Order Code RS21213
May 3, 2002
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Colombia: Summary and Tables on U.S.
Assistance, FY1989-FY2003
Nina M. Serafino
Specialist in International Security Affairs
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Summary
In early 2002, the Bush Administration requested $573.2 million for Colombia
($538.2 million in FY03 State Department foreign operations funds and $35.0 million
in FY2002 emergency supplemental funds). This request builds on the programs
developed during the Clinton Administration, whose centerpiece counternarcotics (CN)
program was “Plan Colombia,” through which Congress provided funding of $860
million in FY2000 emergency supplemental funds and $257 million in related FY2001
funds. These programs were continued by the Bush Administration’s FY2002 Andean
Regional Initiative (ARI). President Bush’s FY2002 supplemental request also seeks
to expand the circumstances under which funding for the Colombian security forces can
be used, however, lifting the longstanding restrictions limiting it to CN efforts. U.S.
funding for Colombian CN efforts dates back to at least the 1970s. Funding for the
decade FY1989 to FY1998 totaled some $692.7 million, as calculated from available
figures. Funding from FY1999 through FY2002 has totaled over $2 billion.
Pre-Plan Colombia Funding FY1989-FY1999
While the United States has been providing counternarcotics (CN) assistance to
Colombia at least as far back as the mid-1970s, former President George H.W. Bush
dramatically increased CN aid to Colombia through his 1989 “Andean Initiative.” Grant
aid to Colombia had increased gradually, albeit not evenly, through the 1980s, as
Colombia evolved from a major supplier of marijuana to the United States, to nearly the
sole supplier of cocaine. By the end of the 1980s, with coca leaf cultivation and cocaine
production rising in the Andean region, and Colombia suffering increased political
violence from the Medellin drug-trafficking cartel, the former Bush Administration
established its new CN program. Under this region-wide initiative, the United States
substantially increased State Department support for Colombian counternarcotics efforts,
and provided Colombian security forces, primarily the police, with equipment through
foreign military financing grants and DOD equipment drawdowns. As part of the effort
to bring military resources to bear on the “war against drugs,” in 1991, Congress enacted
“Section 1004" of the 1991 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (P.L.101-510),
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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which provides authority for the Department of Defense (DOD) to fund or transfer – for
CN purposes – transportation, reconnaissance, training, intelligence, and base support at
the request of foreign law enforcement agencies.
Funding for Colombia dropped in the first two years of the Clinton Administration
budgets. It began to increase in FY1997, with increased attention to eradication efforts.
Until FY1998, however, the numbers fell short of the Bush years.1 In 1998, Congress
established a new authority, Section 1033 of the1998 NDAA (P.L. 105-85), for the U.S.
military to provide non-lethal equipment, and to maintain and repair counter-drug
equipment. Table 3 details funding from FY1989 - FY1998, which totals $692.7 million.
“Plan Colombia” and ARI Funding, FY2000-FY2001
The 1998 election of a new Colombian president, Andres Pastrana, led to a
reevaluation of U.S. policy and greater cooperation. During Pastrana’s October 1998 state
visit, President Clinton announced that the United State would provide nearly three times
more assistance to Colombia during FY1999 than it had the previous year. Much of this,
however, was the $173.2 million in congressionally-mandated supplemental
appropriations funding (P.L. 105-277) for helicopter and aircraft upgrades, radar, and
police assistance that the Administration had not requested. In FY2000, the funding again
rose substantially with the “Plan Colombia” legislation (P.L. 106-246).
In July 2000, Congress approved $1.3 billion in FY2000 emergency supplemental
appropriations for the region-wide “Plan Colombia,” of which $860.3 was earmarked for
Colombia. Nearly half of the Colombia funding was dedicated to the “Push into Southern
Colombia” program to set up and train two new Colombian Army Counternarcotics
battalions (CACBs), which combined with an existing one set up earlier by the United
States to form a brigade of some 2,700. The brigade assists the Colombian National
Police (CNP) in the fumigation of illicit narcotics crops and the dismantling of
laboratories, beginning with coca fumigation in the southern provinces of Putumayo and
Caquetá, where coca cultivation was spreading rapidly. Congress also provided
substantial assistance for economic development, displaced persons, human rights
monitors, and administration of justice and other governance programs, all intended to
help Colombia counter the many threats to its stability and integrity from the trafficking
of illegal narcotics. Plan Colombia programs have been problematic for several reasons,
one of which has been perceived delays in the delivery of non-military funds.
For FY2001 and FY2002, the Bush Administration expanded the scope of Clinton’s
“Plan Colombia” policy through its Andean Regional Initiative (ARI). The ARI
substantially increased U.S. activities in state bordering or close to Colombia, and
continued to support existing “Plan Colombia” programs in Colombia.
1 From mid-FY1996 through sometime in FY1997, the United States cut off certain categories
of assistance, including foreign military financing, which had been a large part of U.S. assistance
to Colombia. The cutoff was mandated by President Clinton’s decision to “decertify” Colombia
in March 1996 and March 1997, in the annual evaluation as to whether drug-producing and
transit countries are fully cooperating with the United States on counternarcotics efforts.

