Ecuador served as the host country for the South American Defense Conference (SOUTHDEC) for the first time. The event, September 13-16, brought together 11 chiefs of staff of South American military forces in Quito, Ecuador, under the theme, “Defeating Global and Cross-Border Threats through Regional Collaboration.” SOUTHDEC is a U.S. [ … ]
Capacity Building
US Secretary of the Navy Kicks Off UNITAS LXIII in Rio de Janeiro
More than 5,500 military personnel from 20 partner nations kicked off UNITAS LXIII (63) during an opening ceremony September 8, 2022. This year’s exercise includes 19 warships/vessels, one submarine, and 21 aircraft from UNITAS participants: marine and naval forces from Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guyana, Jamaica, [ … ]
US Maritime Forces Arrive for UNITAS LXIII Hosted by Brazil
Navy and Marine forces have arrived in Rio de Janeiro in support of UNITAS LXIII, the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise, which is taking place September 8-22. This year’s exercise is hosted by the Brazilian Navy and includes 20 participating nations, 19 ships, one submarine, 21 aircraft, accounting for approximately [ … ]
US Donates $42,000 in Aircraft Parts and Tools to Uruguayan Air Force
On August 18, 2022, representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Uruguay’s Office of Defense Cooperation and U.S. Southern Command’s Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative (GPOI) Coordination team donated $42,000 in aircraft parts and tools to the Uruguayan Air Force at Air Base 1 in Carrasco. Uruguay’s Air Force is the only [ … ]
NY Air Guard Airmen Train with Brazilian Counterparts
One hundred New York National Guard airmen — including 80 from the 106th Rescue Wing — were in Brazil participating in exercises with their Brazilian Air Force counterparts, which ran through August 31. The U.S. airmen were operating from the Brazilian Air Force base at Campo Grande in Brazil’s Mato [ … ]
Resolute Sentinel 22: Last Stop Belize SURGRETE
A general surgery team conducted a Surgery Readiness Training Exercise (SURGRETE) at Western Regional Hospital in Belmopan, Belize, August 25, 2022, as part of Resolute Sentinel 22, a U.S. Air Forces Southern/12th Air Force-led U.S. Southern Command exercise. Exercises like Resolute Sentinel improve readiness for a range of potential future [ … ]
XXIII Ibero-American Defense College Directors Conference Addresses Armed Forces’ Participation in the Fight Against COVID-19
During a bus tour of the striking São João Fortress, the site of the foundation of the city of Rio de Janeiro (1565), Brazilian Navy Rear Admiral Gilberto Cezar Lourenço made a comment that drew chuckles from the passengers. “The sun rises for everyone, but the shade of Sugar Loaf [ … ]
US Government Donates $2 million more to Colombian Police
Six months after the announcement of a two-year, $8 million assistance package, Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Todd Robinson, on behalf of the U.S. government, announced the delivery of $2 million more to the Colombian National Police. This represents “financial support that will help build the [ … ]
B-2 Strategic Bombers Complete Deployment to Australia
The U.S. Air Force deployed four B-2 Spirit bombers to conduct Bomber Task Force (BTF) missions in the Indo-Pacific region with key allies and partners from July 10 to August 12, 2022. The strategic bombers are assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri and [ … ]
Aerial Replenishment of Ballistic Missile Submarines at Sea Enhances Readiness
U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) recently demonstrated the capability to replenish U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarines operating at sea using different types of aircraft to deliver supplies. During the months of July and August 2022, U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft, and U.S. [ … ]
U.S. Air Force Tests Unarmed Minuteman III ICBM
A joint team of U.S. Air Force and U.S Navy personnel launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, during an operational test August 16, 2022. The ICBM was equipped with a test re-entry vehicle which traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein [ … ]
US Partner Militaries Conclude Pacific Partnerships 2022 Humanitarian Exercises in Palawan
Nearly 2,000 military and medical personnel from the United States, the Philippines, Australia, Chile, South Korea, and the United Kingdom participated in Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22), the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance exercise conducted in the Indo-Pacific, which concluded in Palawan on August 16. U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission [ … ]