SOUTHDEC 2023 in Cartagena, Colombia

South American military leaders came together at the South American Defense Conference 2023, held in Cartagena, Colombia, September 22-24. (Photo: U.S. Southern Command)

Senior Enlisted Leaders pose for a photo at SOUTHDEC 2023. (Photo: U.S. Southern Command)

General Helder Fernán Giraldo Bonilla, commanding General of the Colombian Military Forces, gave U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the “Colombian Military Forces Distinguished Services” military medal during the closing ceremony of SOUTHDEC 2023. (Photo: U.S. Southern Command)

Regional leaders from Brazil, Argentina, Guyana, and Colombia stand during SOUTHDEC 2023. (Photo: U.S. Southern Command)

Joint Command Sergeant Major Consuelo Díaz Álvarez, sergeant major of the Colombian Military Forces, and U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Benjamin Jones, command senior enlisted leader at U.S. Southern Command, during SOUTHDEC 2023. (Photo: U.S. Southern Command)