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The U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Peruvian government announced the establishment of the first Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU) in Peru to assist in transnational criminal investigations. “Peru is facing an intense attack of urban terrorism perpetrated by the organization El Tren de Aragua, from Venezuela,” Jorge Serrano, a security expert and member of the team of advisors…
As part of its Theater Maintenance Partnership Initiative, or TMPI, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) will work with Latin American partner and allied nations to develop maintenance expertise, which runs the gamut from equipment-level maintenance all the way to life-cycle management, said Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Christianson, multinational logistics officer at SOUTHCOM. “We are looking to provide a spectrum of…
The Caribbean-focused exercise Tradewinds 2023 (TW23) has officially commenced with an opening ceremony that took place July 15 at Camp Ayanganna. “The participation of more than 1,500 service members this year exemplifies the shared commitment to one another as we strengthen our partnerships and remain united to share responsibilities as defenders of our common values,” said U.S. Army South Commanding…
The Canadian Armed Forces, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), the Dominican Air Force (FARD), and the 23rd Air Expeditionary Wing (23rd AEW) of U.S. Air Forces Southern/12th Air Force (AFSOUTH), carried out combined exercise Forward Tiger 2023 to increase interoperability in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The February 17-March 4 exercise was carried out in the airspace and bases of…
CENTAM Guardian 2023 (CG23) officially kicked-off with an opening ceremony including Guatemalan, Honduran, Salvadoran, and U.S. Forces on March 18 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. CENTAM Guardian is an annual U.S. Army South-led, joint, multinational exercise which takes place at various locations in Central America and the Caribbean. The exercise addresses common security threats, further develops information sharing among the multinational…
On January 4, the United Nations (U.N.) appointed Brazilian Army (EB) Lieutenant General Otávio Rodrigues de Miranda Filho, as commander of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He replaces Lieutenant General Marcos de Sá Affonso da Costa, also from Brazil, who ended his term on February 28. “The fact that the U.N. has…
U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Caribbean nations in their fight against what he called the “existential threat” of climate change. “The United States stands by you, with you, combatting this threat,” Del Toro said during a meeting with officials, students, and professors at Nassau’s University of the Bahamas on March 1. “Time is…
U.S. Army advisors assigned to 4th Battalion, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (1st SFAB), traveled to La Guajira region of Colombia alongside the Colombian Army’s Fire Support Command, in mid-December 2022, to assess their procedures and technical prowess in planning and executing field artillery missions using 155mm Howitzer cannons. It was the first time in 1st SFAB’s history in South…
U.S. Special Operations Forces consisting of Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations service members participated in a new initiative named Embassy on the Road with U.S. Ambassador to Panama Mari Aponte, in Chiriquí. Embassy on the Road is designed to increase U.S. partnerships in the Western region of Panama and to develop closer ties with several leading public and…
The Brazilian Navy and 32 countries from the American, African, and European continents participated in the 12th iteration of Obangame Express, the largest multinational maritime exercise in West and Central Africa, conducted by U.S. Naval Forces in Africa (NAVAF), and sponsored by U.S. Africa Command. Nigeria hosted the January 23-February 3 exercise in its capital city of Lagos, which has…
The U.S. government donated a Cessna Caravan 208 aircraft to Belize’s Ministry of National Defence and Border Security at a handover ceremony March 2 at the Williamson Hanger Complex in Ladyville. U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) donated the aircraft through the U.S. Foreign Military Financing program. The handover ceremony included remarks from Belize’s Prime Minister John Briceño, U.S. Ambassador Michelle Kwan,…
USCGC Stone (WMSL 758) arrived in the port of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for a scheduled visit, March 7. The visit is Stone’s second stop in Brazil as the cutter continues its multi-mission deployment in the South Atlantic Ocean, exhibiting the U.S. Coast Guard’s partnership with Brazil and strengthening the interoperability of the two nations’ maritime forces to counter illicit…
