Jump alongside the 82nd Airborne with a paratrooper’s wild skydive video from Colombia
SUMMARY
About 75 paratroopers from the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division and 40 personnel from US Army South spent the final days of January in Colombia, working with Colombian troops for an airborne assault exercise.
The exercise, which took place between January 23 and January 29, saw US and Colombian troops conduct airborne insertion from US and Colombian C-130 Hercules aircraft and then carry out exercises simulating the capture of an airfield.
A video recorded by one paratrooper during a static-line jump allows you to go along for the ride.
The exercise allowed US and Colombian personnel to work together and exchange strategic and tactical expertise, US Southern Command, which oversees military operations in the region, said in a release announcing the exercise.
You can see some of what they got up to in the photos below.
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2F5e39c4825bc79c75c358d363%3Fwidth%3D1300%26format%3Djpeg%26auto%3Dwebp&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.insider.com&s=198&h=e229712a90057d55517476cb9fa349b29254c36ed14d0a8ac37dd3e692f088d1&size=980x&c=62894462 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252F5e39c4825bc79c75c358d363%253Fwidth%253D1300%2526format%253Djpeg%2526auto%253Dwebp%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.insider.com%26s%3D198%26h%3De229712a90057d55517476cb9fa349b29254c36ed14d0a8ac37dd3e692f088d1%26size%3D980x%26c%3D62894462%22%7D" expand=1]US 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers Colombian soldiers from 2nd Special Forces Battalion during a dynamic force exercise in Tolemaida, Colombia, January 24, 2020.
US Army/Master Sgt. Alexander Burnett
Colombia is one of the US's closest partners in the region, and the two countries' militaries have worked together closely for decades. The US has also provided billions in aid to Colombia under Plan Colombia and, later, the so-called Peace Colombia.
Colombia has made achieved significant reductions in violence, but Plan Colombia has been criticized for leading to abuses by the military and human-rights violations and for being ineffective against drug production and trafficking. Peace Colombia has been criticized as too focused on military aid.
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2F5e39c4825bc79c134b1b10f3%3Fwidth%3D1300%26format%3Djpeg%26auto%3Dwebp&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.insider.com&s=156&h=119d6e5cfa54b7e7e74b42398189a81efd1f508324758f53cee1af6542f77a96&size=980x&c=1001832737 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252F5e39c4825bc79c134b1b10f3%253Fwidth%253D1300%2526format%253Djpeg%2526auto%253Dwebp%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.insider.com%26s%3D156%26h%3D119d6e5cfa54b7e7e74b42398189a81efd1f508324758f53cee1af6542f77a96%26size%3D980x%26c%3D1001832737%22%7D" expand=1]US Army 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers and Colombian soldiers conduct airborne assault training at Tolemaida Air Base in Colombia, January 26, 2020.
US Army/Spc. Edward Randolph
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2F5e39c4825bc79c75c14f0e73%3Fwidth%3D1300%26format%3Djpeg%26auto%3Dwebp&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.insider.com&s=636&h=f3350593092f2aa1b877aa9febf1d20d83ecbd1b3fd9c2ceb88ab64e8330a4bc&size=980x&c=675822206 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252F5e39c4825bc79c75c14f0e73%253Fwidth%253D1300%2526format%253Djpeg%2526auto%253Dwebp%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.insider.com%26s%3D636%26h%3Df3350593092f2aa1b877aa9febf1d20d83ecbd1b3fd9c2ceb88ab64e8330a4bc%26size%3D980x%26c%3D675822206%22%7D" expand=1]US Army 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers and Colombia soldiers during airborne assault training at Tolemaida Air Base in Colombia, January 26, 2020.
US Army/Spc. Edward Randolph
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2F5e39c4825bc79c135641b062%3Fwidth%3D1300%26format%3Djpeg%26auto%3Dwebp&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.insider.com&s=649&h=f4b9fd4d5b179c3766270b9247679438c9d273cd2bcf727856ebb08552ebdefe&size=980x&c=3856517493 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252F5e39c4825bc79c135641b062%253Fwidth%253D1300%2526format%253Djpeg%2526auto%253Dwebp%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.insider.com%26s%3D649%26h%3Df4b9fd4d5b179c3766270b9247679438c9d273cd2bcf727856ebb08552ebdefe%26size%3D980x%26c%3D3856517493%22%7D" expand=1]US Army 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers conduct an airborne exercise with Colombian soldiers at Tolemaida Air Base in Colombia, January 23, 2020.
US Army/Spc. Edward Randolph
The US has increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government, while Colombia has been grappling with the brunt of the millions of Venezuelans who've fled their country due to political violence, widespread shortages, and eroding law and order.
Read more about the Venezuelan exodus and Colombia's effort to deal with it.
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2F5e39c4825bc79c1349794a14%3Fwidth%3D1300%26format%3Djpeg%26auto%3Dwebp&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.insider.com&s=47&h=1ee7f1925f38adfbcea4d93071684e65258112b82792ea77ae612003d53d0991&size=980x&c=3661069266 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252F5e39c4825bc79c1349794a14%253Fwidth%253D1300%2526format%253Djpeg%2526auto%253Dwebp%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.insider.com%26s%3D47%26h%3D1ee7f1925f38adfbcea4d93071684e65258112b82792ea77ae612003d53d0991%26size%3D980x%26c%3D3661069266%22%7D" expand=1]US 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers watch Colombian paratroopers descend in Tolemaida, January 23, 2020.
US Army/Master Sgt. Alexander Burnett
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2F5e39c5c85bc79c0725342c43%3Fwidth%3D1300%26format%3Djpeg%26auto%3Dwebp&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.insider.com&s=27&h=4568e3db628cbd6661d68621cba90b637a97a8f6c17145e9f669b72c5387221e&size=980x&c=2704272819 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252F5e39c5c85bc79c0725342c43%253Fwidth%253D1300%2526format%253Djpeg%2526auto%253Dwebp%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.insider.com%26s%3D27%26h%3D4568e3db628cbd6661d68621cba90b637a97a8f6c17145e9f669b72c5387221e%26size%3D980x%26c%3D2704272819%22%7D" expand=1]US 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers and Colombian soldiers conduct an exercise simulating the securing of an airfield at Tolemaida Air Base, January 25, 2020.
US Army/Sgt. Andrea Salgado-Rivera
At a press briefing in Florida on January 23, Faller pointed to Venezuela as a "safe haven" and "base of opportunity" for dissident members of the demobilized FARC rebel group, as well as guerrillas from the ELN rebel group and "terrorists groups" involved in narco-trafficking.
Source: US Defense Department
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2F5e39c4825bc79c0571691f03%3Fwidth%3D1300%26format%3Djpeg%26auto%3Dwebp&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.insider.com&s=555&h=34830e8fc98724f3d8fb78d19bc26e93e5161cc291275ca2e013035c83939d3c&size=980x&c=3712396553 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252F5e39c4825bc79c0571691f03%253Fwidth%253D1300%2526format%253Djpeg%2526auto%253Dwebp%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.insider.com%26s%3D555%26h%3D34830e8fc98724f3d8fb78d19bc26e93e5161cc291275ca2e013035c83939d3c%26size%3D980x%26c%3D3712396553%22%7D" expand=1]An 82nd Airborne Division Artillery medic and a Colombian army medic treat a simulated casualty during an exercise in Colombia, January 25, 2020.
US Army/Master Sgt. Alexander Burnett
This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.