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Table 1 shows aid to Colombia from FY1999 through the FY2002 supplemental and
FY2003 requests. It separates out the amount of State Department funding appropriated
for Plan Colombia in FY2000, all of which was obligated that year. DOD funding for
Plan Colombia is not separated out in Table 1, but is included under FY2000 and FY2001
Section 1004, Section 1033, and Sections 124/1004 obligations. Table 2 shows the
amounts of obligations and expenditures for this funding by the State Department and by
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which administers part of the
State Department funding. [For further information on amounts and conditions of Plan
Colombia and FY2002 funding, see CRS Report RL30541, Colombia: Plan Colombia
Legislation and Assistance (FY2000 and FY2001), and CRS Report RL31016, Andean
Regional Initiative (ARI): FY2002 Assistance for Colombia and its Neighbors.]

Bush FY2003 and FY2002 Supplemental Requests
In a marked departure from current policy, President Bush seeks, through the
FY2003 annual budget request and the FY2002 emergency supplemental appropriations
request, to expand the scope of U.S. military assistance to Colombia beyond the current
counternarcotics limits. The requests include $6 million in FY2002 emergency
supplemental funds and $98 million in FY2003 funds to train and equip Colombian
soldiers to defend oil pipelines and other infrastructure from attacks by leftist guerrillas.
The supplemental also seeks $25 million to train Colombian security forces in anti-
kidnapping techniques and $4 million for police post support in areas of weak government
control. The FY2003 request for ARI support includes $439 million in State Department
assistance to continue previous CN programs in Colombia. (For a breakdown of those
funds by purpose, see Table 1, Footnote a.) In the supplemental request, submitted March
21, 2002, the Bush Administration also seeks authority that would allow State and
Defense Department funds (including FY2002 and FY2003 assistance and unexpended
Plan Colombia FY2000 supplemental assistance) to be used to assist the Colombian
government counter any threat to its national security. (For further information on these
requests, see CRS Report RL31383.)
General Notes for Tables 1 and 3
Tables 1 and 3 include direct U.S. foreign assistance (i.e., the categories usually
counted as U.S. foreign aid, which are in italics) as well as the costs of goods and
services provided to Colombia from other U.S. government programs supporting CN
efforts there. These figures were taken from publically-available documents or provided
directly by the Departments of State and Defense. The United States also provides a
small amount of DOD Excess Defense Articles (EDA) to Colombia.
These charts provide as comprehensive a picture as possible of U.S. assistance to
Colombia, but there are limitations. For instance, some funds are spent in Colombia on
counternarcotics and other activities that are considered part of U.S. programs: for
instance, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spends its own funds on joint
operations in Colombia. Other funds are provided through regional programs of USAID
and other programs which are not counted as assistance on a country-by-country basis.
No attempt was made to estimate such funds. Also, there are inconsistencies among
various sources. Because of these, and other constraints on gathering data, the amount
of assistance provided to Colombia may be larger than the amounts cited in these tables.

