*Administration of Barack H. Obama, 2009 *

**Memorandum on Continuation of the U.S. Drug Interdiction Assistance to the Government of Colombia **

*August 13, 2009 *

Presidential Determination No. 2009–24

*Memorandum for the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense *

*Subject:* Continuation of the U.S. Drug Interdiction Assistance to the Government of Colombia

Pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 1012 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2291–4), I hereby certify, with respect to Colombia, that (1) interdiction of aircraft reasonably suspected to be primarily engaged in illicit drug trafficking in that country's airspace is necessary, because of the extraordinary threat posed by illicit drug trafficking to the national security of that country; and (2) that country has appropriate procedures in place to protect against innocent loss of life in the air and on the ground in connection with such interdiction, which shall at a minimum include effective means to identify and warn an aircraft before the use of force is directed against the aircraft.

The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to publish this determination in the *Federal Register* and to notify the Congress of this determination.

BARACK OBAMA

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., August 21, 2009]

NOTE: This memorandum was published in the *Federal Register* on August 24.

*Categories:* Communications to Federal Agencies : Colombia, U.S. drug interdiction assistance, continuation, memorandum.

*Subjects:* Colombia : U.S. drug interdiction assistance.

*DCPD Number:* DCPD200900645.