Colombian Navy Lt. Cmdr. Leonardo Flechas Rivera joined Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) in Bahrain, April 2025, as the Colombian Senior Naval Representative and Deputy Chief Engagement within the Strategy Department.

 “The most significant experience in the CMF so far has been recognizing the Coalition capacity to join many different nations under one flag and common purpose at sea,” said Flechas Rivera. “Thanks to the common language spoken by all sailors around the world, the language of [the] sea.”

Lt. Cmdr. Flechas Rivera joined the Colombian Navy in January 2006, now a Submariner, most recently holding the role of Executive Officer of the A.R.C. “Indomable.”

“In the depths and darkness of the sea with a group of professional, capable and committed of volunteers demands your best effort in every task: for two main reasons: the first one is because the safety and life of the entire crew depend on each other, and the second one is because the honor of wearing the golden dolphins on one’s chest requires a very high level of qualifications, based on knowledge, expertise and discipline. That is why; this is one the utmost milestone in my career.”

Flechas Rivera will be departing CMF in November 2025 aiming to return to the Colombian Submarine Force as XO aboard a submarine.