A Conversation With

Rear Admiral Jo-Ann F. Burdian, a distinguished Coast Guard Permanent Cutterman, assumed leadership of Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South) in June 2024. Her extensive career, including commanding cutters and shaping strategic response policy, uniquely positions her to lead JIATF-South’s complex detection and monitoring operations against illicit trafficking. In this [ … ]

Panama’s National Border Service (SENAFRONT) Deputy Commissioner Maritza Censión is a trailblazer in her field. As the longest-serving female officer in SENAFRONT and the executive officer of the Panama East Third Brigade, she brings decades of experience to her role. This year, Deputy Commissioner Censión achieves another historic first, serving [ … ]

Naval engineer Captain Luis Carlos Camaño, head of the Naval Engineering Department at the Panamanian National Air and Naval Service’s (SENAN) Naval Maintenance Directorate, has dedicated 12 years to public service, 11 of them focused on maintaining and improving SENAN’s operations. Capt. Camaño, who honed his skills at the Naval [ … ]

Roger Mojica Rivera, a veteran with more than three decades of experience in international relations, administrative management, and public security, is the current director of Panama’s National Migration Service. His extensive career includes significant involvement in immigration issues. Having held key positions such as deputy director general of the National [ … ]

Diálogo had the opportunity to sit down with Major General Hermelindo Choz Soc, chief of the Guatemalan National Defense Staff, who brings more than three decades of military experience to his leadership role. Maj. Gen. Choz Soc, whose career includes numerous command positions within the Army, including defense attaché at [ … ]

A highly trained military officer with a robust and extensive military education, Brazilian Army Major General Flávio Moreira Mathias is exceptionally well-prepared for his current role fostering international partnerships. With a foundation built on advanced strategic studies and specialized training in diverse operational environments, including U.N. peacekeeping missions, Maj. Gen. [ … ]

Responsible for protecting and defending Panama’s airspace, territorial waters, and the Panama Canal, Commander Luis Antonio De Gracia, director general of Panama’s National Air and Naval Service (SENAN), plays a key role in the Central American country’s security. With more than two decades of experience and solid training, evidenced by [ … ]

Throughout his more than 30-year military career, Vice Admiral Exón Oswaldo Ascencio Albeño has held key positions at the national level and important posts abroad, including chief of Operations for the Multinational Force in Iraq, military observer for the United Nations (U.N.) in Sudan, and intelligence and training officer in [ … ]

With nearly 40 years of experience in the Argentine Navy, holding various positions in artillery units, including that of commander, Captain Alberto Ismael Álvarez now focuses on strengthening the bonds of friendship and collaboration between the Argentine Armed Forces and their U.S. counterparts. His experience on the international stage, such [ … ]

With more than 20 years actively contributing to the security of his nation with Panama’s National Border Service (SENAFRONT), Commissioner Raymond Cáceres Cedeño now focuses on strengthening the Panama-U.S. collaboration and partnership. His experience as director of Intelligence and director of Operations of the SENAFRONT, as well as his training [ … ]

Three years ago, Brigadier General Azariel Loria took on the command of the Belize Defence Force (BDF), vowing to strengthen the BDF’s capabilities, embrace change, and contribute to the stability, security, and prosperity of the Central American country. Under his leadership, the BDF has worked diligently to curb narcotrafficking, support [ … ]

Under the leadership of Vice Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman, chief of Defense Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), the JDF has been playing a key role in strengthening the fight against common threats in the region for a more secure Caribbean. Diálogo had the opportunity to speak with Vice Adm. [ … ]