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Press Release | May 30, 2019

News Release: SOUTHCOM Hosts Meeting With U.S. Ambassadors, Policymakers To Discuss Western Hemisphere Security

MIAMI – U.S. Southern Command hosted U.S. chiefs of mission and senior policymakers May 28-30 for an annual meeting to discuss the command’s support to U.S. foreign policy and diplomatic efforts in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

“It was an excellent opportunity to hear the perspectives, priorities and ideas of our senior diplomats who represent our nation across the Western Hemisphere,” said U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, after hosting the conference for the first time. “The opportunity to hear from our senior diplomats provides us with invaluable insights and a crucial understanding of how we can best work together to counter threats and strengthen partnerships in the region.”

The conference included discussions on regional security challenges and ongoing collaborative efforts between U.S. federal agencies and partner nations to address them.

Participants included senior diplomats from U.S. missions in Argentina, the Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Dutch Caribbean, Eastern Caribbean, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Perú, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela , and the Organization of American States.

The forum also included the participation of senior representatives from the Department of State, National Security Council, Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Agency for International Development.

Academic leaders from Florida International University who took part in the conference include Dr. Frank Mora, director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, and Brian Fonseca, director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy Research. They were joined by the director of the Inter-American Defense College, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James Taylor and retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Frederick Rudesheim, director of the National Defense University’s William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.

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Additional information:

• U.S. State Department Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs:

https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-western-hemisphere-affairs/

• U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean:

https://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/organization/bureaus/bureau-latin-america-and-caribbean

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