Colombian military officers consider the armed political opposition (guerilla groups) to be by far the most significant threat to their Nation. It is the overlap between guerrilla and drug dealer ("narcoguerrilla") that has inherently invited a greater military role in the counterdrug effort. Assignment of the Colombian military to a significant role in counternarcotics efforts would also mean dependence on the integrity of the military organization in the face of the corrupting influences of drug money. Compared to other Colombian institutions (police, the judiciary, or the congress), the Colombian military is not corrupted by the drug industry. It still has sufficient integrity to defend the continuation of the formal constitutional system. U.S. military aid to Colombia will probably have a minimal direct, provable effect on the overall drug trade, but there is no reason to suggest that military aid would fuel a military coup or exacerbate human rights abuses. On the other hand, helping Colombia's military meet its law enforcement responsibilities, even if these are defined as counterinsurgency, could permit the Colombian state to better address other, related criminal challenges. 68 notes