Army Gen. Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command, and Oscar Mira, Minister of State, Belize Ministry of National Defense, applaud during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Central American Security Conference February 1, 2022 in Belize City, Belize. SOUTHCOM sponsors the annual conference to facilitate dialogue between regional security leaders as part of a continuing commitment to strengthen cooperative ties and achieve shared security goals.