Twenty multinational naval officers assigned to the Combined Task Force (CTF) aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp participated in the first-ever U.S. Naval War College-hosted classroom education course on humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) planning held October 13–November 5. The maritime CTF included representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, [ … ]
International Relations
US: Venezuela A Global Crisis Requiring A Global Solution
The crisis in Venezuela is urgent and must be given a sense of urgency, said Carol Thompson O’Connell, principal deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, on October 31. “When almost 5 million people have been forcibly displaced and have had to flee [ … ]
Colombian Navy Special Forces Provide Special Operations Training To Dominican Navy Commandos
The Colombian Navy Special Forces (COFEN, in Spanish) provided special operations training to their Dominican counterparts at Las Calderas Naval Base, on the southwest coast of the Dominican Republic, August 12-30, 2019. The training was part of the U.S.-Colombia Action Plan (USCAP) — a regional security cooperation agreement between both [ … ]
Iranian Regime’s Ghoulish Death Tax
Despite shutting down the internet and other cover-up efforts, Iran's regime is well known for its brutality. In the last two weeks of November, the regime has killed 161 protesters while suppressing the demonstrations of the Iranian people. Less well known is what happens after the regime's thugs murder a [ … ]
Pompeo: Considerable Effort Needed To Restore Democracy In Venezuela
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that great effort was needed to restore democracy in Venezuela. Restoring democracy in Venezuela is in our hemisphere’s interest and we should expand considerable effort to achieve that,” Pompeo said at The Heritage Foundation, a think tank in Washington, on October 22, 2019. [ … ]
South American Navies Strengthen the Fight Against Organized Crime
Paraguay was the host country for exercise Acrux IX, which helped counter arms and human trafficking through the Paraguay-Paraná waterway. The navies of Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay increased their regional cooperation against organized crime with combined exercise Acrux IX, held in Puerto Rosario, Paraguay, September 24-27, 2019. Officers of [ … ]
China Reaffirms Strategic Interest In Antarctica
Chile and Argentina will patrol the Antarctic continent while China seeks to strengthen its presence in the area. The Argentine Navy’s Southern Naval Area Command and the Chilean Navy’s Third Naval Zone will conduct the 22nd Combined Naval Antarctic Patrol, November 15-March 31, 2020. The patrol aims to guarantee naval [ … ]
Defense Leaders Gather To Address Regional Threats At CANSEC
Defense leaders from 14 Caribbean countries along with their counterparts from Canada, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom attended the Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC), at U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), November 14-15, 2019, in Miami. SOUTHCOM sponsors the annual regional security conference to promote dialogue among defense and security [ … ]
Comfort Strengthens Partnership with Haiti Following Successful Medical Mission
U.S. Navy Hospital Ship USNS Comfort departed Port-au-Prince, Haiti, following the completion of the ship’s 12th and final medical mission in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, November 11. “Haiti is the last stop of the U.S. Navy’s Enduring Promise five-month mission in Latin America, Central America, and the [ … ]
South American Air Forces Focus On Cybersecurity
South American air forces’ chiefs seek mutual solutions to current cyber and space security challenges, as well as transnational threats. “Cooperation as a Strategy Towards Progress” was the opening theme of the South American Air Chiefs and Senior Enlisted Leader Conference, held at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, [ … ]
US Applauds Resignation of Bolivian President
The United States government is applauding the resignation of Bolivian President Evo Morales and rejecting assertions by several countries, including Mexico that he was forced out by a coup. U.S. President Donald Trump, in a statement, calls Morales' departure "a significant moment for democracy in the Western Hemisphere. After nearly [ … ]
Comfort Strengthens Partnership With Jamaica Following Successful Medical Mission
Kathryn Wheelbarger, acting assistant secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs of the U.S. Department of Defense, visited U.S. Navy Hospital Ship USNS Comfort and was a guest speaker at the closing ceremony in Jamaica following the completion of the ship's 11th medical mission in Central America, South America, and [ … ]