60th Anniversary Main | 1963-1979 | 1980 – 1999 | 2000 - Present
1980 - 1984
Internal conflicts in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and elsewhere rekindled U.S. military interest in Latin America. The United States responded by increasing its regional military assistance programs. In 1983, the Ronald Reagan administration affirmed USSOUTHCOM’s importance as a national security organization. It restored the Commander’s authorized billet to General.
In October 1983, U.S. military forces landed in Grenada after a pro-Cuban coup spawned disarray on the island. In 1984, USSOUTHCOM established Joint Task Force Bravo to plan and conduct bilateral training exercises in Honduras. The task force also provided command and control over U.S. forces in the country. The U.S. Ambassador to Colombia ordered a phased withdrawal of nonessential U.S. personnel and their dependents from the country in 1984. The escalating drug war in Colombia, he believed, endangered the security of U.S. workers and their families.
Resources:
US Army Center Of Military History Book: Operation Urgent Fury - US Army Center Of Military History
U.S. Marines In Grenada 1983 - U.S. Marine Corps History Division
U.S. Navy Support to Operation Urgent Fury- Naval History and Heritage Command
Soldier and Students: American students at St. George University on Grenada surround a U.S. Soldier after his arrival at the campus with peacekeeping forces. (1983)
1985 - 1989
In 1985, USSOUTHCOM participated in 13 joint training exercises with Latin American militaries. The following year, U.S. military officials activated Special Operations Command South to organize and conduct special operations in the theater. 3,200 U.S. troops were deployed to Central America to stabilize the border between Honduras and Nicaragua in March 1987.
In 1988, USSOUTHCOM began the intensive study of post-1999 U.S. basing requirements in Panama, including the possible relocation of USSOUTHCOM to the United States. Around the same time, the Office of the Command Surgeon enlarged U.S. medical initiatives in Latin America. The command expanded its counter-narcotics operations in 1989. That same year, a series of bilateral incidents, including the unauthorized arrest and detention of several U.S. personnel by Panamanian Defense Forces, strained U.S.-Panamanian relations. In December 1989, U.S. military forces toppled the regime of General Manuel Noriega in Panama. Thereafter, USSOUTHCOM operations on the isthmus contributed to the restoration of internal order, economic stability, and representative government.
Resources:
Operation Just Cause - US Army Center Of Military History
Just Cause Marine Operations
Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney and Commander, U.S. Southern Command, General Maxwell Thurman (1989-90) review U.S. operations in Panama, 25 December 1989.
1990 - 1994
Between 1989 and 1991, a remarkable series of international events, culminating in the collapse of the Soviet Union, ended the Cold War. The George H.W. Bush administration directed USSOUTHCOM to concentrate on counternarcotics operations.
In 1990, General Joulwan established a special study group to consider the future of USSOUTHCOM counter-narcotics activities. In May 1990, the command began providing direct intelligence and operational support to Colombian counterdrug forces. That month, Colombians seized 18 metric tons of cocaine, 6 narco-aircraft, and 23 traffickers. From April 1991 to May 1992, the command implemented a multinational initiative to synchronize Bolivian, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and U.S. counter‑drug operations. In October 1994, U.S. officials created the Joint Interagency Task Force South to plan, conduct, and direct interagency counterdrug operations in Latin America. The task force soon became a model for interagency cooperation.
1995 - 1999
U.S. policymakers agreed, in late 1995, to expand the command’s area of focus to include the Caribbean basin and waters adjacent to Latin America. By 1997, the enlarged geographic space allowed one U.S. military organization, USSOUTHCOM, to conduct seamless counternarcotics operations in the region.
Between 1996 and 1997, U.S. and Panamanian negotiators attempted to reach an agreement on the post-1999 basing of U.S. forces in Panama. In particular, U.S. officials wanted to create a multinational counter‑drug center at Howard Air Force Base. The two countries failed to reach an agreement; U.S. planners prepared to remove all U.S. forces from the Panama Canal Area.
In September 1997, USSOUTHCOM relocated to Miami. Its new commander, General Wilhelm, was the first non-U.S. Army officer to lead the organization. Two severe storms, Hurricanes Georges and Mitch, struck the Caribbean and Central America in 1998. Responding to the crises, the United States dispatched more than 20,000 U.S. military personnel to conduct disaster relief and recovery operations in the region.
U.S. military forces deliver supplies in Central America following Hurricane Mitch, 1998. The U.S. Southern Command deployed 5,400 personnel during its post-hurricane relief effort. (Source: U.S. Southern Command)
60th Anniversary Main | 1963-1979 | 1980 – 1999 | 2000 - Present