Military Exercises in Latin America: June through September

10/07/15
Kate Weine
Latin America and the Caribbean
Military Exercises
This post was compiled by WOLA Intern Kate Weine.
 
Purpose of exercise:  This regular construction and medical assistance exercise will “train military civil engineers and medical professionals for future deployments and joint operations,” as well as   provide “relationship building opportunities with partner nations.” These efforts are part of a larger project to eradicate malaria in the area. Humanitarian and Civic Assistance projects like New Horizons, which involve soldiers and reservists carrying out development assistance work with Defense Department funds, often overlap with USAID-run projects, which at times present coordination challenges.
Participating militaries: U.S., Honduras
 
Purpose of exercise: This mission aims to “conduct civil-military operations including humanitarian-civil assistance, subject matter expert exchanges, medical, dental, veterinary and engineering support and disaster response to partner nations and to show the United States' continued support and commitment to Central and South America and the Caribbean.” It involved numerous port visits from the USNS Comfort, a behemoth U.S. Navy hospital ship. While visiting Haiti in September, U.S. personnel from the Comfort worked alongside Cuban doctors for the first time in decades.
Participating militaries: U.S., Belize, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Panama, Dominica and Honduras
 
Purpose of exercise: This is an annual humanitarian and training mission that will provide the “opportunity for U.S and partner nation forces to operate in a multinational environment, refine coordination and improve interoperability.” The exercise focuses on improving both fleet experimentation activities and strategies to counter illicit trafficking operations. It involved several port visits from the USNS Spearhead, a Joint High Speed Vessel, which sent ashore teams of U.S. Marine experts, called “adaptive force packages,” who offered brief trainings in subjects like demolition operations, diving, and underwater sonar techniques. Other U.S. personnel carried out construction and medical projects.
Participating militaries: U.S., Belize, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras
 
Purpose of exercise: Military exercise consisting of “a friendly competition pitting special operations forces against one another in tests of skill and endurance.” According to U.S. Southern Command, “Colombia won the skills competition with the U.S. team finishing second.”
Participating militaries: U.S. and 19 countries throughout Central America, South America and the Caribbean
 
Purpose of exercise: The goal is to “increase professional exchanges among naval infantry forces within the Western Hemisphere.”
Participating militaries: U.S., Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay
 
Purpose of exercise: This mission aims to “to enhance cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services and improve operational readiness,” with the ultimate goal of establishing improved maritime security in these areas. In October, this exercise included one of the largest U.S. Navy port visits in recent years. The USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with 3,200 crew members, visited Lima, Peru between September 30 and October 3.
Participating militaries: U.S., Panama, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico