U.S. Army South s 2016 year in review By Robert Ramon 29/12/2016 12:04:00 FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas U.S. Army South is the premier theater Army partner for the 45 nations and territories of Central and South America and the Caribbean. Led by Maj. Gen. K.K. Chinn, the command works in concert by, with and through our partner nation armies as trusted professionals to build partner capacity and ensure the collective security and defense against transregional threats. This made for an eventful and exciting 2016. Throughout the year, U.S. Army South remained persistent in effectively engaging partner nations in an effort to remain postured to face the challenges presented by transnational threats and chart a course for improved security and stability in the Western Hemisphere. There were many examples of successful engagement between U.S. Army South and partner nation armies from throughout the hemisphere. A key highlight in 2016 was when the U.S. Army assumed authority of the Conference of the American Armies during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. The transfer marked the end of Colombia s two-year lead as the U.S. will oversee the CAA mission and objectives through 2017. CAA is a forum for Chiefs of Western Hemisphere Armies to come together and discuss issues of mutual interest in order to contribute to security, protect against threats to peace, democracy and freedom and to strengthen relationships between Armies. The transfer was significant as it marks the first time the U.S. Army has hosted the Permanent Executive Secretariat of CAA since 1990-1991. U.S. Army South is the Army's lead agent and CAA liaison responsible for all coordination with partner nation Armies over the next two years. U.S. Army South successfully conducted several key exercises and conferences throughout the year. Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias 2016 a multinational exercise, took place in Honduras and included military and civilian personnel from 14 countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Canada and representatives from more than 21 international and regional organizations. Beyond the Horizon 2016, a U.S. Army South-led civic assistance program exercise, took place in Page 1 of 5
Guatemala where U.S. and partner nation forces constructed two new schools and three new medical clinics, which included medical equipment and general hygiene kits. In addition, three medical readiness training exercises were conducted, resulting in 17,727 Guatemalans receiving medical care, many of them for the first time. In total, 1,807 U.S. personnel from the U.S. Army active, Reserve and National Guard, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps joined 160 partner nation personnel from Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, and Chile. U.S. Army South led the Multinational Forces-South portion of the U.S. Southern Commandsponsored 2016 PANAMAX exercise at Fort Sam Houston. This multinational exercise focused on ensuring the security of the Panama Canal and included partner nation forces from Central and South America, Canada and Mexico. The MNF-S command team included Brazilian Army Maj. Gen. Fabio B. Castro, Chilean Army Maj. Gen. Edmundo Villarroel and Peruvian Army Maj. Gen. Miguel A. Balta. Security forces leaders from eight partner nations participated in the U.S. Army South-hosted 2016 Central American Regional Leaders Conference at Fort Sam Houston. The conference assembled representatives from across the Department of Defense, interagency partners and Central American militaries and security forces representing Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama to discuss strategies related to combatting illicit trafficking, crime and emerging threats throughout Central America. In addition to formal exercises and conferences, another way U.S. Army South facilitated army-toarmy engagement was through the U.S. Army Staff Talks Program. U.S. Army South currently conducts annual staff talks with the armies of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador and Peru on behalf of the Chief of Staff of the Army. The program is part of a year-long planning process at the action officer level that culminates with a week-long senior leader engagement event. In April, key U.S. Army South leaders traveled to Bogotá to join their Colombian Army partners for bilateral staff talks where they worked alongside Gen. Alberto Jose Mejia, the Colombian Army commander and Maj. Gen. Robert E. Livingston Jr., The Adjutant General of the South Carolina National Guard that Page 2 of 5
partners with the Colombian military as part of the State Partnership Program. The following month, U.S. Army South hosted the 10th annual U.S. and Salvadoran army-to-army staff talks at their headquarters. Participants included Col. Guillermo Adolfo Herrador Pena, the Salvadoran Army commander, key members of his staff and key personnel from the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command; Headquarters, Department of the Army; New Hampshire Army National Guard; Inter-American Air Forces Academy; Special Operations Command South; Department of Homeland Security Joint Task Force-West; and Department of State s International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement Bureau. The 32nd annual army-to-army Brazil and U.S. staff talks took place at the Army South headquarters in June with Lt. Gen. Joarez Alves Pereira Jr., 5th Deputy Chief of Staff of the Brazilian Army, and his staff. The 11th annual Chilean and U.S. army-to-army staff talks were conducted in Santiago, Chile where Army South leaders joined Gen. Humberto Oviedo, Chilean Army commander. The Army South delegation also visited the Armored Cavalry School, 6th Armored Division, 1st Armored Brigade Coraceros and received a firsthand look at their humanitarian demining mission on the northern border. In November, a Peruvian Army delegation led by Lt. Gen. Victor Abraham Najar, the Peruvian Army chief of staff, traveled to the Army South headquarters for their second annual bilateral army-to-army staff talks. Both armies pledged to build on the foundation created during their first-ever army-to-army staff talks in December 2015. A noteworthy 2016 engagement took place in August when Army South leaders traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to meet with Gen. Diego L. Suñer, the Argentina Chief of General Staff, in an effort to strengthen our relationship with our Argentine army partners. President Obama s historic visit to Argentina in March emphasized the importance of our partnership and reflected the broad cooperation between our nations. This was U.S. Army South s first visit to Argentina. Command Sgt. Maj. Carlos Olvera, U.S. Army South command sergeant major, and other Army South senior noncommissioned officers worked closely with partner nation enlisted leaders in 2016 as many armies Page 3 of 5
in the hemisphere seek to develop professional noncommissioned officer corps. Key engagements included face-to-face interaction with Salvadoran Command Sgt. Maj. Santos Cerranos, the Salvadoran Army senior enlisted advisor, Paraguayan Sgt. Maj. of the Army Alfredo A. Ocampos, Colombian Sgt. Maj. of the Army Argemiro Posso Rivera, and the former Sergeant Major of the Army for Colombia, Henry Dulce as well as several other senior enlisted leaders from throughout the hemisphere. U.S. Army South s 1-228th Aviation Regiment, part of Joint Task Force-Bravo in Honduras, remained busy all year with a flurry of activity. They assisted in transporting Honduran Soldiers who took part in a Honduran operation called Caravana; joined Honduran counterparts in fighting a major fire in the Jeanette Kawas National Park; and transported a group of 16 doctors, nurses, dentists and other specialists from Joint Task Force-Bravo to participate in Operation Pura Vida, a joint humanitarian mission and Medical Readiness Training Exercise at an indigenous region in Limón, Costa Rica. U.S. Southern Command stood up Joint Task Force Matthew in October and directed U.S. military forces, including U.S. Army South, to support a request by the government of Haiti to provide U.S. disaster relief operations. U.S. Army South deployed 1-228th air assets including CH-47 Chinooks, UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters and HH-60 Medical Evacuation helicopters providing the ability to quickly move heavy loads of humanitarian aid, conduct medical evacuation missions, transport key leaders in the area and conduct early reconnaissance flights to identify the hardest hit areas. In addition, Army South deployed medical personnel including a primary care physician, preventative medicine provider, blood specialist, forward surgical team and security personnel. Key leadership changes took place during 2016. In January, U.S. Army South bid farewell to Marine Gen. John Kelly and welcomed Adm. Kurt Tidd as the incoming commander of U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army South s higher headquarters. The following month, Army South welcomed Brig. Gen. Jim Wong to the team when he became the first National Guard deputy commanding general to be permanently assigned to U.S. Army South on a full-time basis. Wong joined the team alongside Brig. Gen. Richard Torres, deputy commanding general and director of Army Reserve Engagement Cell. Page 4 of 5
In late 2015, U.S. Army South s 1st Battlefield Coordination Detachment at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. received orders to inactivate as part of the active Army reduction plan. The 1st BCD, whose mission was to provide the critical link in communications and coordination between Army South and U.S. Air Forces Southern, officially deactivated in July as the Army National Guard activates two BCDs that will be globally available. U.S. Army South will rely on these units to continue our missions in the future. During 2016 the U.S. Army saw the official release of cutting-edge training software known as Disaster Sim. U.S. Army South joined forces with other Army organizations and the U.S. Agency for International Development to create a new video game to train Soldiers how to respond to foreign natural disasters. U.S. Army South is responsible for providing the core of a joint task force headquarters to deploy as part of a U.S. government response to disasters in Central America, South America and the Caribbean. For more than 50 years, Army South has defended the southern approaches to the homeland. The mission evolves over time; however, the motto of Defense and Fraternity continues to embody the spirit of shared security cooperation to fight against transregional threats. As we head into 2017, U.S. Army South will continue to work closely with international and interagency partners for the good of the hemisphere. Page 5 of 5