The Chinese spy balloons that entered the airspace of the United States and at least three Latin American countries in late January and early February, capturing the world’s attention, exposed China’s growing interest in low-cost and difficult-to-detect devices for surveillance and defense systems, Spanish daily El País reported. “The more [ … ]
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Mexican Cartels Bolster Foothold and Alliances in Colombia
Between 2018 and 2022, Colombia’s Ombudsman Office emitted more than 20 alerts that affiliates of Mexico’s largest and most powerful cartels were active on Colombian soil. Some 40 Mexican nationals, according to the Ombudsman Office, were behind bars for drug trafficking charges in Colombia as of early 2023. Syndicates such [ … ]
US ‘Stands with Caribbean’ in Climate Change Fight, Navy Secretary Says
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 [ … ]
Jamaica Builds Up Capabilities to Deal Blows to Narcotrafficking
The Jamaica Defence Force’s (JDF) Maritime, Air, and Cyber Command (MACC) kicked off the new year conducting a maritime training exercise in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Jamaica together with the Dominican Armed Forces and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Exercise Event Horizon, carried out January 10-21, which [ … ]
Connecting Militaries in South America
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 [ … ]
China and 5G Technology, a Weapon for Dictatorships in Latin America
In China, the government maintains control over the internet and all information and communication technology products and services provided by Chinese companies. According to Argentina-based news site TeleSemana, China has been using the technology of Huawei, a company closely linked to the Chinese government, to control and monitor the population. [ … ]
Special Operations Forces Carry Out New Initiative with US Ambassador to Panama
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. [caption id="attachment_80589" align="alignleft" width="373"] U.S. Ambassador to Panama Mari Aponte talks with locals in Chiriquí during [ … ]
Exercise Obangame Express 2023 Supports Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea
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 [ … ]
US Donates Cessna Caravan Aircraft to Belize
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 [ … ]
Illegal Gold Mining Operations in Venezuelan Amazon on the Rise
On January 9, the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), of U.S.-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) Amazon Conservation, said that according to satellite images more than 750 hectares of the Yacapana National Park in the Venezuelan Amazon had been deforested between 2021 and 2022 — all for illegal gold mining [ … ]
Colombia’s Caribbean Naval Force Committed to the Fight Against Narcotrafficking
The Colombian Navy’s Caribbean Naval Force (FNC) recently presented its results for 2022 in the areas of security and development. These included the seizure of more than 153 tons of narcotics; the capture of 1,198 members of different criminal groups, among them 10 leaders; and the execution of 64 search [ … ]
Brazil and US Partner to Combat IUU Fishing with USCGC Stone
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 [ … ]