Challenges, innovation and cooperation between the air forces of Central America and the Caribbean

From August 26 to 29, 2024, I had the honor of participating as a moderator at the Central America and Caribbean Air Chiefs Conference, organized by the leadership of US Air Forces Southern (12^and Air Force) in Tucson, Arizona. The event was a chance for the region’s air chiefs to discuss shared challenges, from organized crime and migration to climate change, as well as their efforts, innovations and collaboration to address them.

Challenges

The assembled senior Air Force leaders discussed emerging patterns of transnational organized crime impacting the region, including extensive flows of cocaine into Europe and the associated involvement of European criminal groups such as the Italy-based Ndrangheta; and the increasing importance of regional cooperation with governments in other regions to address these. The leaders also examined the evolving challenges of other forms of transnational crime, including illicit gold mining affecting countries such as Colombia, Guyana, and Suriname; new types of money laundering involving cryptocurrencies and PRC-based institutions; and the impact of guns on violence in the region, particularly in Mexico and the Caribbean. The group further discussed migrant flows not only from Venezuela, but also from Haiti, Cuba, Ecuador, and African countries, impacting governments in Colombia through Panama, Central America, and Mexico, as well as those in the Caribbean.

In addition to discussing transnational crime and migration challenges, the assembled Air Chiefs discussed the impact of climate-related effects on their countries and the missions of their security forces. The conversation covered recent hurricanes and tropical storms, including Beryl, the earliest hurricane on record to reach Category 5, and the effects of flooding and drought, such as those that have caused severe problems in Guatemala and neighboring countries’ agricultural production this year, and drought-related wildfires that have hit Colombia and Belize in recent months.

The group also took note of the crisis in Venezuela and Haiti and their current and potential future implications for the entire region. It also considered the impact of other actors, such as Russia, Iran and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), on the shared strategic environment.

Comments

Within the context of the different perspectives of each country represented at the Air Chiefs conference, the transnational and often transregional nature of the challenge identified by participants highlighted the need to both leverage each country’s capabilities as much as possible and to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation to address these challenges.

In terms of strengthening their own capabilities, virtually all of the air forces of the represented partners are operating with severe resource constraints. However, they are working with their own resources and with the assistance of the United States and other partners to add needed capabilities and/or fill gaps in those capabilities.

Examples of significant material goods delivered with U.S. assistance include two Bell 412 helicopters delivered to Guatemala in December 2022, a Cessna 208 aircraft for Belize that became operational in May 2023, the delivery of a C-208 to El Salvador in November 2023, and the delivery of a Cessna Caravan to the Dominican Republic in February 2024. Additionally, in June 2024, Panama took control of eight Huey UH-1H helicopters it received through U.S. Department of State International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) assistance, in addition to a Beechcraft King Air 250 it received in 2022.

Several new partner aviation capabilities discussed at the event were acquired outside the United States. These included Eurocopter H-425 helicopters acquired by Honduras and two Hindustan Dornier 228 transport aircraft acquired by Guyana from India in April 2024.

At an organizational level, the Group has learned from and gained insights from the experiences of the new Air Wing recently established by Antigua and Barbuda.

Regional air leaders discussed a number of programs through which the United States can help its partner nations address operational needs. These programs range from commercial satellite imagery integration services and supporting analytics to training and other support through both the 12th Air Force and other U.S. Department of Defense organizations, including the U.S. National Guard, a state partner of the countries in the region.

The conference also discussed promising work in cybersecurity, including the work of the Jamaica Air Wing in building its capabilities in that area, and lessons learned that can help other partners in the area.

Participants also discussed strengthening capabilities beyond material matters. This included addressing recruitment and retention challenges, better leveraging the capabilities of the NCO/NCO portion of the force, and similarly leveraging the contributions and perspectives of women alongside men in the force, among other topics.

The event discussed a range of vehicles to strengthen integration and cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally. These included training programs such as the US-Colombian Action Program (USCAP), as well as cooperation and information sharing organizations such as Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), as well as bilateral cooperation, such as Jamaica’s October 2023 air intercept agreement with the Dominican Republic. The event further touched on the value of embedded representatives in each other’s military organizations, including not only partner nation officials in US organizations, but also representatives in each other’s organizations, such as the co-location of representatives in each other’s organizations by Guatemala and Colombia.

Discussions at the conference again recognised the value of democratic extra-hemispheric friends, such as the British, Dutch, French and other representatives of the European Union, who contribute to the capacities of partners through cooperation, such as training and information sharing, particularly in addressing the extensive transatlantic drug flows.

Participants discussed the value of region-wide organizations of the Inter-American System in strengthening integration and creating opportunities for information sharing and identifying partners with needed capabilities and expertise, including the Conference of Central American Armed Forces (CFAC), and the System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces (SICOFAA) and the annual meeting, the Conference of American Air Chiefs (CONJEFAMER). With respect to SICOFAA, participants noted the importance of Costa Rica’s recent accession to the organization. They noted the value of serving as a bridge between the countries of the Caribbean and those in Central and South America.

The event also took place in the context of numerous recent exercises that served to strengthen integration, including Tradewinds (just completed in Barbados in May 2024), UNITAS, Continuing Promise, Resolute Sentinel (with Mexico and Colombia), and Southern Seas, in which Colombia participated, among others. The group also discussed the importance of Colombian-led operations such as ZEUS, as well as Mexican-led cooperative initiatives with the region.

The group discussed the importance of professional military educational institutions such as the Inter-American Air Forces Academy (IAAFA) in strengthening regional integration. They also touched on multinational peacekeeping operations in which many countries in the region have participated, including El Salvador’s contribution to operations in Mali, as well as planned and potential future contributions by regional partners such as Jamaica and Suriname to the United Nations-sanctioned Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti.

Conclusion

The 12th Air Force Central America and Caribbean Air Chiefs Conference emphasized the urgency of cooperation on the increasingly significant challenges that span regions, the institutions of the Inter-American system that facilitate that cooperation, and the personal relationships that build the trust to make cooperation effective. Not surprisingly, given the diverse political perspectives of the countries represented by the Air Chiefs in attendance, the event did not seek or produce consensus on those issues, but it did significantly strengthen the basis for cooperation to anticipate and manage them as they continue to unfold.

Evan Ellis is a professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College. The opinions expressed here are his own and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Air Forces Southern/12th Air Force, or those present at the Central America and Caribbean Air Chiefs Conference.

Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any U.S. Government agency, Dialogo magazine, or its members.