Soldiers and police officers from nineteen countries in the Americas began a military-skills competition that serves as preparation for the fight “against terrorism and illicit trafficking” in El Salvador on 15 June.
Soldiers and police officers from nineteen countries in the Americas began a military-skills competition that serves as preparation for the fight “against terrorism and illicit trafficking” in El Salvador on 15 June.
“Exercises like this one offer us a unique opportunity to train,” the commander of Special Operations Command South, part of the U.S. Southern Command, Rear Adm. Thomas Brown, indicated in a speech.
“It’s indispensable to unite our efforts to combat the forces that threaten the security and prosperity of our nations, such as illicit trafficking and terrorism,” he added.
Brown and Salvadoran Defense Minister Gen. David Munguía opened the Commando Forces 2011 exercise, which includes physical-fitness and shooting competitions, among others, at a military garrison in San Salvador.
“It’s necessary to unite our efforts to combat the transnational aspect of crime,” Munguía said.
Personnel from the Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, and Uruguay are participating in the exercise, which will conclude on 23 June.
Antigua, Haiti, Guyana, Canada, and Mexico are attending as observers of the competition, which has been held since 2004.