Service members from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, members of the Central American Armed Forces Conference (CFAC), attended CFAC’s XI Specialized Environmental Activity held in Managua, Nicaragua, where they signed agreements for the protection of forested areas. “These agreements will be reinforced by the task forces [ … ]
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First Woman to Lead SOUTHCOM
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 elections: Neither free nor fair
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,” [ … ]

Austin Emphasizes Importance of Working with Partners in Central, South America
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 [ … ]

Brazil Joins Group of Latin American Countries Providing Aid to Haiti
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 [ … ]

Argentina Sends Humanitarian Aid to Haiti
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 [ … ]

Brazilian Ministry of Defense Launches Multi-satellite Antenna to Expand Surveillance in the Amazon
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 [ … ]

U.S. Air Force Southern will lead U.S. Southern Command’s upcoming exercise in Guatemala
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 [ … ]

First Woman to Lead Uruguayan Army Infantry Unit
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 [ … ]

IUU Fishing Affects Everybody

Colombia Launches New Elite Force Against Narcotrafficking and Rebel Groups
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 General Talks about His Role as Deputy Commander for Interoperability at U.S. Army South
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, [ … ]