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Networked threats in Latin America pose a danger to U.S. national security and erode stability in the region. Addressing these threats goes beyond stopping drug trafficking, the smuggling of weapons and other illicit goods and human trafficking, Navy Adm. Kurt W. Tidd told the Center for Strategic and International Studies in a discussion on maritime security on October 18. "Instead,…
During the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince in January 2010, then-Colonel Ajax Porto Pinheiro commanded the Brazilian Battalion (BRABAT), which is part of the military contingent for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Almost seven years later, Lieutenant General Ajax, currently MINUSTAH force commander, found himself literally in the eye of the storm again: Hurricane Matthew. The Category 4…
The vessel 'ARC 7 de Agosto' arrived in Haiti on October 11th, after traveling 660 nautical miles for 50 hours from Cartagena, Colombia. Designed to carry out such operations as patrols, maritime traffic control, search and rescue missions, peacekeeping operations, and environmental control, the ship has a helicopter, rescue team, and humanitarian aid aboard. Admiral Leonardo Santamaría Gaitán, commander of…
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) actively participates in overseas peacekeeping missions, assisting victims and conducting search and rescue missions whenever disaster befalls the nation. It also often assists in related activities in neighboring countries. General Alvani Adao da Silva assumed the position of head of Strategic Affairs of the Joint Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces on March 10th, 2015,…
As has become the tradition, the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) was present at the South American Defense Conference (SOUTHDEC) 2016, which took place in Montevideo, Uruguay from August 16th -19th. The president of the Counsel of Delegates of the Inter-American Defense Board, Peruvian Navy Vice Admiral Gonzalo Ríos Polastri, briefed participants about the international organization, and, Diálogo leveraged his presence…
The most important function of Colombia’s Armed Forces and Police, among the new duties being assumed by the military in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, is the fight against drug trafficking. But a little over a year ago, the country signed an agreement with the United Nations to expand Colombia’s participation in international peacekeeping missions. To speak about…
Gracias Peru has a long standing tradition of participating in peacekeeping missions; it is even a founding member of the Organization of the United Nations (UN). It was under the leadership of Peruvian UN Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar that the UN Peacekeeping Forces received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988. Diálogo leveraged the participation of Peruvian Admiral Jorge…
The South American Defense Conference (SOUTHDEC) 2016 began with a moment of silence on August 17th in Montevideo, Uruguay, in honor of Uruguayan Air Force Captain Fernando Martín de Rebolledo and Second Lieutenant Gonzalo Correa, who perished in a tragic military helicopter accident the day prior. However, it was the first time that Uruguay hosted the conference, whose theme this…
During a meeting with Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes in 2015, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon highlighted Paraguay’s contributions to peacekeeping missions, especially in Haiti. Proportionally, Paraguay’s population of fewer than seven million makes is one of the highest participants in peace keeping operations around the world. To speak about this and about other topics, Diálogo spoke to Major General…
The principal task of Suriname’s National Army is to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country against foreign armed military aggression, but like in so many other nations in Central and South America, the role of their military has been changing in the past years, especially to combat transnational organized crime. To discuss this and other defense topics…
During the past 15 years, Colombia has progressed considerably in social and economic spheres thanks to the country's strengthening of its internal security. New training tools, inter-institutional work, and technology have made the transformation of the Colombian Armed Forces possible. Aníbal Fernández de Soto, Colombian Deputy Defense Minister for International Affairs and Policy spoke with Diálogo during the "South American…
The last few weeks saw the activation of the Brazilian Army’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Battalion and its bomb squads. Many of these activities were clearly tests to check out the response capabilities of the security structure set up for the Rio 2016 Olympics. In order to expand the capillarity of vectors to allow identifying possible attacks, training…
