Top security leaders from 13 nations meet in Costa Rica for Central American security forum

Photo By Jose Ruiz | Costa Rica’s President Luis Guillermo Solís and U.S. Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command, greet each other prior to the opening ceremony for the Central American Security Conference April 7 in San Jose. The event was attended by 140 participants from 13 nations, including top government, defense, and police leaders from Central America, North America, South America and the Caribbean, who focused on cooperation targeting threats to the region. (Photo by Jose Ruiz)  

COSTA RICA

04.08.2016

Story by Michael Wimbish   

U.S. Southern Command

By Jose Ruiz, SOUTHCOM Public Affairs

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Top government, defense, and police leaders from Central America joined counterparts from North America, South America and the Caribbean in San Jose, Costa Rica, April 6-8 to resume their annual discussions on cooperation targeting threats to the region that connects the Western Hemisphere’s two largest continents.

2016 marks the first time Costa Rica hosts the Central American Security Conference. Also referred to as CENTSEC, the event was attended by more than 140 participants representing 13 nations and co-hosted by Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Security and U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

Costa Rica’s role as CENTSEC host “makes clear its leadership in citizen security and the fight against organized crime and narcotrafficking,” wrote U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica S. Fitzgerald Haney in an OpEd published April 6 by the country’s leading newspapers.

This year’s CENTSEC marks the eleventh time nations from the hemisphere gather to discuss the region’s security and how to effectively work together to strengthen it. The participating delegations included all seven Central American nations and the United States. Delegations from Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Mexico also attended the event as observers.

The once defense-only annual forum has changed somewhat since SOUTHCOM first developed it with partners nations from the region more than a decade ago.

“It has evolved in that we have incorporated our interagency partners and law enforcement partners in the region, said U.S. Air Force Col. Willie Berges, chief of SOUTHCOM’s Political Military Affairs Division, which oversees the command’s CENTSEC planning and coordination with the region.

According to Berges, participation in the conference also changed as the themes and discussions incorporated issues and missions led by other government institutions.

“The discussion has evolved from a defense focus to a more holistic, whole-of-government approach,” he explained.

Counter illicit trafficking cooperation, crime prevention, border security, maritime security, support to law enforcement and human rights were among the topics on CENTSEC’s agenda this year.

Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís welcomed participants during the opening ceremony April 7.

“I hope this conference, convened to explore new areas of cooperation, succeeds in cementing even more what has become -- at least in the Latin American-Caribbean experience -- a recurring need to work together in a much closer way,” said the president.

“We won’t solve all problems here in San Jose,” he added. “There will be other conferences in other countries, but the spirit of cooperation, of understanding, of solidarity, of friendship, (and) of lucidity must prevail.”

During his first address to CENTSEC attendees as SOUTHCOM commander, Adm. Kurt Tidd described what the delegations aimed to achieve during the event.

“Our goal is to find new ways to work together, whether by repurposing a multilateral exercise to improve our collective interoperability, or refocusing on ongoing Martillo operations, or redoubling our efforts to standardize human rights training for our militaries and our police forces,” he said. “Let’s be creative, and let’s be bold in our thinking.”

Luis Gustavo Mata, Costa Rica’s Minister of Public Security reiterated his country’s commitment to working closely with regional partners against the criminal threats they face.

“This country has been a trusted ally in the efforts against trans-border crimes affecting us as nations and as a continent,” the minister affirmed.

According to Joint Interagency Task Force-South, Costa Rica is among the top four countries that contributed to the 192 metric tons of cocaine seized or disrupted as a result of the task force’s operations in fiscal year 2015. In March, working closely with the task force, Costa Rican authorities interdicted or disrupted four maritime cocaine shipments, each event resulting in approximately 600 to 700 kilograms of cocaine seized.

Berges said the expertise and experience of this year’s CENTSEC host served the discussions well.

“The majority of issues of concern are a law enforcement lead,” he said. “Countries like Costa Rica have a unique viewpoint on how their security institutions tackle these challenges.

Berges credits the dialogue facilitated by CENTSEC with improving the participating countries’ insights about their region’s security and how they choose to collectively tackle threats and challenges.

“This key engagement has allowed regional leaders to come to a common understanding and framework to address regional concerns,” he added, citing Operation Martillo and recent disaster-response cooperation in Central America as examples of security efforts resulting from prior CENTSECs.

• Date Taken: 04.08.2016
• Date Posted: 04.08.2016 11:48
• Story ID: 194804
• Location: CR