US Army to stage counter-drug training exercises in South America

Automatically curated summary from Defense One - All Content.

At the Association of the United States Army annual meeting, Gen. Joe Ryan stated that U.S. Southern Command is refocusing its multinational training exercises in South America toward counter-cartel and anti-terrorism operations. Directed by SOUTHCOM commander Marine Gen. Frank Donovan, the shift aligns with National Defense Strategy priorities placing homeland defense and the Western Hemisphere at the top. Ryan noted that while exercises will directly target drug cartels' economic bases, the Army is also expanding its regional aviation footprint over the next few fiscal years.

Context and limitations

Based solely on remarks reported in a news excerpt; specific timelines, unit force structure changes, and partner nation agreements are not fully detailed.