The 34th cycle of the Conference of American Armies (CAA), focusing on noncommissioned officer (NCO) education and COVID-19 lessons learned, was held February 9-11 at U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH) headquarters in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The CAA is an international military organization integrated and run by 23 member armies of [ … ]
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Reservists Deliver Critical Firefighting Gear to Central America
Members of the 315th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, delivered first responder equipment and aid to the people of Guatemala, February 7, 2021. The donated equipment was picked up at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and was loaded onto two separate C-17s, operated by the 317th Airlift Squadron [ … ]
Colombia Neutralizes ELN Leader
Following sustained fighting in Colombia’s southern Bolívar department, the Colombian Army’s First Division neutralized Bercelio Campuzano, alias Ratón, the main leader of a criminal subgroup of the National Liberation Army (ELN, in Spanish), General Eduardo Zapateiro, commander of the Colombian Army, said on Twitter on January 22. Alias Ratón had [ … ]
USAID announces additional $300,000 to support COVID-19 response in Brazil
The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has delivered an additional $300,000 for emergency COVID-19 response in Brazil. The funds will be used to respond to the priorities of local health authorities to address the needs of the most vulnerable in the Amazon region. The [ … ]
Guatemala Captures Suspected Narcotrafficker and Gang Member Wanted by the US
The Guatemalan Police arrested in several operations an alleged Guatemalan narcotrafficker and a dangerous Salvadoran gang member wanted for extradition by the United States, the security institution reported on February 4. Anti-narcotics agents arrested Carlos Cáceres, 33, while he was driving a pickup truck in the municipality of Mixco, east [ … ]
US Donates Field Hospital with 40 Beds Worth $405,000 to SINAE in Rivera, Uruguay
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the U.S. Embassy in Uruguay has been working with the Uruguayan government to focus U.S. government assistance on areas of greatest need. Since March 2020, the United States has committed to donate more than $4.6 million in assets to Uruguay for its COVID-19 response, [ … ]
KC-390 Drops Paratroopers in Training with US Air Force C-17 and C-130 Aircraft
In the early hours of February 2, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB, in Portuguese) multi-mission KC-390 aircraft dropped paratroopers in joint flights with U.S. Air Force C-17 and C-130 aircraft during Operation Culminating, in Alexandria, Louisiana. The mission was a milestone in the development project of the KC-390 because the [ … ]
Chilean Armed Forces Support the Fight against Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling
Since mid-January, the Chilean Armed Forces have had a new role: countering human trafficking and migrant smuggling, a growing regional problem. On January 12, Chilean President Sebastián Piñera signed a decree that enables support of the Armed Forces in border control to combat illegal migration. This decree expands a law [ … ]
Panama, US Prepare for Disaster Response with Exercise Mercury II
For more than two weeks, units from the Panamanian Border Service (SENAFRONT, in Spanish) and the Panamanian Air and Naval Service (SENAN, in Spanish) joined members of U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo) to take part in the emergency response and humanitarian assistance exercise Mercury II, in the [ … ]
Ecuador, Colombia Dismantle Narcotrafficking Organization
On November 12, 2020, the Ecuadorean National Police reported carrying out a combined operation with the Colombian Military Forces, and with the support of Mexican authorities, against a transnational narcotrafficking organization that operates in Colombia and Ecuador. The operation resulted with the seizure of 2,503 kilograms of drugs, cash, and [ … ]
Orion VI Campaign Deals Hard Blow to Narcotrafficking
On November 25, 2020, the Colombian Navy presented the results of the sixth phase of the Orion International Naval Campaign to Combat Drug Trafficking, a multinational effort consisting of combined and multidimensional operations (maritime, riverine, air, and land) in the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as [ … ]
Brazilian, US Military Leaders Emphasize Partnerships at JRTC
During World War II, Brazil was the only South American country to contribute troops to the allied cause, and 75 years later, the Brazilian Army made its mark again with U.S. forces as the first South American company-sized element to train at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC). Senior U.S. [ … ]