ABSTRACT
This chapter tells the story of how the 7th Special Forces Group deployed to Latin America to train the Andean Ridge police units from 1987 to 2003. It describes the relationship of the 7th Group with U.S. Southern Command, the Department of State, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The chapter also offers a case study of Colombia, providing the inside story of how the 7th Group helped to organize, train, equip, and advise a new Colombian Army counterdrug brigade. This support eventually evolved into Plan Colombia, a $1.3-billion program that ultimately contributed to a successful end of the 50-year war with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
