Military - note Colombia, in 6 editions.

Rewritten: too little of the 2022 text remains to mark the changes.
the Colombian military is responsible for defending and maintaining the country’s independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity but also has an internal security role, which includes protecting the civilian population, as well as private and state-owned assets, and ensuring a secure environment; the military’s primary focus is the conduct of counternarcotics, counterterrorism, and counterinsurgency operations against drug traffickers, several factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the insurgent/terrorist group National Liberation Army (ELN); the Colombian Government signed a peace agreement with the FARC in 2016, but some former members (known as dissidents) have returned to fighting (note - these dissident groups include the US-designated foreign terrorist groups Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army or FARC-EP and Segunda Marquetalia; see Appendix T); in 2017, the Colombian Government initiated formal peace talks with the ELN, but it officially ended the talks shortly after the ELN exploded a car bomb at the National Police Academy in Bogota in January 2019; operations against the FARC dissident groups and the ELN continued into 2023, although the Colombian Government resumed talks with the ELN in November 2022 and began exploratory talks with the FARC-EP and Segunda Marquetalia; a 6-month cease-fire agreement was reached with the ELN in June 2023, which was scheduled to go into effect in August 2023; the military is also focused on the security challenges posed by its neighbor, Venezuela, where instability has attracted narcotics traffickers, and both the ELN and FARC dissidents operate openly; Colombia shares a 1,370-mile (2,200 km) border with Venezuela; ELN and FARC insurgents have also used neighboring Ecuador to rest, resupply, and shelter
the Colombian National Army is one of the largest and most experienced ground forces in the Western Hemisphere, having spent decades conducting operations against insurgents and terrorist groups; it has also kept a small battalion (about 250-300 troops) in the Sinai Peninsula with the Multinational Observer Force since 1980; the Army’s primary focus is ongoing operations against the ELN, FARC dissidents, and other illegal armed groups, which are challenged by difficult topography and long and porous land borders; the Air Force and Navy play a role in the counterinsurgency campaign but their participation is minor in comparison to the Army; the Army is largely configured for flexible and mobile counterinsurgency operations with one mechanized and seven light infantry divisions; the light infantry divisions are not uniformly structured and typically include a mix of conventional infantry and specialized air mobile, counterinsurgency, jungle, mountain, and security brigades; some divisions may also have special task forces for anti-kidnapping, counternarcotics, or urban operations; the Army also has a special forces division, a rapid deployment force (Fuerza de Despliegue Rápido or FUDRA) comprised of special forces and counterinsurgency brigades, and an air assault division with aviation and light infantry/air mobile forces; the National Police works with the Army against illegal armed groups and has a variety of specialized forces, including commandos, quick reaction, counterterrorism, counternarcotics, motorized, and anti-riot (Escuadron Móvil Antidisturbios, or ESMAD) units
the Navy is responsible for security in Colombia’s waters in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Oceans, the country’s extensive network of rivers, and a few small land areas under its direct jurisdiction; it takes part in multinational naval exercises, and over the past decade has undertaken efforts to modernize; its principal warships are a mix of 10 frigates, corvettes, and offshore patrol ships, and four attack submarines, which are supplemented by dozens of coastal and riverine patrol craft; the Navy also has a 22,000-man marine force comprised of five marine/riverine infantry brigades and a special forces brigade, as well as a small aviation force; the Air Force has an air defense role, but also supports the Army’s counterinsurgency operations; it has a mix of about 50 fighters and ground attack combat aircraft, plus reconnaissance, electronic warfare, logistical, and training fixed-wing aircraft, as well as approximately 100 multirole helicopters
Colombia has close security ties with the US, including joint training, military assistance, and designation in 2022 as a Major Non-NATO Ally, which provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense, trade, and security cooperation; it also has close ties with some regional neighbors, such as Argentina, Chile, and Peru; Colombian military and security forces have training programs with their counterparts from a variety of countries, mostly those from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean; security ties with Ecuador and Venezuela have been challenged by the presence of narcotics traffickers, ELN, and FARC dissidents in the border regions (2023)

Rewritten: too little of the 2023 text remains to mark the changes.
the Colombian military is responsible for defending and maintaining the country’s independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity but also has a considerable internal security role, which includes protecting the civilian population, as well as private and state-owned assets, and ensuring a secure environment; the military’s primary focus is the conduct of operations against domestic illegal armed groups, including drug traffickers, several factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) terrorist group, and the insurgent/terrorist group National Liberation Army (ELN); these operations are challenged by difficult topography and long and porous land borders
the Colombian Government signed a peace agreement with the FARC in 2016, but some former members (known as dissidents) have returned to fighting (note - these dissident groups include the US-designated foreign terrorist groups Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army or FARC-EP and Segunda Marquetalia); since 2017, the Colombian Government has had periodic cease-fire and peace discussions with ELN and the FARC dissidents, including a 6-month cease-fire with the ELN in 2023-2024
the military is also focused on the security challenges posed by its neighbor, Venezuela, where instability has attracted narcotics traffickers, and both the ELN and FARC dissidents operate openly; Colombia shares a 1,370-mile (2,200 km) border with Venezuela; ELN and FARC insurgents have also used neighboring Ecuador to rest, resupply, and shelter
Colombia has close security ties with the US, including joint training, military assistance, and designation in 2022 as a Major Non-NATO Ally, which provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense, trade, and security cooperation; it also has close ties with some regional neighbors, such as Argentina, Chile, and Peru; Colombian military and security forces have training programs with their counterparts from a variety of countries, mostly those from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean (2024)