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The Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) arrived in Port of Spain, Trinidad, August 5, 2025, for the final mission stop of Continuing Promise 2025 (CP25). The Comfort team is working alongside Trinbagonian medical professionals to provide medical care, including adult care, pediatric care, dental services, optometry, women’s health services, and various ancillary support services. “Our presence in…
In the vast expanse above Earth, where unseen forces can disrupt vital operations below, two Brazilian Air Force (FAB) officers are not just participants but key architects of a cutting-edge international space mission. Captain Bruno Henrique Flores dos Santos Mattos, an aerospace engineer, and Major Rodrigo Janowski Zandoná, an electronic engineer, are at the heart of ITASAT-2. The next-generation CubeSat…
Long-standing U.S. Southern Command- (SOUTHCOM) led multinational exercise Tradewinds remains a key component for regional security in the Caribbean, focused on strengthening interagency cooperation to face a wide spectrum of threats, including natural disasters and transnational organized crime. In its 2024 edition, held in Barbados, Tradewinds brought together representatives from more than 25 countries to conduct joint operations in…
For the past 18 years, Panamanian security forces and their U.S. counterparts have come together in Panama to share experiences and strengthen their operational skills in a series of exercises focused on the security of the Panama Canal. Exercise PANAMAX Alpha, carried out yearly, is a model of international security cooperation for this strategic waterway for global trade. PANAMAX…
U.S. and St. Kitts and Nevis officials gathered at Joseph N. France General Hospital to kick off the third phase of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission, March 24, 2025. LAMAT 25, led by U.S. Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH) Surgeon General, is a collaborative effort that brings together Air Force Reserve medical teams and host nation…
The United States and Guatemala are committed to work on key projects to boost mutual development and take bilateral relations to the next level. Among their objectives, highlighted in several high-level meetings in 2024, are: To strengthen security and prosperity in the hemisphere and reinforce their shared fight against transnational crime. The implementation of the Guatemala se Transforma initiative,…
On December 10, U.S. Ambassador Candace Bond and U.S. Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), met with Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley and other government ministers for discussions on security, energy, cybersecurity, and human rights cooperation at the Diplomatic Center, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. At the meeting, Ambassador Bond, Adm. Holsey, and Prime…
Trinidad and Tobago co-hosted the Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC), in Port of Spain, December 10-12, bringing together 21 nations to discuss enabling a regional approach to respond to natural disasters, crises, and common threats. The U.S. Southern Command- (SOUTHCOM) sponsored annual regional security forum aims at fostering ties of cooperation, strengthening partnerships, and sharing lessons learned. “The dynamic…
As part of an ambitious modernization plan for 2025, the Argentine Armed Forces are boosting their aerial power with new acquisitions and upgrades. Among those are four Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion patrol aircraft and 24 F-16A/B fighter aircraft, including weapon and equipment package, all with the support of the United States. In late October, the U.S. State Department approved…
At a time when experts worldwide are warning about the increase of state-sponsored cybercrime, a recent collaboration between Paraguay and the United States uncovered and thwarted a serious Chinese-state threat. A cybersecurity assessment of Paraguayan government networks, conducted with support from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), designed to strengthen the security of the South American nation’s critical assets, uncovered that the…
Following 73 days of intense activity and 4,546 nautical miles traveled under water, the Colombian submarine ARC Tayrona concluded its seventh deployment as part of the Diesel-Electric Submarine Initiative (DESI) 2024 on August 11. The U.S. Fleet Forces Command-led anti-submarine warfare exercise, carried out yearly, seeks to improve readiness and interoperability among the navies of the region with diesel-electric submarine…
U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), visited Paraguay December 11-14, and met with President Santiago Peña and other senior leaders to discuss the United States’ longstanding defense partnership with the Paraguayan Armed Forces. Gen. Richardson’s trip to Paraguay was her first as SOUTHCOM commander. The visit coincided with the 80th anniversary of the start…
