Seeking to develop capabilities to use leadership skills at the tactical level, and to complement the knowledge acquired, 47 Marine cadets from the Colombian Navy’s Almirante Padilla Naval School trained at Fort Moore in Georgia. The training was carried out together with cadets from the Paraguayan Army and the Honduran Navy for a total of 111 participants.
The training, which was conducted by the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), between October 16 and November 17, 2023, provided an opportunity to experience new military, cultural, and academic practices.
“This course is a cornerstone of our commitment to fostering strong, ethical, and effective military leaders for the future,” Major Benjamin Martínez, head of the WHINSEC Leader Development Division, told the media. “At WHINSEC we place a strong emphasis on ethics and human rights. Our cadets learn the importance of leading with integrity and respect for all. They also gain invaluable experience working alongside peers from across the Western Hemisphere, forming a spirit of cooperation and international understanding.”
The training included exercises in nautical chart reading, ethics and democracy in the armed forces, leadership theories, troop leadership procedure, and practical land navigation and terrain association exercises, the Colombian Navy said in a statement. Participants also received instruction via simulators in land and convoy operations, first aid, and training in urban and aquatic combat scenarios.
“Our focus here is to develop essential leadership qualities for military officers,” Maj. Martínez said. “This includes critical thinking, effective communication, and the ability to make sound decisions under pressure.”
The course allowed participants to demonstrate leadership potential, team building, and cross-cultural interaction, thereby creating lasting experiences and partnerships, Colombian Navy Rear Admiral Camilo Gutiérrez Olano, director of the Almirante Padilla Naval Cadet School, told Diálogo. “Colombia participates every year with this training with third-year or fourth-year cadets (ensigns) of the National Navy.”
In this type of groundwork, the U.S. contributes its experience and practice in training leaders to make decisions in complex scenarios. The cadets assimilate these practices through tactical training that is based on leadership and teamwork with peers from partner countries; such interaction strengthens the partnership between them.
“The [Colombian] National Navy in its Naval Development Plan 2024 establishes in its policies and guidelines the relevance of strengthening the competencies of human talent, and being able to face operational challenges, for example, strengthening operational leadership, ethical leadership,” Rear Adm. Gutiérrez said. “Leadership training is the backbone of the military professional training that permanently reorients the specific task of the seafarer and through these trainings allows strengthening the soft skills of cadets that under stress can make decisions, lead their subordinates and lead naval operations.”
At the end of the training, Colombian Marine Corps Brigadier General Emmanuel Pertuz Herrera won the leadership award, standing out among the 111 participating cadets from the three countries. “It’s a recognition of his military virtues as a leader, where his esprit de corps, assertive communication, decision making for conflict resolution under pressure, and interrelation with the other cadets stand out, leaving the name of the National Navy and the Almirante Padilla Naval Cadet School in high esteem,” Rear Adm. Gutiérrez said.