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The Argentine National Gendarmerie (GNA, in Spanish) and Naval Prefecture (PNA, in Spanish) seized 11,643 kilograms of marijuana and 2,610 kg of coca leaf October 9-16, 2021. On October 22, the GNA confirmed seizing 397 kg of marijuana in a truck carrying wooden logs near Tapebicuá, Corrientes province. A drug sniffing dog found the shipment in an auxiliary fuel tank.…
In two consecutive operations, the Argentine National Gendarmerie seized two narco-aircraft. In the first operation, on September 29, 2021, the gendarmes seized a twin-engine aircraft with a Uruguayan tail number from a hangar in the Argentine city of Concordia, Entre Ríos province. The seizure was made possible thanks to information exchange with Uruguay’s Police and Air Force. Investigators found that…
The Argentine Armed Forces strengthened their knowledge in denial of service, antivirus neutralization, and confidential data propagation, during the Cyber Dawg 2021 exercise that took place in the United States in late September. Some 20 U.S. state organizations, members of the Georgia National Guard, and Argentine service members — united under the U.S. Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program —…
On September 14, 2021, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Defense signed a memorandum of understanding for timely information exchange to strengthen the fight against narcotrafficking and provide humanitarian assistance, search and rescue, and relief to victims in cases of disasters, the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador indicated. As such, Ecuador becomes a part of the Cooperative Situational…
The Canadian and U.S. governments are supporting Ecuador’s efforts to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, by improving the monitoring and preservation of the region’s ecosystems. On September 13, 2021, Ecuador and Canada announced in Quito a cooperation agreement to use satellites to detect and track in real time “dark ships,” whose crews turn off location transmitters to evade…
The Argentine Air Force (FAA, in Spanish) incorporated its first Beechcraft TC-12B Huron aircraft, which it acquired through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Excess Defense Articles program, the Argentine government said in a September 16, 2021 statement. “This is the first of 12 units that we are going to incorporate, and it is part of a recovery and retrofitting process…
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB, in Portuguese) carried out another humanitarian aid mission to Haiti and sent five tons of food, medicines, solar panels, and water purifiers aboard a KC-390 Millennium aircraft that took off on September 11, 2021. The operation was part of a joint effort by the ministries of Justice and Public Security, Defense, Foreign Affairs, Health, and…
Supporting U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) lines of effort of strengthening partnerships, countering threats, and building teams, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) began its English Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Professional Development course on September 20. The class has 12 students, representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The course provides…
U.S. Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), visited Brazil’s Peace Operations Joint Training Center (CCOPAB, in Portuguese), in Rio de Janeiro, on September 23, 2021, accompanied by U.S. Consul General in Brazil Jacqueline Ward, as well as other civilian and military authorities. The objective of the visit was to discuss cooperation and bilateral partnerships in…
Executive Summary Iran’s ability to shape the information environment and spread the narrative of the United States as an imperialist force—perpetrating violence and instability in Latin America—has grown in recent years. These ongoing and multifaceted campaigns of disinformation and care- fully curated messages are coordinated with Russian and Venezuelan state media companies and thousands of allied Internet and social media…
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) delivered a Metal Shark Defiant 85 coastal patrol vessel to the Salvadoran Navy (FNES, in Spanish) at La Unión Naval Base, on July 22, 2021. The handover was made possible thanks to the U.S. Foreign Military Financing Program, which supports Central American and Caribbean countries to help combat emerging maritime threats and narcotrafficking. “This ship and…
On August 7, a Cubana de Aviación cargo jet arrived at Maiquetía International Airport, north of Caracas. In addition to the 16 crew members, flight number 3310 brought to Venezuela 280 empty oxygen cylinders for hospital use, which belonged to the Cuban Medical Mission. That same day, a Cuban Navy patrol vessel set sail from the Port of La Guaira,…
