Elite Forces in Action: Fuerzas Comando Through the Years

Special operations forces from across Latin America and the Caribbean are ready to compete in Fuerzas Comando 2025, held in El Salvador, August 18-29. This annual competition, sponsored by U.S. Southern Command and conducted by Special Operations Command South since 2004, is a rigorous test of special forces skills. Competitors will face challenges that push their physical ability, shooting marksmanship, swimming endurance, and mental fortitude. The following images offer a glimpse into the competition throughout the years.Snipers zero their weapon systems during a sniper team validation event as part of Fuerzas Comando 2010, on a range outside the 1st Dominican Infantry Brigade’s military base, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, May 15, 2010. (Photo: U.S. Army Sergeant Charles R. Brice)

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Special Report

Ecuador at the Crossroads of Transnational Crime: Violence, Criminal Reconfiguration, and Regional Challenges – PART II

For decades, Ecuador was perceived as an exception in a region plagued by drug trafficking, armed violence, and criminal capture of the state. While neighboring countries faced open wars between cartels and state forces, Ecuador seemed to remain on the sidelines of these dynamics. That image began to slowly crack and finally collapsed in January 2024, when President Daniel Noboa declared an internal armed conflict [ … ]

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