A team of doctors, nurses, and healthcare specialists across several fields traveled to Suriname as part of a U.S. Air Force medical assistance mission, one that has helped better the lives of host nation citizens while showcasing the power of sharing skills and cultivating relationships. Forty-two U.S. Air Force active [ … ]
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Russia’s ‘Junk’ Military Equipment
In late February, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa confirmed that the country will not transfer its outdated Russian military equipment, he had described as “scrap,” to Ukraine. In January, Ecuador was reportedly ready to ship its unserviceable Russian military equipment to the United States in exchange for modern U.S. technology to [ … ]
Argentina Launches Operation Against Chinese IUU Fishing
The Argentine Armed Forces have launched Operation Griffon XVII in South Atlantic waters to strengthen their fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, while hundreds of fishing vessels, mainly Chinese-flagged, prey on the region’s fish stocks, Argentine news site Infobae reported. “Considering Chinese expansionist activities in the world, it [ … ]
Andean Community Seeks to Curb Organized Crime
Following the escalation of gang violence in Ecuador, which led President Daniel Noboa to declare an “internal armed conflict” on January 9, the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) came together to analyze the security crisis. Ministers and authorities in charge of internal security in the CAN member countries of Bolivia, [ … ]
Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team 24: Second Year US Partnership with St. Lucia
The U.S. Air Force Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) deployed ready-medics, for the second year, to work alongside St. Lucia’s health teams to achieve mutual benefits and build trust in the region, February 26-March 10. The team consists of 17 active duty and reserve airmen who are participating in [ … ]
Maduro Threatens NGOs in Venezuela
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro is keeping up its assault on civil society, this time focusing its attacks on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and threatening to put an end to nonprofit organizations, which continuously question the actions of the regime. In mid-January, the Venezuelan National Assembly, with a pro-regime majority, approved the Law [ … ]
US Government Donates Aircraft to Dominican Republic to Combat Narcotrafficking
The U.S. government, through the Department of Defense, donated an aircraft valued at more than $8 million to the Dominican Republic Ministry of Defense, in support of the shared fight against illicit narcotics trafficking by transnational criminal organizations and in support of the country’s efforts to provide humanitarian assistance in [ … ]
Argentina Inaugurates Terrorism and Organized Crime Center
The Argentine government has a new Criminal Intelligence Analysis Center to support operations against narcotrafficking organizations and groups linked to terrorism. The center, in Puerto Iguazú, in the Tri-Border area shared by Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, was inaugurated on January 15, La Nación reported. “This initiative, beyond combating organized crime, [ … ]
US Donates Firefighting Equipment to Chilean Firefighters
In early February, U.S. Ambassador to Chile Bernadette Meehan delivered a second batch of assistance consisting of electric generators, firefighter boots, forestry gloves, and slaves, at a ceremony held at the headquarters of the Quilpué Fire Department in the central region of Valparaíso, Chile. The U.S. Agency for International Development’s [ … ]
SOUTHCOM Begins Medical Assistance Mission in Suriname
The Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT_ mission is underway for a second year of health engagements across four nations, beginning in Suriname, February 19. Forty-two U.S. Air Force (USAF) active duty and reserve personnel worked alongside Surinamese military and civilian medical counterparts over the next two weeks to assist [ … ]
Ecuador: Organized Crime Increasingly Turns to Illegal Gold Mining
Drug trafficking groups operating in Ecuador have been extending their tentacles toward illegal gold mining, which allows them to finance themselves and launder assets. Los Lobos, linked to Mexican Jalisco New Generation Cartel, is among those criminal groups, which in alliance with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, funds itself by controlling [ … ]
South Carolina National Guard Comes to Aid of Partner Colombia
The South Carolina National Guard assisted Colombia, its State Partnership Program (SPP) partner, in dealing with dozens of wildfires. To help emergency responders battle as many as 30 active fires in and around Bogotá in late January, the South Carolina National Guard loaned Colombia multiple helicopter buckets. “We are sorry [ … ]