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Table 1. U.S. Assistance to Colombia FY1999-FY2003
(Obligations and authorizations, $ millions)
FY2002
FY2000
Plan Colombia
FY2002
Supplemental
Programs
FY1999
Regular
(P.L. 106-246)
FY2001
FY03 Request
Allocations
Request
Approps.
FY2000 Suppl.
Economic
USAID Grantsa
Development Aid
3.0
–
–
–
–
Economic Support Funds (ESF)
4.0
4.0
Disaster Assistance
10.0
Counternarcotics
State Department/INC accounta
205.9
50.0
48.0
380.5
4.0
439.0
State Department INC Air Wing
30.0
31.3
768.5
35.0
41.8
–
45.0
(estimate)
(estimate)
(estimate)
DOD/Section 1004 35.9
90.6
150.0
83.2
–
NA
DOD/Overlapping Sections 1004/124
NA
6.6
4.6
5.0
–
NA
DOD/Section 1033
13.6
7.2
22.3
4.0
–
NA
Administration of Justice
1.8
–
–
–
–
–
Anti-Terrorism
25.0
–
Military
International Military Education and Training
0.9
0.9
–
1.0
1.2
–
1.2
(IMET)
Foreign Military Financing/Grant
–
–
–
–
6.0
98.0
Drawdowns
Department of Defense/Section 506 drawdown
58.1
authorized
–
NA
NA
–
–
Other Section 506 drawdowns (i.e., Departments of
14.5
Transportation, Justice, State, and the Treasury)
authorized
TOTALS (of available numbers)
374.0
958.2
264.9
515.7
35.0
583.2
Notes: NA = Not Available. Figures on State Department INC (International Narcotics Control) account’s funding from State Department Congressional Presentations, and budget justification documents.
Figures on INC Air Wing provided directly to CRS by the State Department: figures current as of May 1, 2002. Figures on DOD Sections 1004, 1004/124, and 1033 funding provided April 11, 2002.
DOD Sections 124, 1004, and 1033 funding is taken from regional accounts and the FY2002 allocations are estimates, and can be shifted to respond to developing needs in other areas.
a FY2000 non-DOD Plan Colombia supplemental funds were all assigned to the State Department INC account; the State Department is transferring them to the other agencies carrying out programs in
Colombia with those funds. The USAID. FY2000 and FY2001figures are Economic Support Funds (ESF). These USAID figures do not include funds provided to USAID from the INC account.
In the Bush Administration’s FY2003 budget request, the Administration estimates that of the $380.5 million allocated for FY2002, $243.5 million will be used for interdiction, and $137.0 for
alternative development and institution building. For the FY2003 request, the anticipated breakdown of the requested $439 million is $275.0 million for the former and $164.0 million for the latter.
[http://www.state.gov/m/rm/rls/iab/2003/7809.htm]

