With her swearing-in on October 29, 2021, U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson became the first woman to lead U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and only the third woman to lead one of the U.S. military’s 11 unified combatant commands. As commander, Gen. Richardson oversees U.S. military operations across South and Central America, [ … ]
Nicaragua’s government has thwarted democracy for its people with a sham presidential election and the imprisonment of journalists and opposition leaders. “What Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, orchestrated today was a pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic,” [ … ]
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III delivered remarks on October 29, during a change of command ceremony where U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson assumed duties as commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) from U.S. Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller at SOUTHCOM headquarters in Doral, Florida. The COVID-19 [ … ]
The tragedy experienced by Haitians has mobilized different countries around the world. Brazil, which led the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH, in French) for more than 10 years, is also part of the group of nations that has so far delivered more than 100 tons of supplies to [ … ]
An Argentine Air Force (FAA, in Spanish) Hercules C-130 aircraft departed for Haiti with a White Helmets contingent on August 21, 2021, following the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that left more than 2,000 dead. The White Helmets Commission is a body under the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs that provides international humanitarian [ … ]
On July 22, 2021, the Brazilian Ministry of Defense launched a multi-satellite antenna to help combat deforestation and other environmental crimes in Brazil. With a diameter of 11.3 meters, the new antenna is capable of capturing images from satellites operated by Brazilians and other countries with which Brazil has acquisition [ … ]
The United States 12th Air Force (Air Force Southern, or AFSOUTH) will be leading U.S. Southern Command’s upcoming exercise in Guatemala – this exercise will provide joint training and improve readiness of U.S. and Guatemalan civil engineers, medical professionals and support personnel in humanitarian assistance techniques from May until August [ … ]
In early February 2021, Uruguayan Army Lieutenant Colonel Ana Lucas assumed the post of commander of the Florida Battalion, becoming the first woman to command an infantry unit in the history of the Uruguayan Army. She stands out in her professional career as a paratrooper, as well as for her [ … ]
Colombian President Iván Duque launched the Command Against Drug Trafficking and Transnational Threats (CONAT, in Spanish), an elite force of 7,000 Army service members, men and women, to strengthen offensive actions against these scourges, at the Tolemaida Military Fort in Tolima department, the Colombian presidency told the press on February [ … ]
Brazilian Army Major General Alcides Valeriano de Faria Junior serves as the deputy commanding general for Interoperability at U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH). This is the second time that a general officer from a partner nation holds this position. Only four countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru) participate in this rotation, [ … ]
Russia has conducted a test of a direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile. “Russia publicly claims it is working to prevent the transformation of outer space into a battlefield, yet at the same time Moscow continues to weaponize space by developing and fielding on-orbit and ground-based capabilities that seek to exploit U.S. [ … ]
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