On May 25, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) personnel honored Peruvian Army Major General Domingo R. Bustamante Zuñiga as he joined the Institute’s Hall of Fame (HOF). The WHINSEC HOF recognizes outstanding and lasting contributions of former students and instructors whose significant work, values, and contributions reflect greatly [ … ]
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Marine Leaders from Across the Western Hemisphere Gather in Brazil to Discuss Security and Defense of the Americas
RIO DE JANEIRO – The ninth iteration of the Marine Leaders of the Americas Conference (MLAC) began May 23 with the main purpose of bringing together the most senior leaders of the Marine Corps and Naval Infantries from North, South, and Central America to foster professional relationships and discuss key [ … ]
Contract Killings Account for a Third of Homicides in Paraguay
Contract killings accounted for more than a third of all homicides registered in Paraguay in 2021. Such were the results of a research by Jorge Rolón Luna, an attorney and the former director of the Observatory of Security and Citizen Coexistence of the Paraguayan Ministry of the Interior. “In 2020, [ … ]
Brazilian Police Dismantles 2 Major International Narcotrafficking Gangs
In April, Brazilian security forces dismantled two major international narcotrafficking gangs, continuing to deal a heavy blow to transnational crime. As a result of these actions, authorities arrested 66 criminals, among them high-ranking members of the criminal organizations. The Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police carried out Operation Kraken to [ … ]
William J. Perry Center Turns 25, Brings Back In-Person Graduations
The William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies turns 25 this year, and there’s nothing better to celebrate its silver anniversary than to bring back something cherished by all: in-person graduation ceremonies. Following two years of virtual programming due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Perry Center conducted the first 2022 [ … ]
A Plea Against Taking to the Sea
“If the sea could talk…” says Haitian activist and entrepreneur Ganine Avin in a video of Haitian online media platform Ayibopost, “she would have too much to say.” For decades, Haitian migrants have tempted fate, embarking on makeshift and unstable vessels, pieced together with materials that barely float, or overloaded [ … ]
Ecuador and US Improve Natural Disaster Response
Members of the Ecuadorian Navy’s Marine Infantry Battalion and the U.S. Army conducted joint training, April 17-25, in the port of Manta, Manabí province, to respond to natural disasters and emerging crises. Through the combined Civil Affairs and Special Forces training, service members exchanged knowledge on first aid, disaster response, [ … ]
JTF-Bravo Deploys Medical Capabilities in Central America
Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo), a task force under U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), deployed its military medical capabilities to Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras in April 2022 to strengthen health services in vulnerable or resource-poor areas. On April 27-28, JTF-Bravo surgeons and SOUTHCOM’s Civil Affairs team, as part of Global [ … ]
Brazilian Navy Receives Unprecedented UN Certification
A troop of Marines from the Brazilian Navy (MB) has earned the United Nations’ (U.N.) highest certification level for peacekeeping missions, demonstrating that their level of preparation, readiness, and qualification meet all U.N. standards. The MB troop is the first to have earned such status worldwide. MB’s Peacekeeping Rapid Deployment [ … ]
El Salvador Declares War on Violent Gangs
More than 27,000 people have been arrested in El Salvador since the government of Nayib Bukele decreed a state of emergency at the end of March, amid a wave of gang-related killings. “We closed Tuesday, May 10, with 27,831 terrorists captured in just 46 days,” President Bukele said via Twitter. [ … ]
Brazilian Navy Conducts Scientific Expedition in the South Atlantic Ocean
In the first trimester of 2022, the Brazilian Navy (MB) carried out a scientific expedition to islands of the South Atlantic Ocean, with the objective of studying and safeguarding Brazilian jurisdictional waters and their multiple extraordinary resources. The month-long trip, carried out on board the Almirante Graça Aranha hydro-oceanographic ship, [ … ]
Chilean and US Air Forces Together at FIDAE 2022
The Chilean Air Force’s (FACh) Boinas Azules (Blue Berets) Parachute Squadron performed with its counterpart, The U.S. Air Force’s Wings of Blue Demonstration Team, at the 2022 International Air and Space Fair (FIDAE), held in Santiago, Chile. FIDAE, an aerospace, defense, and security exhibition, has been held every two years [ … ]