Since late 2019, the Chilean Navy has its first generation of female lieutenants. Twenty-four women from all over the country rose to this rank, marking a milestone for the naval institution, which seeks to increase female participation in its units. Among these women, one officer stands out for her participation [ … ]
Iranian Academics Blame Regime For COVID-19 ‘Disaster’
Iranian academics are faulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for stifling information on COVID-19 and declining foreign aid, allowing the country’s outbreak to grow into “a national disaster.” In a March 29 letter, reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), 100 academics call Khamenei “the Number 1 culprit” for [ … ]
Venezuelan Ex-General Surrenders to US on Drug Trafficking Charges
A retired Venezuelan general who was charged by the United States with “narco-terrorism” along with Nicolás Maduro and other officials has surrendered in Colombia to U.S. authorities, prosecutors said on March 28. “The national Attorney General learned that Mr Cliver Alcala surrendered to U.S. authorities,” the Colombian prosecutor said in [ … ]
Honduran Service Members Deliver Food to People Amid Coronavirus Lockdown
About 4,000 elements of the Honduran Armed Forces deliver food to the most vulnerable populations in the country, who are on lockdown as part of the government’s measures to curb the coronavirus spread. Food distribution efforts, which began on March 25 in Tegucigalpa, will continue in other departments to deliver [ … ]
US Shifts Strategy and Offers Venezuela Path Toward Democracy
The United States announced on March 31 that they are prepared to lift sanctions against Venezuela if both Nicolás Maduro and Interim President Juan Guaidó step aside and agree to a transitional government guided by both ruling parties. The plan was outlined by the U.S. special representative to Venezuela, Elliott [ … ]
Surgical Masks and Fruits Used to Transport Drugs Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
For decades, narcotraffickers have been employing inventive methods to transport drugs, including using long-stretched tunnels with lighting and ventilation systems, camouflaged semisubmersibles for more discreet navigation, and drones. Now drug dealers are taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis, using much-needed surgical face masks to disguise and “mask” narcotics. On March [ … ]
Colombian Air Force Strengthens Strategies for Counternarcotics Operations
General Ramsés Rueda Rueda, commander of the Colombian Air Force (FAC, in Spanish), spoke with Diálogo during his visit to Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South) at the Naval Air Station Key West, Florida. Diálogo: What has the evolution of FAC capabilities been like in the fight against narcotrafficking? General [ … ]
Central America Resorts to Isolation Against COVID-19
With the advance of the coronavirus in the western hemisphere, Central American countries are under states of emergency and curfews. Their armed forces are taking several measures to halt the advance of the global threat in their territories, without neglecting their daily duties to counter crime. El Salvador was the [ … ]
US Sanctions on Venezuela Explained
Since 2017, the U.S. has sanctioned people, businesses, and oil entities associated with the Nicolás Maduro regime, both inside and outside of Venezuela. Why are sanctions necessary and who actually feels their impact? U.S. sanctions are designed to ensure that Maduro and his cronies don’t profit from illegal gold mining, [ … ]
Petrocaribe Decline Worsens
Petrocaribe, the crude oil and gasoline trade alliance project between Venezuela and Caribbean nations, which the Venezuelan regime promoted for years, is in decline, and its failure is evident. “The program is crashing rapidly due to the crisis in Venezuela and, more specifically, to the decline in production by Petróleos [ … ]
Colombian-Panamanian Combined Operation Strikes Narcotrafficking
In mid-February, the Colombian Navy and the Panamanian Air and Naval Service (SENAN, in Spanish) carried out a combined operation that led to the capture of a semisubmersible and its four Colombian crew members. The vessel, which navigated on the Caribbean Sea off the Panamanian province of Bocas del Toro, [ … ]
Colombia, New Target of Russian Disinformation
In December 2019, Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez told the press that Colombia was suffering a wave of disinformation attacks from Russia and Venezuela. Ramírez said that social media trolls (people who disrupt online communities) encouraged violent protests, in an attempt to destabilize Iván Duque’s government. These complaints coincide [ … ]