The U.S. Army’s 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) will deploy an advisory team to Colombia June 1 to support U.S. enhanced counternarcotics cooperation with Colombian security forces. The brigade’s company-sized advisory team will provide military support to U.S.-Colombia diplomatic and development efforts by training, advising, and assisting host units [ … ]
IAAFA Adapts During COVID-19, Continues International Professional Military Education via Distance Learning
In March 2020, when the United States started shelter-in-place orders due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Inter-American Air Forces Academy (IAAFA), which forges international friendship and security cooperation through education and training, coordinated for all of their international students to return to their home countries. Despite relocations, IAAFA began [ … ]
US Views Iran’s Interests in Latin America with Concern
On May 19, U.S. Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said that he views “with concern” Iran’s activities in Venezuela, with the shipment of crude in tankers and the country’s interest in controlling the Latin American region. “I view Iran’s interests with concern […]; we're tracking [ … ]
US, Peru Expand Space Data Sharing Partnership
U.S. Space Command (USPACECOM) took another step in expanding its international space data sharing network — this time with Peru. Peruvian Air Force Major General Javier Tuesta Márquez, member of the Peruvian National Commission on Aerospace Research and Development (CONIDA, in Spanish), and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Marcus A. Hitchcock, [ … ]
USS Pinckney Takes Down Drug Vessel, Seizes 70 Bales of Cocaine
The Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) with embarked U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) team seized 1,400 kilograms of cocaine, May 14. A U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), assigned to the “Tridents” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 26, first spotted the low profile vessel (LPV). Pinckney, [ … ]
Abrams: ‘A Transition Is Coming in Venezuela’
The U.S. government is preparing to reopen its embassy in Caracas, as they believe a transition is coming to Venezuela, U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams said on April 30. “We think a transition is coming in Venezuela, and we need to be prepared for it,” Abrams said in [ … ]
Brazilian Service Members Combat COVID-19
The Brazilian Armed Forces are employing their logistics structure to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The work of service member has been crucial in fighting problems in the vast national territory with 8.5 million square kilometers. Ten joint commands, strategically activated across the country, carry out these operations. An example of [ … ]
USS Lassen, Embarked Coast Guard Team Recover Illegal Drugs in Caribbean
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82) with embarked U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) team recovered more than 3,500 pounds of marijuana, May 2. While on routine patrol, approximately 15 miles northeast of Navassa Island, an uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea between Haiti and [ … ]
Argentina: COVID-19 Tests Bought from China Present Problems
Argentina purchased 170,000 Chinese rapid test kits to monitor the spread of the novel coronavirus. A report by the COVID-19 Unit of the Argentine Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation concluded that the Chinese kits presented false readings, and only detect one of the two antibodies they were designed to [ … ]
On the Rise, with its Own Characteristics: Digital Censorship in Venezuela
Venezuelans’ freedom of expression and information has been exponentially restricted in the digital environment, and the situation continues to escalate amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not new. Several international organizations, such as the Organization of American States’ Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and the Office [ … ]
Armed Forces and International Agencies Combat the Spread of Coronavirus Among Venezuelan Refugees in Brazil
Boa Vista, in Roraima state, now has facilities specifically dedicated to providing services to refugees and vulnerable Brazilians. The state, in northern Brazil, has about 5,500 Venezuelans, who in addition to the crisis in their home country, face the threat of the coronavirus. The Protection and Care Area (APC, in [ … ]
Ship with Cocaine Loaded in Venezuela, Seized off the Coast of Spain
Spanish authorities announced on April 29 the seizure of 4 000 kilograms (4 metric tons) of cocaine aboard a ship off the coast of Vigo. Law enforcement officials say the ship originated in Venezuela, where the drugs were initially loaded. This seizure was the latest blow to Galician drug traffickers [ … ]