Seven helicopters of U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo), together with units from the Panamanian National Border Service (SENAFRONT) and the Panamanian National Air and Naval Service (SENAN), completed exercise Keel Billed Toucan 2023 (KBT23) — known in Panama as Mercurio V — transporting 15.3 tons of [ … ]
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Brazilian Air Force Brings Security and Care in the Amazon Region
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) brought much-needed medical assistance to communities along the Negro River, in the cities of Moura and Barcelos, in the state of Amazonas. The Logistics, Health and Operational Quartermaster Employment Campaign Exercise (EXCELSIOR), May 26-June 4, assisted some 600 people a day, exceeding expectations, the FAB [ … ]
SOUTHCOM Commander Meets with Leaders in Panama
The commander of U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, visited Panama June 14-16, to meet with leaders and reaffirm the close security partnership between the United States and Panama and visit the humanitarian and disaster relief exercise led by the Coordination Center for the Prevention of Disasters in [ … ]
Argentina to Combat Organized Crime with FBI Support
The government of Argentina signed an agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to join forces in the fight against organized crime, the Argentine Ministry of Security announced. “A healthy return to the policy of international coordination in security matters, which began in 2015, is being carried out through [ … ]
Honduras Combats Coca Cultivation
Honduran security forces are having success in their fight against organized crime to curb the advances of coca cultivation in several areas of the country. According to the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA), between January 1 and May 25, authorities destroyed 3 million coca bushes, dismantled 16 drug laboratories, and seized [ … ]
Russia Gains Foothold in Bolivia with Nuclear Plant Project
On April 28, Russian state-owned atomic energy corporation Rosatom completed the test assembly of a reactor that will operate at Bolivia’s Center for Research and Development in Nuclear Technology (CIDTN), Russian state media reported. The reactor is set to be shipped to Bolivia for installation later on this year. With [ … ]
Organized Crime Threatens Peru’s Borders
The Amazon region of Peru, which borders Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Ecuador is plagued by narcotrafficking, illegal mining, and environmental crime, increasing threats, fear, and loss of biodiversity, environmental journalism news site Mongabay, reported in early May. “Many structural factors such as social vulnerability, the lack of presence of the [ … ]
Chile and SOUTHCOM Strengthen Cooperation with Exercise Fused Response
Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH), a component of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), together with the Chilean Armed Forces, conducted exercise Fused Response in the Valparaíso and Santiago Metropolitan regions of Chile. “With this exercise, the goal is to work together to strengthen us and also to increase interoperability,” said U.S. [ … ]
JTF-Bravo Oversees $25,000 Medication Donation to La Reina, El Salvador
Soldiers from U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Joint Task Force Bravo’s (JTF-Bravo) 436th Civil Affairs Battalion Alpha Company oversaw a medication donation worth approximately $25,000 during a ceremony May 18 in La Reina, El Salvador. By working alongside El Salvador’s 4th Brigade of the Armed Forces and other local governmental officials [ … ]
China to Proceed with Fourth Bridge over Panama Canal
Panama, together with the Chinese consortium made up of state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), signed an addendum to resume construction “in the coming months” of the fourth bridge over the Panamanian interoceanic canal, La Estrella de Panamá reported. The bridge is expected to [ … ]
US Marines Take Part in Suriname Jungle Training
U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment (1/2), 2nd Marine Division (MARDIV) accepted an invitation from the commandant of the Netherlands Marine Corps to participate in a unique training experience in the Surinamese jungles in Northern South America. The Suriname Army hosted an eight-week jungle training course, March 27- [ … ]
Brazilian Army Combats Cross-border and Environmental Crimes in the Amazon
The Brazilian Army’s (EB) Military Command of the Amazon (CMA) intensified patrols in the Javari Valley, in the Amazon region that borders Peru, as part of Operation Jacuixito, which goal was to strengthen EB’s presence in the region to prevent and combat transborder and environmental crimes, such as mining, drug [ … ]