U.S. military exercises in January-March

04/21/14
Adam Isacson
Latin America and the Caribbean
U.S. Policy
  • The armed forces of Mexico hosted "Chimaltlalli 2014", a military training competition for cadets from the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico. The training was held at Mexico's Military Academy.
  • Special Forces from the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force, with support from the U.S Southern Command, conducted a military exercise simulating an air and sea raid upon a fictional drug lord's enclave. It was part of a month-long training exercise designed to improve the strength of the local authorities against terrorist activities.
  • Southern Command's Honduras-based Joint Task Force-Bravo, together with the U.S. Army's 7th Special Forces Group, conducted a training exercise in which military members practiced exiting a helicopter into Lake Yojoa from an altitude of 10 feet. The exercise offered practice for helicopter pilots to develop their ability to operate at a low attitude, and for task force members to practice water operations.
  • Belize has been hosting "New Horizons '14," a humanitarian exercise organized by U.S. Southern Command. U.S. and Belizean forces will build a hospital ward and a school, while carrying out "medical readiness training exercises" that provide health services to residents. This is the second year in a row that Belize has hosted a "New Horizons" exercise.
  • On March 15, the U.S. Air Force 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron (MSAS), from Travis Air Force Base, California, conducted a military training at the La Aurora Air Base in Guatemala City. It included members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines of Guatemala. Classroom seminars focused on communication strategies, intelligence capabilities, and aircraft maintenance. One of the recommendations set forth by MSAS was to improve air security techniques, which it said will require ongoing coordination between the United States and Guatemala.
  • From February 17 to March 20, the 20th Special Forces Group and the Dominican Republic Special Operations Forces (SOF) participated in a Joint Combined Exchange Training Program (JCET) deployment "focusing on medical skills, marksmanship, and airborne operations." In one of the exercises, the Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PRANG) and the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade participated in a combined airborne operation with Dominican Republic personnel, the first since 1994. The U.S. Ambassador to Dominican Republic was in attendance at the drop zone to commemorate the event.
  • Several members of the U.S. Air Force 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron (MSAS) have been working on a temporary assignment in Santiago, Chile. There, they participated in discussions and visits with Chilean military counterparts, and manned a booth at Chile's FIDAE air show. Discussions also centered around coordinating emergency aeromedical evacuation support. Meanwhile, "nearly 60 Airmen from the Texas Air National Guard and 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) are participating in exchanges with Chilean air force this week and are hosting static displays of the C-130 Hercules [cargo plane] and F-16 Fighting Falcon [fighter jet]" at FIDAE.
  • Members of the Southern Command worked with forces in Colombia to improve the emergency response preparation of 16 Black Hawk crews on April 1-7 in Melgar and Bogotá. This is part of the State Partnership Program between Colombia and South Carolina's National Guard, which formally began in July 2012.