News

Oct. 16, 2023

Southcom Aims to Create Maintenance Partnerships With South American Nations

As part of the Theater Maintenance Partnership Initiative, U.S. Southern Command will help partner nations in South America better maintain equipment purchased from the U.S.

Oct. 5, 2023

The Expanding Leverage of the People’s Republic of China in Latin America: Implications for US National Security and Global Order

Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs — This article examines the growing influence operations conducted by the Chinese Communist Party-led government in Latin America, presenting strategic risks to US national security and global order. The author highlights the surprising breadth and scale of China's influence, encompassing economic entanglements, critical infrastructure investments, coercive diplomacy, and information control.

An F-15 from the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing takes on fuel mid-air during exercise Relámpago VIII in Colombia, Aug. 21, 2023. his Colombian and U.S. training opportunity offers real-world benefits to U.S. and partner nation military personnel and the people of Colombia by promoting readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Matlock)

Sept. 29, 2023

U.S. and Colombia Soar Together: Ángel de los Andes and Relámpago VII Bolster Interoperability

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. — The U.S. military recently teamed up with the Colombian Aerospace Force to showcase bilateral cooperation and a commitment to enhancing military readiness in the Ángel de los Andes and Relámpago VIII exercises, hosted in Colombia in August and September 2023. Teams from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Space Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines trained alongside their Colombian counterparts to reinforce the thriving partnership between the two nations.

TUMBES, Peru (Aug. 9, 2023) Students with the Military Tropical Medicine (MTM) course collect Anopheles mosquito larvae from a stream in order to practice surveillance activities. The MTM course, an educational experience focused on expanding the knowledge of tropical medicine and epidemiology surveillance of tropical diseases, includes a two-week field practicum in Peru coordinated by staff with U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) SOUTH. NAMRU SOUTH, part of the Naval Medical Research & Development enterprise, conducts research on a wide range of infectious diseases of military and public health significance, and supports Global Health Engagement through surveillance of those diseases, including dengue fever, malaria, diarrheal diseases and sexually transmitted infections. (U.S. Navy photo by Kahoma Villaizan/Released)

Sept. 22, 2023

NAMRU SOUTH Hosts Students for Military Tropical Medicine Field Exercise in Peru

LIMA, PERU — This past Summer, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) SOUTH welcomed nine U.S. military students to a field exercise in Peru for the Military Tropical Medicine (MTM) course.

Bales of illegal narcotics, worth an estimated $160 million, are offloaded onto pallets by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Confidence (WMEC 619) crew, Sept. 19, 2023, at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, Florida. Coast Guard and partner agency crews interdicted the illegal narcotics during nine separate cases in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Santiago Gomez)

Sept. 21, 2023

Coast Guard offloads more than $160 million in illegal narcotics

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Confidence offloaded more than 12,100 pounds of cocaine worth more than $160 million in Miami, Tuesday. Coast Guard and partner agency crews interdicted the illegal drugs during nine separate cases in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, left, chief, National Guard Bureau, meets with Panama Minister of Public Security Juan Manuel Pino Forero at the Ministry of Public Security, Panama City, Panama, Aug. 28, 2023. Panama and the Missouri National Guard have been paired in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program since 1996.

Sept. 19, 2023

Hokanson: Panama a Global Crossroads, Key Security Cooperation Partner

The Republic of Panama is a bridge that connects the Americas. Its renowned canal is one of the most strategic waterways in the world. It also is a key security cooperation partner for the United States, the National Guard’s top general said during a recent visit to the country.

Multinational senior leader participants in the South American Defense Conference 2023 (SOUTHDEC 23) in Cartagena, Colombia, Aug. 23, 2023.

Sept. 17, 2023

In Colombia, Hokanson Highlights Security Cooperation Partnerships

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson joined regional defense leaders at U.S. Southern Command’s South American Defense Conference 2023 recently, highlighting the role of the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program in security cooperation.

Sept. 15, 2023

NAMRU SOUTH Hosts Gen. Richardson for Tour of Research Facilities

LIMA, PERU — U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) SOUTH hosted a tour for Gen. Laura Richardson, commander, U.S. Southern Command, on Sept. 15.

U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson meets with Peruvian Minister of Defense Jorge Chavez.

Sept. 15, 2023

Gen. Richardson Meets with Senior Leaders in Peru

The commander of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Army Gen. Laura Richardson, visited Peru from Sept. 13 – 15 and met with senior government and military leaders to discuss the longstanding U.S.-Peru defense partnership.

Commercial operators deploy Saildrone Voyager Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) out to sea in the initial steps of U.S. 4th Fleet’s Operation Windward Stack during a launch from Naval Air Station Key West’s Mole Pier and Truman Harbor, Sept. 13, 2023.

Sept. 14, 2023

Saildrones Set Sail in Support of U.S. 4th Fleet’s Operation Windward Stack

KEY WEST, Florida — KEY WEST, Florida -- Commercial operators began deploying 10 Saildrone Voyager Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) out to sea today, a critical first step in U.S. 4th Fleet's Operation Windward Stack.