SOUTHCOM Commander Visits Argentina and Chile
U.S. General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), visited Argentina and Chile, April 25-29, and met with leaders of both nations to discuss security and defense cooperation.
Brazilian Service Members Train with Israeli Company in Cybersecurity
In late March, the Brazilian Army (EB) signed a cooperation agreement with CySource, a cybersecurity company founded by Israeli Defense Forces veterans, to train military personnel. The training will include attack simulation for risk prevention and mitigation and threat monitoring, harmful software analysis, network fundamentals, cyber incident responses, digital forensics, and penetration testing of critical systems. The partnership with EB will last one year and may be renewed.
The Caribbean in the Crossfire, Between COVID-19, Narcotics, China, and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Strategic Importance of the Caribbean Basin
Cuba Pushes Kremlin Disinformation
In the editorial offices of Cuba’s only truly national newspaper, Granma, the Cold War is seemingly in the air. Weeks before the start of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the Cuban regime was already making clear its support for Moscow with silences and half-truths. And since the beginning of the war, Havana’s propaganda machine has been disseminating fake news or misleading information to support the Kremlin’s version of events.
El Salvador Combats Gangs During State of Emergency
El Salvador is extending its state of emergency to another month until May 27. The government announced the measure a day after the country recorded 62 homicides in 24 hours on March 26. This was the deadliest day in El Salvador in three decades when the country’s civil war came to an end, said the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, an international journalistic investigation organization that specializes in organize crime.
Gaming Industry Stops Russia’s Fake News
In Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hackers have used video game scenes, allowing them to go viral, which simulate alleged attacks and advances by Russian troops in an attempt to change the narrative and disinform.
HRW Denounces Collusion Between Venezuelan Military and ELN
A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accuses Venezuela’s security forces of carrying out operations with the Colombian guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN), and of causing “a dramatic increase in violence in the first months of 2022” in the border departments of Arauca, in Colombia, and Apure, in Venezuela. The report Colombia/Venezuela: Border Area Abuses by Armed Groups was published on March 28.
Brazilian Air Force Female Aviator, Pioneer Air Operations Officer
Major Fernanda Kozlowski Görtz is a pioneer in the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). She graduated in 2006 from the first class of women at the Brazilian Air Force Academy (AFA) and is the first woman chief of Operations of the Special Flight Inspection Group (GEIV), a position she holds since January 2021. Maj. Fernanda Görtz talked with Diálogo about her professional career and the challenges of her mission.
Caribbean Countries to Strengthen Measures Against Illegal Fishing
Member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will strengthen the region’s response to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing through coordinated actions at both the national and regional levels. Such was the outcome of a meeting of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) on illegal fishing and organized crime in the fishing industry.
USCG 7th District Commander Discusses Coast Guard Key Role in Western Hemisphere
As commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, headquartered in Miami, Florida, Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson is responsible for all Coast Guard operations in the southeast United States and the Caribbean Basin, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Seventh District encompasses an area of 4.6 million square kilometers and shares operational borders with 34 nations and territories in the Western Hemisphere.
