The Colombian Air Force led Exercise Esculapio 2026, bringing delegations from 12 countries and Colombian civil agencies together to practise coordinated responses to complex emergencies. The exercise combined aeromedical evacuations, personnel recovery and rescue operations at locations in Cundinamarca and Meta, including a simulated radiological incident that tested Colombia’s ability to manage multiple casualties, contamination risks and patient evacuation.
The academic phase was held at the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada campus in Cajicá, Cundinamarca, with conferences, presentations and workshops covering emergency response, personnel recovery and aeromedical operations. The operational phase followed at Air Combat Command No. 2 in Meta under controlled conditions.
Scenarios included individual and mass aeromedical evacuations, drone attacks and an incident involving multiple casualties and the possible dispersal of radioactive material. The radiological exercise covered risk identification, safety-zone demarcation, search and rescue, prehospital care, decontamination and evacuation. The Colombian Air Force described it as the first exercise of its kind and scale conducted in Colombia.
Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, the United States, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom and Sweden participated. Colombian contributors included Civil Defense, the National Fire Directorate, the Colombian Red Cross, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, DIJÍN, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Meta government.
The exercise is intended to improve interoperability and preparedness across military, medical, technical and civil-protection organisations. The Colombian Air Force plans to continue the cooperation framework through Esculapio 2028.