China is conducting tests with a vehicle that reaches five times the speed of sound and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and firing missiles. The Financial Times first reported the information in October 2021, although the tests were conducted on July 27 and August 13. According to the British [ … ]
Paraguay, Brazil Take 416 Tons of Marijuana out of Circulation
The Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) and the Brazilian Federal Police (PF, in Portuguese) took 400 tons of marijuana out of circulation during Operation New Alliance (Operación Nueva Alianza) XXVIII. The combined operation was conducted in Amambay department, Paraguay, with support from PF and Paraguayan Air Force helicopters, [ … ]
AMAN: a World-Class Military Educational Institution
The Agulhas Negras Military Academy (AMAN, in Portuguese), in Resende, Rio de Janeiro state, is the higher education institution entrusted with training career officers of the Brazilian Army (EB, in Portuguese). The school recently hosted the U.S. Army and EB combined exercise CORE 21/Southern Vanguard 22. Diálogo spoke with EB [ … ]
Colombian Authorities Announce Largest Cocaine Seizure of 2021
A November 23 joint operation by the Colombian Military Forces and the Office of the Attorney General resulted in the largest drug seizure of 2021 in a single operation: nearly 10 tons of cocaine ready for packaging and more than 10 tons of cocaine in the powder processing phase. “With [ … ]
SOUTHCOM Commander Discusses Regional Security Issues at Defense Forum
Enhancing U.S. security through partnerships and alliances with other nations was the topic discussed by U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and U.S. Navy Admiral John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and other panelists at the Reagan National Defense Forum on December 4, [ … ]
Ecuador Seizes 7 Tons of Cocaine
Ecuadorian security forces seized 7,148 kilograms of cocaine in 10 operations carried out November 21–December 2, 2021. On December 2, the Ecuadorian Police reported the seizure of 245 kg of cocaine in two containers bound for Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. That same day, officers reported seizing 133 kg of cocaine in [ … ]
SENAN Deals Tough Blow to Narcotrafficking in Mid-November
The Panamanian National Air and Naval Service (SENAN, in Spanish) continues to deal a tough blow to narcotrafficking. From November 13 to December 4, 2021, the naval institution seized more than 10 tons of cocaine in various operations. “November was a month in which there was an increase in seizures,” [ … ]
Nicaragua’s Flip to China: What Does It Mean for the Region?
Nicaragua’s diplomatic flip from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), announced on December 9, was almost inevitable, but it will accelerate a worrisome trend in parts of the Western Hemisphere closest to the U.S. to a China-funded form of authoritarian populism. That growing threat, in a part of [ … ]
72nd Poseidon Task Force against Narcotrafficking: Direct Offensive against Narcotrafficking
Amid the inclement weather and the inhospitable swamps, rivers, and coastal areas of the Colombian Pacific, members of the 72nd Poseidon Task Force against Narcotrafficking, a unit of the Colombian Navy, conduct operations to curb the boom of narcotrafficking in the area, which has large concentrations of coca leaf, and [ … ]
Panama Seizes 10.5 Tons of Cocaine
From November 11 to October 20, 2021, the Panamanian National Air and Naval Service (SENAN, in Spanish) seized 10,534 kilograms of cocaine in nine interdictions. On November 11, the Office of the Attorney General reported the seizure of 338 kg of cocaine in Limón province. Authorities found the drug in [ … ]
Ecuador Seizes 16 Tons of Drugs during State of Emergency
Ecuador is experiencing an escalation of unprecedented violence. In 2021, the country broke homicide records: 1,885 by October, representing a rate of 10.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. That is double the figure in 2016, when the rate was 5.8 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, according to a report from the Ecuadorian National [ … ]
Argentina Seizes Nearly 16 Tons of Chemical Precursors
On October 29, 2021, agents of the Argentine National Gendarmerie seized nearly 16 tons of anhydrous ammonia, a chemical precursor used to manufacture cocaine. Members of the Rosario-Victoria Security Section, deployed at kilometer 5.2 on National Road 174, intercepted a truck that was traveling from Buenos Aires to the province [ … ]