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Interview of U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Diálogo magazine with Air Force General Rodolfo Daniel Pereyra Martínez, head of the Uruguayan Defense General Staff (ESMADE). Diálogo: What is the importance of the inauguration of the western naval base located on the banks of the Uruguay River, next to the General San Martín Bridge, to combating smuggling, illegal fishing, and drug trafficking?…
The professional training of military personnel is the main task of the Paraguayan Army’s Military Institutes of Education Command (CIMEE). Its director, Major General Manuel Rodríguez Sosa, spoke with Diálogo about the institution and the military career plan to meet the needs of the Paraguayan Army. Diálogo: What is the importance of the CIMEE? Major General Manuel Rodríguez Sosa, director…
The Peruvian Armed Forces are committed to the defense and development of the nation. Guaranteeing the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the republic, commanding units to combat terrorism and illicit drug trafficking, illegal mining, and other crimes, as well as directing multisectoral civic campaigns and the participation of the Armed Forces in Disaster Risk Management are part of the…
Drug trafficking is one of the greatest threats to Ecuador’s national security. To combat it, Ecuadorian Army Major General Nelson Proaño Rodríguez, head of the Armed Forces ‘Joint Command, designs strategies and carries out coordinated actions to confront crime. Maj. Gen. Proaño spoke with Diálogo about drug trafficking and the state of emergency by Executive Decree 823 of July 24,…
The Ecuadorian Navy is committed to interoperability, maritime security, and the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This is made possible thanks to multiple operations and training such as Multinational Maritime Authority Exercise GALAPEX II, held September 17-October 1, 2023, in the Galápagos Islands. Ecuadorian Navy Admiral Oscar Rene Noboa Estrella, commander of Naval Operations, spoke with Diálogo…
U.S. Navy expeditionary fast transport USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10) deployed in August and September to four nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, bringing hope to hundreds of local citizens who, otherwise, would not have access to medical and dental care, among other benefits. This was made possible thanks to Continuing Promise 2023 (CP23), a U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S.…
Brigadier General Jorge Fabián Berredo, operational commander of the Argentine Armed Forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff, wants to transform the operational command into an active, diligent entity that strengthens the Joint Armed Forces Command. Brig. Gen. Berredo spoke with Diálogo about Antarctic campaigns, United Nations peacekeeping missions that include Argentine blue helmets, support to the community during catastrophe or natural…
Colombia hosted the South American Defense Conference (SOUTHDEC) 2023 in Cartagena, Colombia, September 22-24. SOUTHDEC is a U.S. Southern Command- (SOUTHCOM) organized annual regional security forum aimed at fostering cooperative ties, examining challenges, sharing lessons learned, and enhancing security and defense cooperation. General Helder Fernán Giraldo Bonilla, commander general of the Colombian Military Forces, spoke with Diálogo about the importance…
Graciela Isabel Mauad Ponce took over as head of Panama’s National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents, and the Family (SENNIAF) in May 2021. Since then, one of her tasks has been to attend to the situation of migrant children and adolescents who cross the thick Darién jungle on the border between Colombia and Panama. Director Mauad spoke with Diálogo about the…
More than 6,000 men and women of the National Border Service (SENAFRONT) tirelessly guard Panama’s land and river borders. Their mission: to relentlessly combat transnational criminal organizations and criminal gangs and curb the flow of unauthorized migrants seeking to enter Panama. SENAFRONT’s new director, Commissioner Jorge Luis Gobea Trejos, appointed in July 2023, an expert in terrorism and transnational threats,…
Panamanian security agencies came together under the Shield Campaign to counter transnational criminal organizations that commit crimes against the illegal migrant population that crosses the dangerous Colombia-Panama border. Commissioner Danis Villarreal, current deputy director of the Panamanian National Border Service (SENAFRONT), who at the time of his interview with Diálogo was SENAFRONT’s director of Operations in charge of the Shield…
The Panamanian National Air and Naval Service (SENAN) carries out naval and air operations to provide protection, surveillance, security, and defense of the country’s air and maritime jurisdictional areas. The SENAN has some 2,500 agents, 45 vessels, and some 40 aircraft. Commissioner Rafael Jurado, SENAN’s national director of Air and Naval Operations, spoke with Diálogo about institutional priorities. Diálogo: What…
