Dominican and U.S. officials sign an agreement to strengthen military cooperation that allows American troops to regularly train Dominican military personnel to combat international organized crime.
Officials of the Dominican Republic and United States have signed an agreement to strengthen military cooperation.
The agreement allows the two countries to engage in joint training to combat transnational criminal organizations. The pact also regulates the actions of U.S. personnel in the Caribbean nation related to visits, training, exercises, humanitarian efforts, and other activities mutually agreed upon by the countries.
Dominican Foreign Minister Andrés Navarro and U.S. Ambassador James Brewster signed the agreement on January 20 in the Dominican Republic. Dominican Defense Minister Lieutenant General William Muñoz and General John Kelly, Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), were present as special witnesses of the agreement, the Dominican Defense Ministry told the media.
“This agreement strengthens our current close relations and directs our plans for future military exercises and activities related to cooperation on security issues. It provides Dominican security forces with additional assistance to counter illicit trafficking and opens up new possibilities for further cooperation,” Ambassador Brewster said during the signing ceremony.
Coordination and cooperation
The agreement allows the coordination necessary for U.S. Troops to temporarily visit the Caribbean nation with their equipment during a training exercise, said U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Christopher W. Muller, chief of the Office of Security Cooperation in Santo Domingo. It must still be ratified by the legislature of the Dominican Republic; the language of the agreement was confirmed last September after negotiations by technical experts from both countries.
“The defense cooperation activities following the ratification of the Status of Forces Agreement [SOFA] will only involve temporary visits by mutual agreement.”
SOFAs regulate the activities and length of stay of U.S. troops, stationed temporarily, under the the framework of security agreements with other nations. For example, a SOFA between the United States and Iraq coordinated the departure of U.S. Troops from Iraq in 2011.
Training will help fight drug trafficking
International cooperation, including joint training exercises, is crucial in the battle against transnational criminal organizations which engage in narcotrafficking.
“One of the main challenges facing the country involves giving the institutions and agencies that have the responsibility of ensuring public safety the necessary synergy to implement the proposed programs for the different (components) of the security strategy in an efficient, creative, and successful way, in relation to prevention and criminal prosecution,” according to Daniel Pou, an associate researcher at the Latin American College of Social Sciences (FLACSO) in the Dominican Republic.
Officials of the Dominican Republic and United States have signed an agreement to strengthen military cooperation.
The agreement allows the two countries to engage in joint training to combat transnational criminal organizations. The pact also regulates the actions of U.S. personnel in the Caribbean nation related to visits, training, exercises, humanitarian efforts, and other activities mutually agreed upon by the countries.
Dominican Foreign Minister Andrés Navarro and U.S. Ambassador James Brewster signed the agreement on January 20 in the Dominican Republic. Dominican Defense Minister Lieutenant General William Muñoz and General John Kelly, Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), were present as special witnesses of the agreement, the Dominican Defense Ministry told the media.
“This agreement strengthens our current close relations and directs our plans for future military exercises and activities related to cooperation on security issues. It provides Dominican security forces with additional assistance to counter illicit trafficking and opens up new possibilities for further cooperation,” Ambassador Brewster said during the signing ceremony.
Coordination and cooperation
The agreement allows the coordination necessary for U.S. Troops to temporarily visit the Caribbean nation with their equipment during a training exercise, said U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Christopher W. Muller, chief of the Office of Security Cooperation in Santo Domingo. It must still be ratified by the legislature of the Dominican Republic; the language of the agreement was confirmed last September after negotiations by technical experts from both countries.
“The defense cooperation activities following the ratification of the Status of Forces Agreement [SOFA] will only involve temporary visits by mutual agreement.”
SOFAs regulate the activities and length of stay of U.S. troops, stationed temporarily, under the the framework of security agreements with other nations. For example, a SOFA between the United States and Iraq coordinated the departure of U.S. Troops from Iraq in 2011.
Training will help fight drug trafficking
International cooperation, including joint training exercises, is crucial in the battle against transnational criminal organizations which engage in narcotrafficking.
“One of the main challenges facing the country involves giving the institutions and agencies that have the responsibility of ensuring public safety the necessary synergy to implement the proposed programs for the different (components) of the security strategy in an efficient, creative, and successful way, in relation to prevention and criminal prosecution,” according to Daniel Pou, an associate researcher at the Latin American College of Social Sciences (FLACSO) in the Dominican Republic.