U.S. Navy Rear Admiral James A. Aiken Jr., commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet (USNAVSO/4THFLT) is committed to work with the maritime forces of Latin American and Caribbean partner nations to enhance the security and stability of the Western Hemisphere. Rear Adm. Aiken spoke with Diálogo about [ … ]
A Conversation With


Colombia Delivers Historic Results Against Narcotrafficking Value Chain
General Jorge León González Parra, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Colombian Military Forces, spoke with Diálogo during his official visit to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in Miami. During the interview, Gen. González spoke about Colombia’s advances in the fight against criminal organizations, expert exchanges on information [ … ]

First Female Pilot Marks Milestone in the Chilean Navy
The Chilean Navy, created in 1817, has a female pilot in its ranks for the first time in its history. On October 14, 2021, Lieutenant Junior Grade Daniela Figueroa Scholz finished the Naval Aviation course at the top of her class, fit to fly the Pilatus PC-7. Lt. j.g. Figueroa [ … ]

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 [ … ]

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 [ … ]

Southern Vanguard 22, an Exercise Designed to Increase Interoperability
U.S. and Brazilian army soldiers kicked off exercise Southern Vanguard 22 in Lorena, São Paulo, Brazil on December 6. Southern Vanguard — called CORE 21 in Brazil — is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored, U.S. Army South-conducted exercise at the operational and tactical levels designed to increase interoperability between U.S. and [ … ]

Integration Is What Matters
The Southeast Military Command is the only one in Brazil composed of a single state, São Paulo, the most populous and the most important economically in the country. Brazilians and Americans decided to start an important integration exercise between troops of both armies, in the city of Lorena, 110 miles [ … ]

Hercules Joint Stabilization and Consolidation Task Force, a Powerful Military Unit Against Narcotrafficking
The Hercules Joint Stabilization and Consolidation Task Force, created in 2018 with the support of Colombia’s Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Inspector General, and the Judicial Police, gathers land, sea, and air service members to halt the violence that illegal armed groups and illicit crops generate [ … ]

Chilean Army Commando Strengthens Ties in Exchange Program with 82nd Airborne
The U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne and Special Operations Forces, located in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is where for the past 16 years, the Chilean Army has been participating in an exchange program, sending an officer to work and train with the fabled airborne division. Currently serving a two-year billet in [ … ]

Paraguayan Army Targets Institutional Modernization
Army General Oscar Arnaldo Cardozo González, commander of the Paraguayan Army, met with Diálogo at his headquarters to discuss institutional advances. Diálogo: What is the Paraguayan Army’s main challenge? Army General Oscar Arnaldo Cardozo González, commander of the Paraguayan Army: Our main challenge is to modernize the current institutional structure. We [ … ]

The Paraguayan Navy, Relentless in the Fight Against Organized Crime
Diálogo visited the Paraguayan Navy’s facilities in Asunción and met with its commander, Admiral Carlos Dionisio Velázquez Moreno, to talk about the challenges and achievements of the institution responsible for safeguarding and defending the country’s water resources. Diálogo: What are the Paraguayan Navy’s main challenges? Admiral Carlos Dionisio Velázquez Moreno, [ … ]

Paraguayan Military Forces Face New Challenges
Air Force General Eladio Casimiro González Aguilar, commander of the Paraguayan Military Forces, met with Diálogo at his headquarters to discuss his goals and the unprecedented deployment of operational capabilities to support State institutions involved in the efforts to contain and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Diálogo: What are your immediate [ … ]