Text: DoD Official on Anti-Drug Efforts Following Panama Canal Transfer

(Salazar discusses new Forward Operating Locations)  (1860)

The United States is making progress towards fully implementing its
new Forward Operating Locations, also known as FOLs, which will be
used to support aerial counter-drug missions in the Central American
region, Pentagon official Ana Maria Salazar testified during a June 9
congressional hearing.

The FOLs -- which involve deploying limited U.S. personnel, equipment
and aircraft to locally controlled airfields -- were necessary due to
the 1999 closure of U.S. Howard Air Force Base in Panama. The base had
for many years played a central role in regional U.S. counternarcotics
operations.

Salazar, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for drug
enforcement policy and support, noted that in November 1999 the United
States and Ecuador signed a ten-year agreement for the use of the
Manta airfield for interagency counter-drug flights. In March of 2000,
the United States signed a similar ten-year agreement with the
Netherlands for the FOL on the islands of Aruba and Curacao, and a
ten-year agreement with El Salvador for the use of Comalapa Air Base.

Salazar discussed the status of each of the FOLs and told the
lawmakers that while the United States should work closely with Panama
to combat the effects of the illegal drug trade, "there is no
counter-drug requirement for an FOL-like presence in the country of
Panama."

Following is the text of her opening remarks, as prepared for
delivery:

(begin text)

ANA MARIA SALAZAR
DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR
DRUG ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND SUPPORT

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM
SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, DRUG POLICY,
AND HUMAN RESOURCES

"COUNTER-DRUG IMPLICATIONS OF THE U.S. LEAVING PANAMA"

June 9, 2000

STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD

I am pleased to have the opportunity to testify before this
Subcommittee to provide an update on the status of our Forward
Operating Locations (FOLs) from which aerial counter-drug missions
have been flown since the closure of Howard Air Force Base in Panama.
These FOLs provide critical support for aerial counter-drug missions
in South and Central America as well as the Caribbean and Eastern
Pacific regions, through which drugs are transported to the United
States.

As you know, a year ago last month the runway at Howard Air Force Base
closed and the interagency began conducting counter-drug flights on an
expeditionary basis from existing commercial facilities in Aruba and
Curacao. In June of 1999 we began flying counter-drug missions from
the Ecuadorian Air Force Base in Manta, Ecuador. Since that time we
have made significant progress towards enhancing our capabilities.

In November of 1999, the Governments of the U.S. and Ecuador signed a
ten-year agreement for the use of the Manta airfield for interagency
counter-drug flights. Likewise, in March of this year, our Government
and the Kingdom of the Netherlands signed a similar ten-year
agreement, which is provisionally in effect with expected
parliamentary approval, for the FOL on the islands of Aruba and
Curacao. The Aruba and Curacao FOL supports counter-drug operations in
both the source and transit zones. Most recently, in March of 2000, we
signed a ten-year agreement with the Government of El Salvador for the
use of Comalapa Air Base, adjacent to El Salvador International
Airport in San Salvador, which will support counter-drug flights in
the Eastern Pacific and Western Caribbean portions of the transit
zone. However, in spite of these successes, significant challenges
remain.

Shortly after initiating counter-drug flight operations from the FOLs,
the interagency surpassed, by 15 percent, the counter-drug detection
and monitoring mission on station time that was previously flown from
Howard Air Force Base. However, due to the lack of all-weather
capability -- among other safety of flight concerns -- at the Manta
FOL, the vast majority of those on-station hours were flown in support
of counter-drug transit zone missions, primarily in the Caribbean.
While many of these concerns have been addressed, several significant
projects must be completed at the Manta FOL prior to opening the site
to all airborne platforms conducting counter-drug missions in the
source zone. Once full operational capability is established at each
of the FOLs, the interagency will have significantly greater source
and transit zone coverage than existed when counter-drug operations
were flown out of Howard Air Force Base.

Let me briefly expand on the importance of each of the FOLs in
executing the Department's counter-drug mission.

Manta, Ecuador

The Manta FOL is the key to enhancing our source zone and Eastern
Pacific counter-drug presence. It is the only FOL that can support
counter-drug missions throughout the source zone, providing the
necessary reach into southern Peru, Bolivia and most importantly
Colombia -- which supplies the largest percentage of cocaine shipped
to the United States. The FOL at Manta is now capable of 24-hour, 7
days per week, all-weather flight operations. U.S. Navy P-3 Maritime
Patrol Aircraft (MPA) are conducting Eastern Pacific counter-drug
detection and monitoring missions from this facility. Runway upgrades,
which include increasing load bearing capacity, as well as improved
taxiways, are required to support AWACS Airborne Early Warning (AEW)
aircraft. However, the airfield is currently suitable for U.S.
Custom's Service P-3 AEW operations -- which have similar requirements
as the U.S. Navy P-3s. The Air Force is prepared to award a contract
for the runway and taxiway upgrades in July, provided that funding is
made available through the Colombian Supplemental. It is expected that
the Manta FOL will be shutdown for six to eight months during the
construction period, however, the contract has been written to provide
incentives for early completion of the project. U.S. Southern Command
is in the process of making arrangements for alternative sites to
support continued counter-drug flight operations for the duration of
the period that the runway is out of service. It is expected that
AWACS flight operations will commence out of Manta in the summer of
2001 and that all construction will be completed by June of 2002,
whereupon the FOL capacity will increase from three medium P-3 sized
aircraft to up to four large and seven medium sized aircraft.

