Hundreds of American and Colombian troops launched a sprawling military exercise in Colombia this week, sharpening their ability to operate through dense jungle terrain and confront explosive threats. The training comes as the U.S. military directs greater attention toward the Western Hemisphere.

Exercise Southern Vanguard 2027 is the 41st iteration of the annual training event. The Colombian Army is hosting the exercise, which began Monday and is scheduled to continue through the middle of November.

The U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command is leading American participation in the drills. Roughly 350 U.S. military personnel and more than 400 Colombian soldiers are involved, according to the Army.

Following the opening ceremony, the U.S. Army said the combined exercises would concentrate on jungle warfare and counter-IED capabilities. The training also includes command post operations, maritime interdiction, cyber skills and ground security.

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Colombian National Army Chief of the Force Generation Staff Brig. Gen. Edilberto Cortés welcomed the international personnel participating in the exercise. His remarks emphasized the military relationship connecting the participating nations.

“This presence demonstrates the shared commitment of our nations to strengthen collective readiness and consolidate the ties of cooperation that support our strategic and historical relationship,” Cortés said in the Army’s release.

Troops also planned to conduct medical evacuation drills during the exercise. Those drills were expected to run from Colombia’s Tolemaida military base to the Cavalry School in Bogotá, according to a separate release.

Southern Vanguard unfolds after the Army created the new Western Hemisphere Command during an extensive force restructuring in late 2025. That change reflects a larger shift in Pentagon priorities associated with the 2026 National Defense Strategy.

The strategy places the defense of the “U.S. Homeland” and the Western Hemisphere ahead of countering China. The reorganized command gives the Army a structure specifically focused on those regional priorities.

Gen. Joseph Ryan, commander of the U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command, discussed the economic dimension of Washington’s regional security plans at an annual U.S. Army conference in October. He described American “economic supremacy” as a major objective.

“The end state is economic supremacy for the United States,” Ryan said during a panel discussion. He later added, “we have ceded control of that economic terrain in this hemisphere to the People’s Republic of China over at least the last two decades, and that is a major threat to our national security.”

The Pentagon has placed increasing emphasis on jungle warfare capabilities. That push has included launching a reinvigorated jungle school in Panama with the Panamanian armed forces and sending troops around the world to study and develop jungle warfare doctrine.

A U.S. official told Military Times in September that Colombian soldiers would soon attend the reestablished “Green Hell” course. The effort connects Colombia’s jungle experience with the Pentagon’s expanding regional training focus.

The United States and Colombia have a long history of military cooperation. American forces previously partnered with Colombia’s Lancero course, a program described as similar to Ranger School.

Colombia also recently took part in PANAMAZ, a multinational exercise in which participating forces simulated the defense of the Panama Canal. Both Colombia and the United States are members of the Counter Cartel Coalition, which is chaired by the U.S.

Southern Vanguard 2027 follows another exercise under the same series conducted only months earlier. U.S. soldiers participated in Exercise Southern Vanguard 2026, which featured another field training scenario in Sauce, Peru.

That exercise brought together roughly 400 soldiers for jungle training. The new event in Colombia expands the series with hundreds of personnel practicing a wider collection of jungle, security, cyber, maritime and command skills.

The Colombian drills bring the Army’s regional strategy into the field through practical cooperation with an established partner. From jungle movement and explosive threat response to medical evacuation and maritime interdiction, the exercise places the command’s Western Hemisphere mission squarely into action.

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