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Honduras is committed to eradicating narcotrafficking. Since 2014, drug transit through the nation has dropped from 80 percent to 3.7 percent. According to Honduran Minister of Defense General (ret.) Fredy Santiago Díaz Zelaya, these results come from the joint work of the Honduran Armed Forces and State agencies. Diálogo spoke with Gen. Díaz about the topic and the progress of…
On July 14, 2021, U.S. Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, visited Guatemala and met with Lieutenant General Juan Carlos Alemán Soto, minister of National Defense, to talk about continued cooperation in security matters and future engagements between regional partner nations’ militaries. To learn more about that meeting and discuss other relevant issues, Diálogo spoke with…
Diálogo interviewed Brigadier General Miguel Ángel Rivas Bonilla, deputy head of the Salvadoran Armed Forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff, during the Central American Security Conference 2021, which took place in Panama City, June 22-23. Diálogo: What are the advances of the Territorial Control Plan (PCT, in Spanish) in the fight against transnational criminal organizations? Brigadier General Miguel Ángel Rivas Bonilla,…
Diálogo interview with Brigadier General Steven Ortega, Belize Defence Force commander, during the Central American Security Conference 2021 in Panama City, June 22-23. Diálogo: What are Belize’s most important security concerns? Brigadier General Steven Ortega, Belize Defence Force commander: Transnational crime is a concern, as we’ve been discovering that there’s quite a few suspected narco jets landing in Belize, and…
Costa Rican Minister of Public Security Michael Soto Rojas took part in the Central American Security Conference 2021 in Panama City, on June 22-23. Diálogo spoke with Minister Soto about Costa Rica’s role in the fight against narcotrafficking. Diálogo: What is Costa Rica’s main security problem? Costa Rican Minister of Public Security Michael Soto Rojas: Without a doubt, it’s narcotrafficking.…
Diálogo interviewed Major General Tito Livio Moreno Coello, head of the Honduran Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff, during the Central American Security Conference 2021, in Panama City, June 22-23. Diálogo: What is new with the National Inter-Institutional Security Force (FUSINA, in Spanish) in the fight against narcotrafficking, maras, and gangs? Major General Tito Livio Moreno Coello, head of the Honduran…
Diálogo interviewed Colombian Army General Luis Fernando Navarro Jiménez, commanding general of the Military Forces, during the Central American Security Conference 2021, held in Panama City, June 22-23. Diálogo: What threats are coming from Venezuela, including the growing influx of narcotrafficking that affects stability and security in Colombia? Colombian Army General Luis Fernando Navarro Jiménez, commanding general of the Military…
Juan Manuel Pino Forero, Panamanian minister of Public Security, coordinates a national and regional effort to combat transnational criminal organizations. Interagency work with security agencies, binational border agreements, and cooperation with the Southern Triangle are part of his commitment to counter illicit networks. Minister Pino spoke with Diálogo during the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC) 2021, which took place in…
Colombian Army Major General Luis Mauricio Ospina Gutiérrez, director of General Rafael Reyes Prieto War College (ESDEG, in Spanish), prioritizes strengthening the educational quality of the Colombian Military Forces’ General Command. He spoke with Diálogo about academic projections. Diálogo: ESDEG was founded in 1909. What is its main contribution to military training in Colombia? Colombian Army Major General Luis Mauricio Ospina Gutiérrez,…
Diálogo interviewed Colombian Army Major General Javier Alonso Díaz Gómez, Colombia’s Defense attaché to the United States, who recently visited U.S. Southern Command’s facilities in Florida. Diálogo: How important is it for the Colombian Military Forces to have a Defense attaché in the United States? Colombian Army Major General Javier Alonso Díaz Gómez, Colombia’s Defense attaché to the United States:…
Ecuador has joined the Partner Nation Military Advisor (PNMA) program at U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). Army Colonel Juan Xavier Riofrío Játiva assumed the post in March 2021. Col. Riofrío, a native of Quito with 35 years of military service, is one of the 11 military advisors in the PNMA, a program created in 1998 to increase mutual trust among participating…
General Ramsés Rueda Rueda, commander of the Colombian Air Force, spoke with Diálogo during his May 2021 visit to U.S. Air Forces Southern/12th Air Force (AFSOUTH) for the conclusion of Red Flag-Rescue, a premier combat search and rescue exercise. The exercise, with the participation of the Colombian Air Force (FAC, in Spanish), Germany, and France, took place at Davis-Monthan Air…
