Brazil: Police Seizes 18 Tons of Marijuana
Agents from Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) and Federal Highway Police (PRF) seized nearly 18 tons of marijuana in Santa Catarina state in mid-September. Authorities found the 17,900 kilograms of drugs in a truck carrying food on the BR-101 Highway in Greater Florianópolis. This was the largest amount of marijuana seized [ … ]
US Marines Provide Support to Continuing Promise Aboard USNS Comfort
When the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort departed the Port of Miami on October 23, on its last stateside port of call before setting sails toward Latin America and the Caribbean as part of Continuing Promise, it brought hope to thousands of people who, otherwise, would not have access [ … ]
Building Good Relations, a Regional Security Solution
“Improvisation never succeeds” could sum up the Caribbean Basin Coastal Surveillance and Maritime Security Summit (CABSEC) and the South American Security Summit (SAMSEC) 2022. Rear Admiral Exón Ascencio, deputy chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Salvadoran Armed Forces, made the statement during his presentation at the event [ … ]
Illegal mining in Peru Threatens Protected Areas
Illegal mining is threatening and eating away at the Tambopata National Reserve and Bahuaja Sonene National Park, located in the Madre de Dios department of Peru, where environmental criminals are sowing terror with extortion, robbery, and death threats, according to an investigation by environmental journalism platform Mongabay. “In almost all [ … ]
Argentine and Brazilian Navies Train in Search and Rescue Missions
The Argentine Navy (ARA) and the Brazilian Navy (MB) reviewed their capabilities and trained troops in medical evacuation and search and rescue missions to safeguard human life at sea as part of exercise SAREX 2022 in the South Atlantic. “The exercise had special relevance, since both countries have two of [ … ]
Colombia: Flight Simulator at Naval Cadet School Seeks to Reduce Aviation Accidents
Spatial disorientation is among the problems that have troubled the aviation industry for decades, potentially causing pilots to lose control and crash. From the dawn of aviation, the phenomenon has caused thousands of death. “Pilots who fly over the sea experience this sensation because of the marine weather conditions; the [ … ]
Soto Cano Air Base, 34 Years of Helping Honduras
The Honduran Air Force’s Coronel José Enrique Soto Cano Air Base in Comayagua celebrated 34 years of service in September. Its main mission is to train cadets from the Military Aviation Academy. Since February 2022, Honduran Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Sidia Jackeline Lara serves as commander of the base. “It’s [ … ]
Continuing Promise in Honduras, Enduring Partnership
Sonia Waldikia González Barahona, 39, waited more than a year for a surgery after she was diagnosed with an incarcerated umbilical hernia. Swollen belly, sharp abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting were part of her daily symptoms. As her pain increased, Sonia, a mother of three, had to quit her housekeeping [ … ]
Colombian Air Force Celebrates World Space Week
World Space Week is an annual United Nations-sponsored event held October 4-10 in more than 95 countries to commemorate the contributions of space science and technology to humanity. On October 4, the Colombian Air Force (FAC) and various civilian and military institutions joined this celebration with an event that brought [ … ]
Toward a Strategy for Responding to the PRC in Latin America
This article was first published on Global Americans on October 6, 2022. As the People’s Republic of China (PRC) expands its engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean, a common refrain in Washington is to lament the lack of an effective U.S. strategy in response, as well as the lack [ … ]
US Delivers New Health Center to Panama in Darién
Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Panama Stewart Tuttle, and Panamanian Minister of Health Francisco Sucre inaugurated on October 20 the El Salto Health Center in the province of Darién. “The construction of this health center in Darién is a sign of the strong friendship between our countries. We are [ … ]
Supporting Responsible Fishing in the Pacific
Fishing communities along South America’s west coast face threats from illegal fishing, climate change, and pollution. “There are fewer fish, and we must go out to sea for days to find fish,” said Ricardo Laos, president of the José Silverio Olaya Balandra Association of Artisanal Fishermen of Caleta de Chorrillos [ … ]
