Admiral Alvaro Echandia Duran Commander of the Colombian Navy

摘要

The Colombian Navy has two principal roles, one as old as the history of naval warfare, the other a consequence of late 20th/early 21st century-urban criminality. Balancing these two interests - the traditional sea control mission on the one hand, and counter-drugs operations in the Caribbean Sea, Pacific Ocean and inland riverine environment on the other - is an enduring challenge, according to the navy's senior officer, Admiral Alvaro Echandia Duran. "As well as blue water operations, the Colombian Navy has to perform vital operations in the brown water and river domains," he said. "In total we have nearly 1,000,000 km2 of water to control, which represents 48 per cent of our national territory and includes 15,000 km of navigable rivers.