GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA –
COL Phillip Brown, commander of Joint Task Force Bravo based out of Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, and CSM Greggory Daily visited regional partners and Civil Affairs teams in Guatemala from 22 - 29 March 2023 and reaffirmed the Task Force’s commitment to our regional partners and discussed how to strengthen respective partnerships.
The first stop for the team was visiting Joint Task Force Bravo’s Civil Affairs team in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala to attend a donation at the local fire department in Quetzaltenango. Items donated included helmets, gloves, emergency supplies and a electric rescue tool.
From Quetzaltenango they traveled to Guatemala City, command team met with representatives from regional partners Batallon Humanitario y de Rescate (BHR), Coordinadora Nacional Para La Reduccion de Desastres (COMRAD), and D5.
Each organization briefed their capabilities, provided a tour, and discussed how they can strengthen partnerships with JTF-Bravo.
BHR commander, Coronel V. Orozco, organized a demonstration of their emergency response capabilities that included rope climbing and extraction techniques, fire suppression and control, and emergency evacuation techniques.
Before departing, COL Brown took the opportunity to address the BHR service members focusing on the importance of teamwork.
Next they met with Director Oscar Estuardo Cossio, Executive Secretary of CONRAD, where the command team was briefed on locations in Guatemala that are most susceptible to disasters.
Director Cossio showed how CONRAD is growing to include a cell for partner organizations like JTF-Bravo to integrate during emergency responses and showcased the capabilities of their warehouse operations in response to an emergency.
Lastly, the command team met with COL Alvarado Ruiz, D5, Guatemala director of Military Civic relations. They discussed the impact JTF-Bravo’s Civil Affairs teams have on the stability within communities and how their organization is looking to expand their own civil affairs teams for greater impact.
With each visit COL Brown emphasized the importance of maintaining and strengthening partnerships. Explaining that as their neighbors, their problems are our problems and through our partnerships we can accomplish more and respond to disasters at the speed of relevance.
As USSOUTHCOM’s forward deployed Joint Task Force, JTF-Bravo is pushing to remain the partner of choice. Collaborating with our regional partners, JTF-Bravo strengthens relationships and supports the well-being of communities together.