Browsing: News

Low-Cost Drones: A New Challenge in the Fight Against Organized Crime in Latin AmericaTransnational Crime

Low-Cost Drones: A New Challenge in the Fight Against Organized Crime in Latin America

July 23, 2026

Criminal organizations are increasingly adapting commercial drones across Latin America to bypass security measures, monitor law-enforcement activity, transport illicit materials, and support criminal operations from prisons and remote territories. Their growing accessibility and versatility present an evolving challenge for security, defense, and law enforcement agencies throughout the region. The threat in Ecuador’s prisons In late April, Ecuador’s Interior Minister John…

Brazil’s Critical Minerals Push and the Race for Strategic AutonomyStrategic Influence

Brazil’s Critical Minerals Push and the Race for Strategic Autonomy

July 23, 2026

As concerns grow over China’s dominance of global rare earth and strategic mineral supply chains, Brazil is emerging as one of the world’s leading alternatives. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the country holds approximately 11 million metric tons of rare earth reserves, the second largest in the world after China, in addition to significant deposits of other critical…

US Assistance Supports Venezuela’s Transition from Relief to RecoverySecurity & Cooperation

US Assistance Supports Venezuela’s Transition from Relief to Recovery

July 22, 2026

Weeks after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, the international response has moved beyond the race to find survivors. The priorities now include sustaining displaced families, restoring essential services, assessing damaged buildings and infrastructure, expanding health care, and maintaining the logistics networks that allow assistance to reach affected communities. As those needs evolve, U.S. assistance is also moving…

Solar Power and Strategic Influence: China’s Expanding Footprint in the CaribbeanStrategic Influence

Solar Power and Strategic Influence: China’s Expanding Footprint in the Caribbean

July 21, 2026

As Caribbean countries accelerate their energy transition, China is steadily expanding its presence in the region’s renewable energy sector, particularly in solar power. Between 2020 and 2024, Chinese exports of green technologies to the Caribbean grew by more than 570 percent. At the same time, this expansion has raised concerns about project transparency, growing technological dependence, and the possibility that…

The ‘Marset Model’: How Regional Cooperation Is Changing the Fight Against Organized CrimeTransnational Crime

The ‘Marset Model’: How Regional Cooperation Is Changing the Fight Against Organized Crime

July 21, 2026

In the early hours of March 13, 2026, a small team of counternarcotics agents entered a residence in the Las Palmas neighborhood of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The operation, the result of weeks of coordination and intelligence sharing between Bolivian authorities and international partners, had been prepared under strict information compartmentalization. Only a limited number of officials knew…

China Strengthens Its Influence in Cuba’s Strategic Nickel SectorStrategic Influence

China Strengthens Its Influence in Cuba’s Strategic Nickel Sector

July 20, 2026

As Canadian company Sherritt International’s participation in Cuba’s nickel sector faces a period of uncertainty after initially announcing plans to withdraw from one of its joint ventures with the Havana regime, China is steadily expanding its technological support for the island’s mining industry. The introduction of Chinese-supplied equipment to modernize aging facilities is helping keep one of the Cuban regime’s…

Water First: How Panama Balances Essential Services and Canal Security During PANAMAXSecurity & Cooperation

Water First: How Panama Balances Essential Services and Canal Security During PANAMAX

July 17, 2026

As Panama prepares to host PANAMAX 2026, national authorities are approaching the multinational exercise through a principle that has become increasingly central to the country’s long-term planning: water comes first. The exercise, which brings together partner nations to strengthen coordination for the protection of the Panama Canal and other strategic infrastructure, will take place within a system where water management…

SOUTHCOM Commander Meets with Ecuadorian Leaders to Strengthen Security CooperationSecurity & Cooperation

SOUTHCOM Commander Meets with Ecuadorian Leaders to Strengthen Security Cooperation

July 17, 2026

U.S. Marine Corps General Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), met with President Daniel Noboa and senior Ecuadorian defense officials on March 2 in Quito, Ecuador, to discuss security cooperation and reaffirm the United States’ strong commitment to supporting the nation’s efforts to confront narco-terrorism and strengthen regional security. The March 1-2 trip to Ecuador was Gen.…

USS San Antonio Supports Sustained Humanitarian Operations in VenezuelaSecurity & Cooperation

USS San Antonio Supports Sustained Humanitarian Operations in Venezuela

July 17, 2026

Demonstrating an unwavering commitment to ongoing disaster relief efforts, the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17) arrived pierside in La Guaira, Venezuela, on July 9. The San Antonio seamlessly relieved the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) as the primary maritime component center in support of the U.S. Department of State-led humanitarian assistance mission following the devastating June 24…

The Americas’ Four-Legged First Responders: The Critical Role of K9 Units in Venezuela’s Earthquake ResponseSecurity & Cooperation

The Americas’ Four-Legged First Responders: The Critical Role of K9 Units in Venezuela’s Earthquake Response

July 16, 2026

When ABC News reported the rescue of a dog and her puppies from the rubble of the earthquake that devastated Venezuela, the story seemed like one of many moving accounts to emerge from the tragedy. But the dog did more than lead rescuers to her puppies. Her persistent barking drew their attention to a section of the rubble, where they…

Panama and Costa Rica Deepen Security Cooperation Along Shared BorderTransnational Crime

Panama and Costa Rica Deepen Security Cooperation Along Shared Border

July 16, 2026

Panama and Costa Rica are deepening their border cooperation through enhanced surveillance, coordinated patrols, and intelligence sharing as transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) continue to adapt their operations along one of Central America’s most important land corridors. That effort took another step forward in April, when officials from both countries met in the Paso Canoas border area to discuss measures aimed…

Trusted Technology: Taiwan and the United States Strengthen Latin America’s Digital SecurityEmerging Threats

Trusted Technology: Taiwan and the United States Strengthen Latin America’s Digital Security

July 14, 2026

Artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure are becoming increasingly important components of national security in Latin America. As government modernize public services and expand digital networks, concerns about cyberattacks, data protection, technological dependence, and the security of critical systems are moving closer to the center of national security planning. In response, several countries are expanding technology partnerships designed to…