Spotlight Interviews Archives - Diálogo Américas

Bolivia’s Defense Minister Justiniano: ‘Bolivia Has Returned to the Security Cooperation Table as a Trusted Partner’

Bolivia’s Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano Urenda has played a prominent role in combating drug trafficking and strengthening international security cooperation. An engineer by training and former legislator, he served two terms as vice minister of Social Defense and Controlled Substances, most recently beginning in November 2025, before becoming defense minister in June 2026 under President Rodrigo Paz. His tenure has…

November 12, 2026

Chilean Navy Captain Villanueva: ‘It’s Very Easy to Work with and Understand Fellow Sailors’

With more than three decades of service in the Chilean Navy, Captain Juan Pablo Villanueva, currently head of the Navy’s Training Center, has extensive experience in naval operations and multinational cooperation. A 1998 graduate of the Chilean Naval Academy, he commanded the frigate Almirante Cochrane (FF-05) from 2023 to 2024 and served as a liaison officer with the U.S. Navy…

November 05, 2026

Colombia’s Defense Minister Mora on the Coalition: ‘We See It as a Catalyst for Our Strategy’

Transnational criminal organizations have expanded their activities beyond drug trafficking, diversifying their sources of revenue and adopting new technologies to challenge security forces. To confront these threats, Colombia is pursuing a strategy that combines territorial control, stronger military and police capabilities, efforts to disrupt illicit financial networks, and greater international cooperation. During the third Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition conference, held October…

November 03, 2026

Col. Galvis: ‘Trust and Integration Are Fundamental to Interoperability’

A fighter pilot with extensive experience in air operations and multinational exercises, Colombian Air Force (FAC) Colonel Carlos Andrés Galvis Espejo has served as director of Combat Operations and participated in international exercises including Red Flag, Red Flag Rescue, CRUZEX, and Relámpago. Chief of the Strategic Operational Capabilities Section and author of the study Smart Power as a Strategy for…

October 28, 2026

Vice Admiral Oxley: ‘The Main Challenge Is Developing an Ability to Anticipate That Outpaces Criminal Organizations’ Ability to Adapt’

Transnational criminal organizations are changing their routes, methods, and structures to exploit international maritime supply chains and evade controls. In Chile, this dynamic has brought strategic ports such as Arica, Valparaíso, and San Antonio under greater scrutiny, as trade volumes, shipping routes, and connections to other markets create new challenges for port and maritime security. In an exclusive interview with…

October 21, 2026

María Paula Romo: ‘Crime is Organized and Transnational, so the Response Must Be Organized and Transnational’

Transnational criminal organizations increasingly operate across borders, combining drug trafficking and other illicit economies with financial, logistical, and corruption networks that allow them to expand their reach. Faced with a threat that exceeds the response capabilities of any single country, regional cooperation has become a central component of security efforts across the hemisphere. That approach gained new momentum in March…

October 14, 2026

Peruvian Army Colonel Rodríguez: We need to Think Multinationally

Special operations, military education, and years of working with forces from different countries have given Peruvian Army Colonel José Luis Rodríguez Gonzáles a broad perspective on an increasingly important challenge for the region’s militaries: how to bring different experiences, capabilities, and doctrines together into a force capable of working toward a common purpose. Director of the Peruvian Army Commando School,…

October 07, 2026

Colonel Verón: Interoperability and Trust to Confront Common Threats

From infantry and jungle operations to military education and the command of special operations forces, Argentine Army Colonel Eduardo César Verón Rodríguez has spent decades serving in some of the military’s most demanding roles. Today, as commander of the Argentine Armed Forces Joint Special Operations Command (CCOE), that experience comes together in one mission: preparing forces to operate jointly and…

September 30, 2026

General Delgado: “It’s Impossible for a Single Country to Confront These Types of Threats”

Ecuador faces increasingly structured criminal organizations, with ties that extend beyond its borders and illicit activities ranging from drug trafficking and illegal mining to arms trafficking and money laundering. In response to this threat, the Ecuadorian Armed Forces are strengthening their operational capabilities and deepening cooperation with the United States and other countries in the hemisphere. Leading these efforts is…

September 23, 2026

Adm. Dalle Nogare: “Everything Starts with a Local Initiative”

More than three decades of military service have taken Argentine Navy Admiral Marcelo Alejandro Dalle Nogare from command of Argentine Navy units and international naval operations to the highest levels of joint leadership. That trajectory, which includes experience in intelligence, combined operations, and international cooperation, has reinforced a conviction that shapes his view of transnational threats: No country can confront…

September 16, 2026

Maritime Security in Latin America and the Caribbean: A New Landscape of Challenges and Cooperation

The maritime environment in Latin America and the Caribbean is undergoing a rapid transformation. Traditional threats such as drug trafficking and illegal fishing are now compounded by emerging challenges, including the expansion of transnational criminal networks along maritime routes, the use of advanced technologies, the protection of critical infrastructure, and the growing presence of extra-regional actors. In an interview with…

September 09, 2026

Vice Minister Cruz: “Criminal Networks Are Dynamic and Agile in Their Communications; Governments Must Be as Well”

Guatemala is transforming its border security model to respond to increasingly dynamic and sophisticated transnational criminal networks. The country is moving from an approach focused primarily on interdiction toward a strategy based on intelligence, risk analysis, and anticipation, with greater coordination among security, customs, and immigration authorities, as well as new technological and analytical capabilities. In an exclusive interview with…

September 02, 2026

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Special Report

Latin America’s vast river networks are playing an increasingly important role in organized crime logistics. From the Amazon Basin to the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, thousands of miles of rivers and tributaries cross remote areas and border regions, linking zones of cocaine production, illegal mining, and illicit natural resource exploitation to Atlantic ports and international markets. Criminal […]

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