National Security is intrinsically linked to a nation's ability to control its territory. When a nation has large unoccupied areas that are remote and difficult to control, often illegal settlements will become epidemic. The people that make up these settlements usually exploit the land for personal gain. Colonization of the Colombian Amazon (CA) by Colombian peasants has become epidemic and threatens national security. This colonization of the CA has been continuously occurring since the 19th century and has happened as a consequence of the government's lack of control. In the CA, a variety of illegally settled areas have been subject to the Colombian commission of crimes for illegal mining, crops, deforestation, and most significantly the expansion of insurgent movements and their illegal economies. Hence, this thesis aims to support the argument that illegal colonization in the CA represents a threat to Colombian national security.

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