U.S., Mexican and Canadian forces train together during Fuerzas Amigas 2025
Photo By Eric Franklin |
Service members wearing chemical protective equipment advance during a response......read moreread more
Photo By Eric Franklin | Service members wearing chemical protective equipment advance during a response scenario at Fuerzas Amigas 25 at Fort Hood, Texas, Dec. 11. The multinational exercise strengthened interoperability between U.S., Mexican and Canadian forces conducting disaster-response and hazardous-material operations. (U.S. Army photo by Eric Franklin) see less
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U.S., Mexican and Canadian forces train together during Fuerzas Amigas 2025
FORT HOOD, Texas — Service members from the United States, Mexico and Canada trained side by side Dec. 6–15 during Fuerzas Amigas 2025, a multinational disaster‑response exercise held at Fort Hood and parts of Central Texas. The event is part of U.S. Army North’s mission as United States Northern Command Army Service Component Command to strengthen partnerships, support homeland defense and enhance the Defense CBRN Response Enterprise (CRE), which provides life-saving support to civil authorities during major disasters.
About 350 U.S. service members and roughly 100 personnel from the Mexican armed forces and Canadian arrmed forces participated. The Civil Support Training Activity conducted the exercise for Task Force 1 of the Defense CBRN Response Force as part of Army North’s quarterly sustainment training to keep disaster‑response forces ready year-round.
The training focused on saving lives quickly during fast-moving scenarios, including a simulated explosion that caused significant injuries, hazardous‑materials events, building collapses and mass‑casualty situations. Teams practiced large‑scale decontamination, medical care, urban search and rescue operations and coordinated helicopter and ground evacuations.
Participants in the exercise said the goal is to build trust and familiarity well before real emergencies occur.
“This experience has value far beyond the company level,” said 1LT Maurice Alviarze, platoon leader in 10th Chemical Company, 48th Chemical Brigade. “If we ever had to respond to a real emergency with international partners, this training builds the trust and familiarity we would rely on.”
This year’s exercise also incorporated scenarios linked to the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. Planners said preparing for an event expected to draw millions of visitors helps all three nations rehearse the types of challenges they may face during a major international gathering.
This year marked the first time Canada joined the traditionally bilateral U.S.–Mexico exercise.
“It’s important for Canada to train with the United States and Mexico so we can identify gaps, understand how each country works and build better interoperability before major events like the FIFA World Cup,” said Maj. Mario Chevalier, CBRN advisor for Canadian Joint Operations Command.
Chevalier said technical procedures translate easily across borders.
“In CBRN operations, there is only one language. A mask is a mask, a canister is a canister and a suit is a suit. We may speak French, English or Spanish, but the procedures that protect lives are the same.”
Search‑and‑rescue teams navigated collapsed structures, trenches and debris fields to reach simulated casualties.
“Out here today you’ve got the urban search and rescue unit and the hazmat unit working side by side with Mexican and American forces,” said Brian Callahan, urban search and rescue lead for U.S. Army North. “It’s a full integration of capabilities.”
Callahan said technical rescue work naturally bridges language gaps.
“Hazmat is like mathematics — we all speak the same language. I may not speak Spanish or French, but we can all point to something and recognize it immediately.”
He added that training together now prevents delays during future emergencies.
“If something happens during the World Cup and these Soldiers end up working together in a real‑world event, this won’t be the first time they’ve met. Training now removes the stumbling blocks we’d otherwise face during an actual emergency.”
Medical teams from the 1st Medical Brigade practiced patient sorting, urgent treatment and coordinated movement across the medical system, mirroring missions they would perform while supporting civil authorities during disasters.
Army North officials said exercises like this ensure forces can integrate rapidly when disaster strikes, a core requirement of the CRE and its responsibilities under Defense Support of Civil Authorities.
“If we don’t build these partnerships now and something happens later, it makes everything harder and wastes valuable time,” said Ted Lopez, division chief of the Technical Support Forces Training Division. “Exercises like this make it easier for all of us to come together and save lives.”
Lopez said realistic training helps ensure the three nations can cooperate without hesitation.
“It behooves us to have responders from Mexico and Canada work with ours, because you never know when we’re going to have to rely on each other in a catastrophic event.”
Those who attended said Fuerzas Amigas will continue to grow, offering more opportunities for multinational teamwork and preparing all three nations to respond when communities need them most.
“We share the longest border in the world. If something happens in Canada, it will affect the United States automatically,” said Maj. Chevalier. “Working together is a no‑brainer.”
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