About 280 U.S. Marines headed to Central America

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Miami Herald

About 280 U.S. Marines headed to Central America
By Carol Rosenberg, Miami Herald
Tribune News Service
© May 10, 2015

About 280 U.S. Marines will be sent to Central America any day now.

The operation has no code name, but it’s the fruit of about a year’s planning by the U.S. Southern Command to insert a newly formed expeditionary outfit into the U.S.-run part of Soto Cano air base in Honduras for about 200 days, the longest, largest known Marine deployment on Central American turf in years. About 90 of the Marines will go to Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize.

Details so far are scarce about what the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-South will do exactly. It sounds like it will train friendly forces and be in a position to pivot to high-profile disaster relief efforts. Spokesmen say the Marines will not do double-duty in the drug war.

On April 30, the deputy Southern Command commander, Army Lt. Gen. Kenneth Tovo, testified before a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that the special unit’s ground element will be doing regional training — maritime and river operations, marksmanship and small-unit training. It has an air wing and logistics unit that will be “working with our partners to repair schools and other facilities.”


Read more: http://hamptonroads.com/2015/05/about-280-us-marines-headed-central-america

[GGJohn]

1. Ok.

Annnnnnnnndddddddd!

[Zambero]

2. Look out Texas!

Fortify the sovereign south Texas border immediately. A sneak invasion will be coming in from the south!

[L0oniX]

15. LOL

[cantbeserious]

3. Spent Time At Palmerola Back In The 80s

eom

[sadoldgirl]

4. For crying out loud,

did not the SOS Kerry declare the Monroe doctrine
was over?!

[840high]

5. Is there any place in

the world we're not in?

[Telcontar]

12. Not really, no. First truely global empire

[delrem]

6. Since the coup d'état of '09 Honduras has become somewhat special for the USA. nt

[grandpamike1]

7. Maybe

They are going to attack Cuba and send all of the Texans that Jade Helm will collect in their takeover of Texas, to Guantanamo. That is why Obama didn't close it.

[zeemike]

8. Watch out Venezuela.

You are next on the list.

[DFW]

9. Considering what kind of tropical storms we're probably in for in the next few years

If disaster-coping is what they're really there for, it's a lot more efficient than sending ten thousand relief workers after the fact.

But that would imply a very common-sense use of our military--something we haven't exactly been known for in recent times.

Wait and see.

[nikto]

10. They're going down there for the coffee ...

But they'll stay for the bud.

[Judi Lynn]

11. US Marines Mission In Central America Shrouded In Mystery

US Marines Mission In Central America Shrouded In Mystery
By Kalyan Kumar @diplomatist10 on May 11 2015 2:48 PM

An upcoming mission of the U.S. Marines to Central America has given rise to many speculations. Bereft of any special codename, the mission by a fairly big contingent of marines seems to be in mystery. Being spearheaded by the U.S. Southern Command, with a stated focus to expand the reach of a new expeditionary outfit at the U.S.-run Soto Cano air base in Honduras, the mission is variedly interpreted by different sources.

The hub of operations will be Sota Cana airbase, which the locals call as “Palmerola”, 50 miles north off Honduras’ capital Tegucigalpa. The U.S had been using the outpost in Central America as the resupply site to aid the Nicaraguan Contras in the 1980s and later on as a training site for friendly militaries and reconnaissance flights to chase down the drug mafia.

~ snip ~

Checkmating Russia

Some military analysts also see the marine deployment as a response to checkmate the rising Russian influence in the region. According to Central America expert Douglas Farah, El Salvador may see an undisclosed number of Marines deployed to de “Russian-ize” its weapons systems. In general parlance, the Marine presence would look like a signal “that the United States still cares to train militaries that they feel are relatively OK,” said Farah.

However, Latin American scholar Bruce Bagley is gravely suspicious of the U.S mission and said the move follows the Obama administration’s request to Congress to fund billion in developing the region to shore up the “deteriorating situation in Central America,” which is pushing children to cross over to the United States.

http://www.ibtimes.com.au/us-marines-mission-central-america-shrouded-mystery-1447450

[malthaussen]

13. I love those names that are bigger than the force they describe.

Seriously, "Special-purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-South?" There's a name you can fall asleep typing.

-- Mal

[heaven05]

14. that's all????

[Jesus Malverde]

16. The humanitarian Marines