US Triples Special Ops Training Budget for Latin America
Source: Telesur
US Triples Special Ops Training Budget for Latin America
A Colombian soldier during a military parade | Photo: Reuters
Published 30 August 2016
. . .
The U.S. military has increased its presence in Latin America in recent years and tripled its budget for training the region's armed forces, according to a new report.
The Washington Office on Latin America, WOLA, published an investigation Tuesday, based on documents from the U.S. State Department, detailing the stepped-up work of U.S. Special Operation Forces in the region.
According to the documents, the U.S. tripled the budget for Special Operations Forces training missions in Latin America between 2007 and 2014. The missions are part of a training program called Joint Combined Exchange Training, JCET. In that seven-year period, the number of missions went from 12 JCETs who trained 560 officers in the region to 36 JCETs training 2,300 officers.
. . .
These trainings include joint military exercises, teaching Latin American troops combat skills, intelligence gathering and riot control techniques. Meanwhile, the U.S. forces familiarize themselves with the countrys military, terrain, language and culture, according to the documents.
Read more: http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/US-Triples-Special-Ops-Training-Budget-for-Latin-America-20160830-0035.html
hedda_foil
(16,374 posts)a la izquierda
(11,795 posts)a la izquierda
(11,795 posts)but this is not good news.
Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)30 Aug 2016 | Commentary| English
U.S. Special Operations in Latin America: Parallel Diplomacy?
Documents Show Special Ops Training in the Region Tripled From 2007 to 2014
By Sarah Kinosian, WOLA Program Officer and Adam Isacson, WOLA Senior Associate
The U.S. militarys most elite forces have been increasing their deployments across the globe, and Latin America and the Caribbean are no exception. But as Special Operations Forces activity grows, the already low amount of transparency and available information about their actions is shrinking.
. . .
In Latin America
. . .
Starting in 2008, the documents show a shift in focus from South America to Central America, describing the region becoming increasingly plagued with violence and illicit trafficking.
Honduras has been the Western Hemispheres most-visited country during these eight years, with 21 missions. The majority of trainings took place between 2011 and 2014, a time when serious allegations levied against Honduran security forcesmurder, torture, rape and extortionwent uninvestigated and unpunished. Another four took place in 2009; in June of that year (three months before the end of the U.S. governments fiscal year), the Honduran military helped oust the elected president in a coup.
In addition to JCET trainings, U.S. Special Operations Forces have played a larger role in the countrys fight against gangs. They are were instrumental in building Honduras elite SWAT squad, the Tigres, which was created in 2013 to combat organized crime. U.S. Green Berets now advise and monitor operations and train Tigre officers in marksmanship and close-quarters combat.
El Salvador, which now has a Special Operations Forces liaison officer posted at the U.S. embassy, was a close second to Honduras, hosting 19 missions. The majority took place between 2012 and 2014. There is no information available about which units U.S. forces are working with there, but the list may include some of the ten or more elite units the Salvadoran government has deployed to the streets in its internal war against gangs. In this effort security forces have been credibly accused of extrajudicial executions, crime scene manipulation, and enforced disappearances, among other crimes.
Special Operations Forces also work closely with Colombian security forces, who now deploy all over the world to conduct trainings, especially in Central America. Colombia hosted 19 JCET missions between 2007 and 2014. Interestingly, there have been fewer deployments to Guatemala than much of the rest of Central America. This could be due to human rights issues that prevented the Guatemalan Army from receiving any U.S. military assistance for many years.
More:
https://www.wola.org/analysis/u-s-special-operations-latin-america-parallel-diplomacy/
FairWinds
(1,717 posts)teach those Latin American military troops
that people like us are "subversives" (and thus targets for death)?
Probably
CanSocDem
(3,286 posts)With the oligarchy flexing its muscle politically, it is only 'good planning' to have an army standing by. The peasants can get so unruly.
Thanks for keeping us up to date on the southern front...
.
PufPuf23
(8,776 posts)Colombia militarized. Check.
Honduras coup. Check.
Paraguay coup. Check.
Haiti. Check.
Venezuela. On brink of collapse.
Ecuador and Bolivia. Tempting natural resource rich independent targets with left wing government that replaced long term right wing governments.
Lots of "opportunity" in Latin America.