From Lessons Learned to Operational Capability: How PANAMAX Strengthens Panama Over Time
As PANAMAX 2026 unfolds in Panama, the exercise’s significance extends far beyond the number of participating countries or personnel. Its lasting value lies in what it leaves behind: command procedures, joint protocols, and interagency coordination mechanisms that continue to strengthen Panama’s ability to protect the Canal and other strategic infrastructure and respond to complex security challenges. The multinational hemispheric security…
Paraguay’s Interior Minister Enrique Riera: ‘No Country Can Confront Transnational Organized Crime Alone’
Located at the heart of South America and home to some of the continent’s most important trade and river corridors, Paraguay faces security challenges stemming from its strategic location and the growing sophistication of transnational organized crime. In response, the country has pursued institutional reforms, modernized its security capabilities, and strengthened cooperation with regional and international partners. In an exclusive…
The Security Impact of Renewed Relations Between Caracas and Washington
After years without institutional cooperation, Caracas and Washington have begun building a new security relationship. What started as a diplomatic rapprochement has expanded into increasingly visible coordination among judicial authorities, intelligence agencies, and security forces to confront some of the most significant threats facing Venezuela and the region. Within just a few months, that cooperation has already produced tangible results.…
Fuerzas Comando 2026: Building the Partnerships Behind Regional Security
As transnational criminal organizations expand across borders and exploit differences between jurisdictions, countries throughout the hemisphere are increasingly relying on cooperation, interoperability, and trusted partnerships to strengthen their response capabilities. In this environment, Fuerzas Comando has evolved beyond a special operations competition into a platform for building the professional relationships, coordination mechanisms, and operational understanding needed to confront shared security…
Inside Hezbollah’s Network in Brazil
The rapid expansion of Brazil’s major criminal organizations — particularly the recently U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (Red Command) — is driving them to collaborate with actors linked to Middle Eastern terrorism, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Fueled by billions of dollars in proceeds from drug trafficking and other illicit activities, these groups increasingly rely…
China Expands Its Grip on Latin America’s Strategic Minerals Vital to Defense and Technology
China has steadily expanded its presence in Latin America’s critical minerals sector, investing in lithium, copper, and other resources that underpin advanced technologies, defense systems, semiconductors, and the global energy transition. Accompanied by investments in ports, transportation corridors, and processing facilities, Beijing’s growing footprint in the region has fueled concerns over economic security, strategic dependence, and countries’ ability to retain…
Built in Ecuador for Ecuador’s Fight: The Story Behind the Jaguar-1 Armored Vehicle
The Ecuadorian Army has advanced with the first operational unit of the Jaguar-1, a new armored personnel carrier that represents a significant step forward both in the fight against organized crime and in the development of Ecuador’s domestic defense industry. Designed and built in Ecuador, the vehicle was conceived to protect military personnel in increasingly dangerous environments characterized by ambushes,…
Soft Power and Strategic Ports: China’s Expanding Media Presence in Panama
In recent years, China has paired its economic expansion with growing media and digital influence efforts, using strategic communications to strengthen its presence in key sectors such as ports, telecommunications, energy, and logistics. Through state media, embassies, social media platforms, and local partners, Beijing promotes narratives that portray China as a reliable partner and a driver of development. These campaigns…
Outer Space Is a Domain That Requires Cooperation
As Colombia consolidates its capabilities in the space domain, Colombian Aerospace Force Colonel Eliana Mallarino has been among the officers driving that process. As director of Space Capabilities of the Space Operations Command, she works to integrate space assets in support of security and defense operations, from monitoring illicit activities to responding to natural disasters. Throughout her career, she has…
Ports Under Pressure: Ecuador’s Offensive to Reclaim Puerto Bolívar
Commercial ports across Latin America and the Caribbean have become one of the primary battlegrounds in the fight against transnational organized crime. In Ecuador, one of the clearest examples is Puerto Bolívar, a strategic hub for banana exports that has also emerged as one of the main departure points for cocaine shipments bound for Europe. To regain control, the Ecuadorian…
From Paraguay to Bolivia: The New Hub of Brazilian Criminal Organizations
In recent years, the geography of Brazilian drug trafficking has undergone a profound transformation, reshaping the map of organized crime across Latin America. While Paraguay served for decades as the principal operational rear base for the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command (CV), the center of gravity of their operations is increasingly shifting toward Bolivia. According to investigators,…
China’s Solar Energy Projects Deepen Cuba’s Technological Dependence
As blackouts continue to cripple Cuba and fuel growing public discontent, China is leveraging the island’s worst energy crisis in decades to deepen its dependence on Chinese-made solar technology. By supplying photovoltaic panels, inverters, specialized equipment, and technical assistance, Beijing is establishing an increasingly important position in a sector critical to restoring Cuba’s electrical system while expanding its strategic influence…
