01:30 | Iquitos (Loreto region), Oct. 15.
Peru's Defense Minister Rafael Belaunde met in Iquitos, Loreto region, with United States Ambassador Bernie Navarro and Southern Command chief General Francis L. Donovan to strengthen bilateral military cooperation in addressing common security threats facing both countries.
During the meeting, the officials discussed measures to strengthen cooperation in combating transnational organized crime and illegal mining, according to the Defense Ministry.
Likewise, they identified opportunities for cooperation under the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition and Peru's recent incorporation into the Shield of the Americas initiative.
The Peruvian and U.S. delegations exchanged experiences in intelligence and bilateral military exercises, with a view to strengthening their capabilities to tackle common threats.
The meeting laid the groundwork for expanding cooperation against narcoterrorist networks operating in the Valley of Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM).
"This partnership will also enable us to obtain intelligence to combat organized crime that causes deaths, extortion, human trafficking, and other crimes that we have been tackling through the Unified Command," the Defense Minister stated.
As part of the agenda, Minister Belaunde, Ambassador Navarro, and General Donovan traveled aboard a U.S. military Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft to the El Estrecho military facility, located on the border with Colombia.
Subsequently, the delegation traveled to the Putumayo and Mariscal Castilla Unified Command (CU PUMA) headquarters, located at the Alfredo Vargas Guerra military base in Iquitos.
General Donovan—who heads the United States Southern Command—is responsible for U.S. military operations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of the Pacific.
Shield of the Americas
On September 10 this year, Peru formalized its incorporation into the Shield of the Americas initiative, which is linked to the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.
This mechanism seeks to strengthen efforts to combat transnational organized crime through information and intelligence exchange, military cooperation, capacity building, border security, and critical infrastructure protection.
The Chief of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, General Cesar Briceño, accompanied the Defense Minister and the U.S. delegation during their scheduled activities in Peru.
(END) NDP/FHG/JCR/MVB
Publicado: 15/10/2026