The first class of female noncommissioned officers trained to work in the Brazilian Army’s war fields graduated in late 2018. In 2016, the Brazilian Army (EB, in Portuguese) made the entrance exam for its noncommissioned officer (NCO) classes in war studies available to women. At the time, 12,498 female candidates [ … ]
Capacity Building
NAVSCIATTS Helps Strengthen Partner Nations
The Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School operates under U.S. Special Operations Command in support of geographic combatant commanders’ security cooperation priorities. YTUkWV A group of Latin American military special forces listens to a briefing about U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean. They [ … ]
Chile Stands Out at Best Warrior 2019
Service members of the Chilean Armed Forces displayed their abilities at an international competition. The four-day championship sought to test combat abilities with harsh field exercises, but also mental agility. Best Warrior 2019 participants competed in various activities, such as physical aptitude, obstacle course, first-aid simulation, and a written test, [ … ]
Colombia Promotes Professionalization of Special Ops NCOs
Noncommissioned officers’ capabilities improve with instructional programs in the classroom and in the field. The first Special Forces Noncommissioned Officers (NCO) Professional Development Course took place March 4–April 3, 2019, at Tolemaida Military Fort in Colombia. The Colombian Special Operations Joint Command (CCOES, in Spanish) coordinated the U.S. Special Operations [ … ]
Belize Fights Transnational Organized Crime
The Belize Defence Force seeks to promote interagency and international cooperation to defeat criminal organizations. Diverse ecological jungles, high mountains, pine forests, exotic rivers, and sandy beaches attract tourists to Belize year round. While visitors enjoy the beautiful landscape, drug smugglers look for ways to carry out illegal activities in [ … ]
Colombia Trains Military, Civilian Personnel for Aeromaritime Emergencies
The new center will train Colombian and partner nations’ citizens in water survival procedures in case of accidents. The Colombian Navy opened the Aeromaritime Emergency Training and Simulation Center on January 25, 2019, in Barranquilla. Part of an agreement between Colombia’s Ministry of Defense and U.S. company Bell Helicopter for [ … ]
JTF-Bravo Fosters Regional Cooperation for 36 Years
Joint Task Force-Bravo promotes regional cooperation and security in Central America. Joint Task Force-Bravo (JTF-Bravo) celebrates its 36th anniversary as a trusted partner to Central America and beyond. The task force, a subordinate command of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), is located at Soto Cano Air Base in Comayagua, Honduras, since [ … ]
The Salvadoran Armed Force’s Strategic Reserve
The Special Forces Command brings together the country’s elite units. “When we were ambushed, my reaction was to protect them,” said Salvadoran Army Master Sergeant Fredy Adolfo Castro Urbina, member of the Special Counter-terrorism Command (CEAT, in Spanish), a unit of the Salvadoran Armed Force’s (FAES, in Spanish) Special Forces [ … ]
Colombian Armed Forces Capture Members of ELN and Los Pelusos
National efforts against crime weaken criminal groups in Colombia. Units of the Colombian Armed Forces captured Juan Gabriel Villa, alias Gabino, leader of the National Liberation Army (ELN, in Spanish), and Jesús Alirio Téllez, alias Chunga, member of the organized armed group (GAO, in Spanish) Los Pelusos, on February 27, [ … ]
Brazilian Navy Encourages Female Participation in Peacekeeping Missions
The second edition of the Peacekeeping Operations Internship for Women affirms Brazil’s commitment to increase the number of female officers in international peacekeeping missions. Brazil takes part in operations with the United Nations (UN) to contribute to peaceful conflict resolutions in different regions since 1947. According to UN data, as [ … ]
US Troops Provide Medical Support to Honduran Communities
Western Honduran communities benefitted from humanitarian support from SOUTHCOM. More than 1,500 people from rural communities of Ocotepeque department, Honduras, which borders Guatemala and El Salvador, received humanitarian aid from a U.S. military medical mission. The villages of La Encarnación, San Fernando, and San Marcos benefitted from medical assistance and [ … ]
Brazilian Navy Celebrates Marine Corps’ 211th Anniversary
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro led the ceremony attended by Major General Michael F. Fahey III, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South. The Brazilian Navy (MB in Portuguese) celebrated the 211th anniversary of the Marine Corps (CFN, in Portuguese) in a military ceremony at the historic São José da Ilha [ … ]