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Table 2. Plan Colombia (P.L. 106-246) Funding - State Department and USAID
($ millions)
FY2000 Supplemental
% Spent of
Agency
Program
Commitments
Expenditures
Appropriation
Appropriation
State Department
(as of 4/4/02)
(as of 4/4/02)
(as of 4/4/02)
Push Into Southern Colombiaa
372.5
367.2
306.6
82%
Interdiction
59.4
50.0
26.8
45%
Colombia National Police
115.6
95.0
70.7
61%
Human Rights and Judicial Reform
94.5
2.9
1.9
63%
Alternative Development
3.0
93.3
6.0
6%
State Department Totals
645.0
608.4
412.1
64%
U.S. Agency for International Development
(as of 3/31/02)
(as of 3/31/02)
(as of 3/31/02)
Democracy and Human Rights
47.0
43.2
18.1
39%
Alternative Development/Environment
42.5
40.7
10.1
24%
Internally Displaced Persons
30.0
29.6
27.7
92%
AID Administrative Expenses
4.0
4.0
3.1
78%
USAID Totals
123.5
117.5
59.0
48%
Grand Totals State Department and USAID
768.5
725.9
471.1
61%
Sources: Department of State figures provided by the Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Legal Affairs on April 9, 2002. USAID numbers were compiled from
information provided by USAID’s Western Hemisphere office, May 2001 and April 22, 2002.
Notes: Some totals may not add due to rounding. Commitments are the amounts obligated through contracts, grants, purchase orders and reimbursable agreements between U.S.
government agencies. Amounts spent are payments for goods and services actually received.
a This line includes $328 million for helicopters. Under this Plan Colombia funding, Colombia was scheduled to receive 16 UH-60 (Blackhawk) and 33 UH-1N helicopters, and 34
helicopters that were to modified to Huey II specifications. As of April 1, 2002, all 16 Blackhawks (14 for the army, two for the police) and 33 UH-1Ns have been delivered.
Four of the Huey IIs for the Colombian National Police (CNP) have been delivered. The CNP is itself modifying five helicopters to that configuration, two of which have been
completed. Of the 25 helicopters modified to a Huey II configuration for the Colombian Army, six had been delivered as of April 1, 2002. Eight are scheduled for delivery in
May-June, and 11 in August-September 2002.

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Table 3. U.S. Aid to Colombia FY1989-FY1998
(Obligations and Authorizations, $ millions)
U.S. AID TO COLOMBIAN PROGRAMS
FY1989
FY1990
FY1991
FY1992
FY1993
FY1994
FY1995
FY1996
FY1997
FY1998
Economic
U.S. AID
–
–
–
–
23.8
0.2
–a
–
–
0.5
Food Aid Grants
0.1
0.2
–
–
0.8
–
–
–
–
–
Other
1.0
0.8
0.7
0.6
1.2
1.4
1.3
0.6
–
–
Counternarcotics
State Department INC
10.0
20.0
20.0
23.4
25.0
20.0
16.0
16.0
33.5
46.3
State Department Air Wing
–
–

–
–
–
–
2.5
6.6
10.9
37.8
Defense Department Section 1033
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
2.2
Defense Department Section 1004
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
10.3
11.8


Adm

inistration of Justice
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
1.8
2.0
Military
IMET
1.5
1.5
2.8
2.3
2.6
0.9
0.6
–a
–
0.2
Foreign Military Financing Grants
69.7
27.1
47.0
27.0
7.7
10.0
–
–
–
Foreign Military Financing Loansb
(19.9)c
MAP Merger Funds
7.1
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Drawdowns
Department of Defense
65.0
20.0
–
7.0
–
–
–
14.5
9.4
18.8
TOTAL/U.S. Aid to Colombian
Programs
84.7
112.2
50.6
80.3
80.4
30.2
30.4
37.7
66.6
119.6
Sources: Data is drawn from a number of sources, not all of which are consistent. These include: various editions of the U.S. Overseas Loans and Grants and Assistance from International Organizations
“Green Book,” prepared by the US AID budget office; various editions of the Foreign Military Sales, Foreign Military Construction Sales, and Military Assistance Facts book, prepared by the Department
of Defense Security Cooperation Agency; information provided directly by the departments of State and Defense that are not recorded in these publications; and by the General Accounting Office (GAO)
for 1996-1998. (See GAO-01-26) Where contradictions existed, GAO data was preferred. Because of a possible lack of data or inaccuracies, some yearly totals may be understated or overstated,
particularly prior to FY1997.
a In these years, there was assistance in this category of less than $50,000.
b Although it is likely that Section 1004 assistance was provided to Colombia as far back as FY1992, there is no public breakdown of such assistance until FY1997. That is the first year in which DOD
provided a publically-available breakdown by country and authority for funding from its central counternarcotics account.
c Not included in totals.

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