Multinational military exercise CENTAM Guardian 2024 concluded in Honduras at the Soto Cano Air Base in Comayagua. Phase one of the U.S. Southern Command- (SOUTHCOM) sponsored exercise, carried out April 1-12, saw the participation of 284 military personnel from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, as well as 212 U.S. troops.
Phase one
“Representatives from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala will spend the next two weeks enhancing their shared understanding of regional threats to address these threats,” U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Laura Dogu said during the inauguration. “Cybersecurity experts from SOUTHCOM will train regional cyber teams. U.S. Marines, Special Forces, and National Guard soldiers will train with their counterparts across this beautiful country.”
The mission of this first phase of the training was to hone the use of digital tools, to capture information to explore, manage, and counter developing cyberthreats or cyberattacks. The exercise also included maritime operations, infantry operations, and a five-day medical readiness and training exercise.
“Through SOUTHCOM’s sponsorship, specialized knowledge and field experiences will be combined, which will expand operational skills in support of national security tasks […],” Honduras’ Defense Secretary Manuel Zelaya said. “We are facing common opponents that destroy population growth. The primary objective of national security and defense is to protect and improve the quality of life of our people […].”
Transnational organized crime is responsible for the deforestation of hundreds of hectares of land in Honduras to produce drugs, including in protected areas and declared world heritage sites, Zelaya added. According to the National Anti-Drug Police Directorate, authorities destroyed more than 3 million coca bushes in Honduras in 2023.
Honduran Army Brigadier General Hosvan René Barahona, deputy chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the exercise “represents an invaluable opportunity to strengthen cooperation and coordination between partner nations, to promote capabilities to face current and future threats and challenges in our region.”
U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Innis Bryant, lead planner for CENTAM Guardian 24, told Diálogo on April 8 that “officers will be able to hone their skills in the military decision-making process, to make quick judgments to report to their senior leaders.”
In addition, CENTAM participants trained in combat skills to counter the threats that are most common in the Northern Triangle (Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala): the fight against narcotrafficking, transnational criminal organizations, and illegal migration.
During the different stages of the training, SOUTHCOM deployed members of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force to the command and control group’s headquarters.
“In the tactical areas we have four different technical areas supporting this operation. We have soldiers from the 7th Special Forces; we have Marines from the 25th U.S. Marine Corps in Puerto Castilla, Honduras, and we have an infantry company from Puerto Rico and the Army National Guard in Cuba,” Lt. Col. Bryant said.
In specific skills, military personnel were instructed by the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in close combat, field target practice, and close quarters battle training. In addition, canine units were incorporated and underwent behavioral training.
Cyber defense and security
The 189th Airlift Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard and members of SOUTHCOM’s Joint Cyber Center conducted the cyber defense training, using a computer field at the Augusta Cyber Center in Georgia.
“For the armies of the Northern Triangle it is essential to handle the same technologies, since we face similar threats,” Honduran Navy Ensign Carlos Eduardo Calix Villatoro told Diálogo. “It’s important that we can handle the latest in the process, know the new techniques, and be standardized; so that we are all capable of mitigating or countering any attack.”
All this training will be used as a multiplier effect in the units of participating officers in their home countries. “We are grateful for this opportunity to perfect our knowledge, especially with our sister republics of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras,” Salvadoran Army Lieutenant Juan Carlos López told Diálogo. “And we are especially grateful to the U.S. Army for preparing us, for providing us with knowledge in cybersecurity, since these are essential tools today.”
During the closing remarks, U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Alvin Holsey, SOUTHCOM deputy military commander, said the presence of military personnel from different countries was a demonstration of the power of partner nations.
“There is more willingness today to use any management system for disaster relief operations. Those who are here today will save lives in the future,” he said.
Phase two of CENTAM Guardian will be held in June in Costa Rica, which will see the participation of the Dominican Republic along with Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. This will be the last year with a two-phase training, Lt. Col. Bryant said.