News

SOUTHCOM Release | July 14, 2026

Gen. Donovan Visits Ecuador

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Commander of U.S. Southern Command, was in Ecuador for a two-day scheduled visit where he met with Ecuadorian Chief of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, Gen. Henry Santiago Delgado Salvador, to discuss

Training & Exercises | July 13, 2026

Coalition Space Operators Take Center Stage as SALITRE 2026 Breaks New G...

When Exercise SALITRE 2026 opened its execution week at Cerro Moreno Air Base on July 6, the largest multinational air exercise in South America featured something no combined exercise has attempted before: a commercial satellite performing a real,


Training & Exercises | July 9, 2026

Saving lives in the battlefield: U.S., partner nations medical train tog...

U.S., Chilean, Brazilian, Colombian and Paraguayan air forces medical professionals took life-saving training to the next level by treating numerous patients and conducting air evacuations during Exercise Saltire 2026. This is the fifth iteration of

Commander


U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan is the Commander of U.S. Southern Command. Gen. Donovan assumed command Feb. 5, 2026

GEN. DONOVAN'S BIO

Four Imperatives

SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan has developed four imperatives to posture the U.S. military to confront the threats facing the Western Hemisphere.

 

  1. Strengthen hemispheric command and control. 

  2. Impose total systemic friction on drug cartels and terrorist organizations. 

  3. Develop and field cost-effective, modernized forces tailored for the mission. 

  4. Deny adversary footholds and undue influence in the Western Hemisphere.

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Videos

Video by Tech. Sgt. Tommy Grimes
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Hurricane Hunters - The 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
4th Combat Camera Squadron
Sept. 21, 2018 | 3:56
Crew members from the 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, share their experiences flying into hurricanes. The mission of the Hurricane Hunters is to recruit, organize and train assigned personnel to perform aerial weather reconnaissance. They provide surveillance of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the central Pacific Ocean for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The unit also flies winter storm missions off both coasts of the United States. Interviews with Lt. Col. Deena Williams, Lt. Col. John Fox, Maj. Douglas Gautrau, and Tech Sgt. Karen Moore. Additional Footage from Tech Sgt. Chris Hibben, Staff Sgt. Amy Picard, and Staff Sgt. Albert Caris. (U.S. Air Force Video by Tech Sgt. Thomas Grimes)
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