...
and after a confrontation with members of FARC's 42nd Front, soldiers found on the body of one the guerrillas named José Nerup Reyes Peña and presumed leader of that front, hard discs and USB drives containing information about members of the FARC guerrilla infiltration in the JTF OMEGA. The hard drive contained detailed maps outlining anti-guerrilla operations by Omega.