SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras – Exercise CENTAM Guardian 2024 officially kicked off during a ceremony with Honduran, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and U.S. forces on Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, on April 2.
The ceremony marked the start of the first phase of the multinational exercise focused on foreign military partnerships and training. This year, Honduras hosts this phase of the exercise which is designed to develop participants’ interoperability, domain awareness, information sharing, and counter-threat capabilities.
Laura Dogu, U.S. Ambassador to Honduras, and Mr. Kevin Bostick, U.S. SOUTHCOM’s director of training and exercises, attended the ceremony to recognize the efforts of exercise participants in the coming days.
“Regional security depends on the dedication of leaders and military personnel willing to work together in support of common goals,” Dogu said. “Interoperability among partner countries’ armed forces helps to build and preserve regional stability while enabling citizens to participate in the democratic process peacefully.”
The exercise’s 350 participants will conduct training in cyber defense, maritime operations, infantry operations, and medical emergency response procedures, increasing readiness and deterrence among all forces.
“Upon completion of CENTAM Guardian 2024 phase one, the U.S., Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala will strengthen their partnerships and interoperability and generate readiness across U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), U.S. Army South, U.S. Marine Corps Forces South, Joint Task Force Bravo, and 7th Special Forces Group,” said Lt. Col. Innis Bryant, the lead exercise planner for CENTAM Guardian 24.
This year, U.S. SOUTHCOM aligns CENTAM Guardian 24 with Large Scale Global Exercise 2024 (LSGE 24). LSGE 24 is a U.S. European Command-coordinated exercise framework, comprised of dozens of exercises across multiple commands designed to strengthen agility and interoperability with Allies and partners.
U.S. SOUTHCOM is responsible for providing contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. (https://www.dvidshub.net/news/467651/exercise-centam-guardian-24-begins-honduras)