Aruba/Curacao

The airports that constitute the FOL at Aruba and Curacao provide
critical coverage of the northern source zone and the Caribbean
portion of the transit zone. The islands are uniquely situated along
preferred Caribbean maritime and airborne transit corridors used by
drug smugglers to move their products north to Haiti and Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Customs Service began operating aircraft from the island of
Aruba in April of 1999. The Department of Defense has been operating
aircraft, such as Air National Guard F-16s, U.S. Navy P-3 MPA and E-2
AEW, and U.S. Air Force E-3 AWACS as well as other Intelligence,
Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, from Curacao since
May of last year. Both airfields require pavement improvements and
rinse facilities as well as additional maintenance and operations
buildings. Counter-drug flights will continue from these airfields
while improvements are made during Fiscal Year 2001. Upon completion
of the construction period, in December of 2002, the Aruba location
will support two medium and three small aircraft and the Curacao FOL
will provide the required space for two large, two medium, and six
small aircraft.

El Salvador

The Department's requirement for a Central American FOL will be
fulfilled through utilization of the airfield at the Comalapa Air
Base, which is co-located with the El Salvador International Airport
in San Salvador. The Government of El Salvador signed a ten-year
agreement in March of this year, and we are awaiting notification of
that by the Salvadoran legislative assembly. Geographically, the El
Salvador location optimizes the integrated coverage of the three FOLs,
minimizing overlaps while simultaneously extending the reach of
airborne counter-drug missions to the northern regions of the Eastern
Pacific transit zone along the west coast of Mexico. The El Salvador
FOL will support operations of four P-3 MPA sized aircraft which will
focus primarily on the maritime counter-drug detection and monitoring
mission. While the El Salvador FOL can support AWACS sized aircraft,
there are no plans to operate such platforms from the airfield since
the primary drug trafficking threat in that region of the transit zone
is maritime in nature. Funding for an aircraft parking apron, as well
as rinse and support facilities, will be requested in the FY02 budget
and construction should complete that same year.

Panama Concerns

I know that members of this Subcommittee, and others in Congress, are
concerned about the effect that the illegal drug trade is having on
Panama. The shared border between Colombia and Panama provides
insurgent elements a convenient location to avoid pursuit by Colombian
military and police forces and further serves as a conduit for
traffickers to move drug shipments to the north. The Department, and
interagency at large, are closely monitoring the situation and stand
ready to assist Panama, as with any other country in the region, in
support of that country's security concerns. However, that being said,
there is no counter-drug requirement for an FOL-like presence in the
country of Panama. The geographical location of the El Salvador FOL
meets or exceeds all Department requirements and, as noted previously,
optimizes the synergistic effect of the separation of the three sites.
A Panama site sub-optimizes the FOL architecture because its coverage
region would overlap that provided by the other sites. Additionally,
its southerly location does not provide coverage of the northern
regions of the Eastern Pacific transit zone along the west coast of
Mexico.

Colombia Supplemental

The required military construction (MILCON) funding for the FOLs is
currently contained in the FY2000 Emergency Supplemental developed to
support Plan Colombia. From an execution perspective, the Department
requires the funding as soon as possible, especially in the case of
the Manta FOL, which is scheduled to go to contract in July. From a
broader policy perspective, the Department of Defense strongly
supports this supplemental and appreciates the House passage of the
funds in late March. U.S. Southern Command and SO LIC/DEP&S
participated extensively in its formulation. The Supplemental not only
supports the FOL architecture, it integrates fully our source zone
strategy, affording the opportunity to enhance those counter-drug
programs in Colombia that have proven successful in Peru and Bolivia.
President Pastrana, Minister of Defense Rameirez, and CNP Commander
General Serrano have asked for international support to address an
internal problem that has international dimensions -- fueled in part
by our country's consumption for cocaine and heroin. It is long since
time that we move forward on the Colombian Supplemental and I hope
that we can do so soon.

In summary, the counter-drug FOLs are critical to executing the
Department's detection and monitoring mission in support of host
nation and interagency efforts to curb the shipment of illegal drugs
to the U.S. We can not execute our congressionally mandated mission
without the FOLs. The Department of Defense, along with our
interagency partners, has made significant progress over the past year
and, with continued congressional support, we hope to continue to do
so in the future.

(end text)

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