From June 1-3, 2022, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) co-hosted the first ever Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Jungle Symposium in Guyana. Participants from the GDF, SOUTHCOM Headquarters, U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army South, Colombia, Brazil, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras attended the symposium, as well as Chile and Argentina virtually. U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Benjamin Jones, SOUTHCOM Command Sergeant Major, and Guyana Defence Force Sergeant Major Raul Rodney led discussions and exchanges on jungle warfare and operations. Colombian Army Sergeant Major William Cuellar Duarte also attended. The Symposium concluded with a visit to the GDF Jungle Amphibious Training School (JATS).
The goal of this symposium is to strengthen multilateral regional relationships and team building, especially at the NCO level. Participating nations shared best practices and lessons learned on several topics taught in their respective countries’ jungle training.
This event is part of a larger endeavor by the United States to improve and expand multi-domain Jungle Operations to support security in the region.
