As commander of the 1st Armored Brigade Coraceros, Brigadier General Eduardo Valdivia Méndez leads the largest and best-equipped combined arms unit in the Chilean Army’s land force. Brig. Gen. Valdivia put his years of experience to the test during the PANAMAX 24 exercise, this time as commander of the Combined Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC). Diálogo had the opportunity to talk with Brig. Gen. Valdivia about the importance of interoperability in combating the challenges of the modern world, among other topics.
Diálogo: What did it mean for you to lead the Combined Forces Land Component Command of exercise PANAMAX 24?
Chilean Army Brigadier General Eduardo Valdivia Méndez, commander of the Combined Forces Land Component Commander for PANAMAX 24: As commanders, we are used to leading military forces, but this is an additional challenge because of the language barrier; the different languages that make up our human group, and also because of the different doctrines. It is a wonderful challenge, beyond the capabilities of any military; I am proud to have been chosen.
Diálogo: The CFLCC under your leadership combined some 12 countries in the region. What are some of the interoperability challenges for a component of this size and how would you improve it?
Brig. Gen. Valdivia: The exercise is very well structured, because it is planned in different phases and with time. We were able to attend the pre-planning, initial, intermediate, and final planning meetings. That gave us a final understanding of what we were coming here to do. Perhaps the only thing would be thatparticipating countries do not change the people from the beginning and that they are the same ones who have the continuity to carry out the exercise, the framework of the exercise, the specific execution. It’s an exercise that has been going on for so many years that is almost perfect in its execution.
Diálogo: How important are multinational exercises like PANAMAX for the Chilean Armed Forces?
Brig. Gen. Valdivia: The Chilean Army was one of the founders, back in 2003. It started with Chile, Panama, and the United States. Throughout all these years, more than 20, it has been evolving and for us it has been taking on greater importance. It’s an opportunity to interoperate with other countries, to speak different languages, to understand different doctrines, and also to understand the challenges of the globalized world, especially the emerging threats and operations in multiple domains.
Diálogo: How has your experience as commander of the 1st Armored Brigade Coraceros contributed to your decisions concerning CFLCC operations?
Brig. Gen. Valdivia: I am the commander of the 1st Armored Brigade, which is the largest maneuver unit in the Chilean Army. As in any environment today, we are not only conducting military operations, but also in this world of natural disasters and emerging threats. We are conducting many operations other than war. All of these experiences contribute to and enhance capabilities for these types of exercises.
Diálogo: Is there a topic of this year’s PANAMAX that you would like to highlight?
Brig. Gen. Valdivia: This year I’d like to highlight mainly the preparation, the attention, and the kindness of the U.S. Army with all the countries that participated, who came from far away. They have made us feel part of the team, they have made us feel at home, and we have had all the comforts and facilities in terms of installations, technology, data, and also support, to be able to carry out this exercise in a very good way.
Just a word of thanks to the generals, to [U.S. Army] General [Laura J.] Richardson, [commander of U.S. Southern Command], to Major General [Philip] Ryan, [commander of U.S. Army South], and all those who have made this exercise possible, from the preparation phase and especially the execution, which has not been easy. It is a tremendous exercise and demands a lot of effort on the part of the nation that is hosting us.
