MIAMI – U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), visited Ecuador Jan. 22-25 as part of a U.S. delegation, led by Special Presidential Advisor for the Americas Christopher Dodd, that included meetings with President Daniel Noboa and other senior Ecuadorian leaders.
The delegation, which included Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Christopher Landberg, and other civilian and military officials, focused on strengthening U.S. cooperation and assistance to bolster Ecuador’s efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations in the wake of a recent surge in violence.
The trip was Richardson’s second to the country as SOUTHCOM commander.
On Jan. 22, the U.S. delegation met with President Noboa and his cabinet to coordinate and agree on effective security cooperation strategies. (MORE: White House readout of meeting with President Noboa and overview of U.S. Government assistance to Ecuador)
On Jan. 23, Richardson joined the delegation to meet with senior law enforcement and justice sector officials, as well as representatives of civil society at the forefront of the fight against corruption.
Richardson met with Minister of Defense Giancarlo Loffredo, Chief of the Joint Staff Rear Adm. Jaime Vela, and senior military leaders Jan. 24 to discuss efforts to strengthen defense cooperation.
On Jan. 25, the general met with men and women serving in the Ecuadorian Armed Forces during a visit to the 5th Infantry Brigade “Guayas” in Guayaquil. While there, Ricardson and U.S. Amb. Michael J. Fitzpatrick joined Ecuadorian Rear Adm. Vela as the United States donated security assistance vehicles and equipment to strengthen Ecuador’s law enforcement, military and disaster response institutions.
Security cooperation between the United States and Ecuador focuses on shared objectives and interests, including collaboration and information sharing to combat transnational criminal organizations, bilateral and multinational capacity building exercises, and humanitarian assistance missions. Other bilateral engagements include exchanges of experiences, conferences and training events on disaster preparedness, cyber defense, space cooperation, maritime security, aviation, human rights, communications and logistics.
The U.S. is committed to supporting the security of the Ecuadorian people.