Get the latest security and defense stories from across the Americas.
The Armed Force of El Salvador promotes interagency work to counter threats from transnational criminal organizations. Since Army Major General Félix Edgardo Núñez Escobar took over as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Force of El Salvador (FAES, in Spanish) in January 2016, he dedicated himself to fighting narcotrafficking and other illegal activities by land, air,…
Comprehensive Action consolidates government and military efforts to foster development in Colombia. The Colombian Army’s Comprehensive Action programs, part of unified actions of the Colombian government, blend the Military Forces’ capabilities with political, economic, and social institutions. The objective is to promote development in Colombia’s different regions. The program started during President Gustavo Rojas Pinilla’s office term (1953-1957). With his…
The peace accords are one step toward perennial peace in Colombia. Colombia’s National Center for Historical Memory recorded 16,862 victims of kidnapping, murder, massacre, and damage to civilian property during the internal conflict between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, in Spanish) from 1978 to 2015. The number rises to more than 50,000 with crimes…
U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South works with its Latin American and Caribbean partners to build trust for combined efforts to ensure regional security. As commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South (MARFORSOUTH) since May 2017, Major General David G. Bellon has strengthened bonds of friendship with partner nation navies and naval infantries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Diálogo talked…
The Haitian Coast Guard shares real-time information with neighboring countries to counter illicit activities at sea. Surveillance, search, and rescue at sea are the daily duties of the Haitian Coast Guard. Haitian Police Commissioner Joseph Jean-Mary Wagnac, director of the Coast Guard, keeps busy to protect the island’s 1,535-kilometer coastline from drug trafficking, contraband, human smuggling, and other transnational illegal…
The first U.S. Army South deputy commanding general of Interoperability took on the challenge of converting interoperability among partner nations into a regional cooperation mechanism. Chile and the United States united for a historic challenge: consolidating interoperability among partner nations’ armies throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to confront common threats. Chilean Army Brigadier General Edmundo Villarroel Geissbuhler took up…
U.S. Army South’s new commander engages with partner nation armies to develop regional strategies to counter threat networks and support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. “Our partners are our strength,” said U.S. Army Major General Mark R. Stammer, commanding general of U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH), to describe his engagement with partner nation armies to strengthen regional security. In his…
The Suriname Air Force wants to engage with countries in the region to fight common security challenges.Major Marven Van Huisduinen, deputy commander of the Suriname Air Force (SAF), is focused on growing his air force and partnering with sister air forces in Latin America and the Caribbean to reinforce their capabilities. The Suriname air chief participated at the third Western…
The new capacities of the Guatemalan Air Force will directly benefit the population in humanitarian aid, search and rescue, and forest fires operations, among others. The Guatemalan Air Force is going through a growth and evolution process. Brigadier General Timo Hernández Duarte, general commander of the Guatemalan Air Force, is committed to institutional transformation. New capacities, training, equipment, infrastructure, and…
The Bolivian Air Force works on a new integrated radar communications system for the security of its airspace. Major General Iván Guillermo Pérez Rojas, commander of the Bolivian Air Force (FAB, in Spanish), has a very clear vision of how to develop the institution under his command. He aims to make FAB a national aerospace defense entity by 2019. A…
The Inter-American Air Forces Academy celebrated its 75th anniversary.The Inter-American Air Forces Academy (IAAFA) offers a unique environment. Students receive an education focused on technical, operational, and professional instruction, while at the same time creating lasting alliances and strengthening solidarity among the U.S. Air Force and the air and security forces of partner nations in Latin America, the Caribbean. U.S.…
The Peruvian Army prepares to face new challenges to national security with instruction, training, and equipment. General César Augusto Astudillo Salcedo, general commander of the Peruvian Army, is very well acquainted with the fight against terrorism. In 1997, he participated in Operation Chavín de Huántar, a hostage-rescue operation the military carried out when the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement seized the…
