A Conversation With

Air Force General Braulio Piris Rojas, commander of the Paraguayan Armed Forces, spoke with Diálogo during the Fuerzas Comando 2017 military competition, which was held in Paraguay for its 13th edition. Each year, Special Operations Command South, a component of U.S. Southern Command, holds a military skills competition in which [ … ]

International cooperation, joint capabilities, and joint efforts are the tools that Guatemala uses to counteract international criminal organizations. According to Guatemalan Army Major General Williams Mansilla Fernández, the Guatemalan Minister of Defense, a regional solution must be given to the traditional and non-traditional threats to security that Latin America and [ … ]

Brazilian Army Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, who led peace missions in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was recently appointed Brazil’s Public Security Secretary. Born in Rio Grande, the son of an officer in the Military Brigade, 64-year-old Brazilian Army Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos [ … ]

Dr. Richard Downie was director of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, from March 2004-March 2013. As such, he was a fixed presence at the security conferences co-sponsored by U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) every year. The Perry Center is located at the National Defense University, in Washington, [ … ]

The Jamaican Defence Force is leading its troops into a new era of professionalism and engagements. Support for youth, interaction with the community, military support for police in the fight against crime, and continued collaboration with regional and international partners are the new strategic visions of the Jamaican Defence Force [ … ]

Major General Juan Manuel Pérez Ramírez, chief of the Joint Staff of Guatemala, made a surprising statement at the 2017 Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC), held in April in Cozumel, Mexico. He stated that his country’s Armed Forces will be completely transformed in 20 years. To discuss this and other [ … ]

In early 2016, Nicaraguan Army General Julio César Avilés, commander-in-chief of the Army, and Honduran Army Major General Francisco Isaías Álvarez Urbina, chief of the Joint Staff of the Honduran Armed Forces, signed a working protocol creating the Sandino-Morazán Joint Task Force. This represented one more step in the fight [ … ]

One of the topics of discussion at the 2017 Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC), held recently in Cozumel, Mexico, was regional military support for police actions, especially in the fight against drug trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime. Costa Rica, one of the nations participating in the conference, [ … ]

Brigadier General Hernán Araya Santis is in his third year as director of Research and Projects for the Chilean Army. The reason may be because of his academic background. Brig. Gen. Araya holds a bachelor’s degree in Military Engineering Sciences from the Military Polytechnic Academy; a master’s degree in Weapons [ … ]

Barbados is nestled in the heart of the eastern Caribbean; it has white sandy beaches, calm blue waters, and sharp cliffs that attract tourists from around the world. But, like its neighbors, it also faces security challenges that are making its security forces become ever more vigilant. Drug trafficking, illegal [ … ]

Colombia is adjusting to changes brought by the post-conflict period. After five years of negotiations, the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, per its Spanish acronym) has been signed, the armed conflict has ended, and the implementation of the peace process is now afoot. The goal [ … ]

The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) provides innovative solutions for the complexities of current and future operations in military environments. The command works closely with some United States partner nations to create, integrate, and deliver technology-enabled solutions to military personnel all over the world. U.S. Army Brigadier [ … ]