Coordination, support package key in Honduran-led counter-drug operation
A member of the Honduran military discusses the plan for troop and equipment movement during a Rehearsal of Concept drill in preparation for combined Honduran and U.S. Counter-Transnational Organized Crime operations, in Santa Barbara, Honduras, June 1, 2016. This was the first time the Honduran military hosted and led a RoC drill for a CARAVANA mission, demonstrating an increase in effectiveness due to an expansion of Honduran assets and capabilities. During the RoC drill, one Honduran official highlighted recent data showing a marked decrease of Transnational Criminal Organization freedom of maneuver in northeastern Honduras, attributing it to the continued presence of Honduran security and interdiction teams enabled by Operation CARAVANA. CARAVANA is the name given to the recurring operation whereby Joint Task Force-Bravo provides the Honduran military with airlift support to give Honduran troops freedom of movement and access to outposts in the Gracias a Dios, Colón and Olancho departments to disrupt and deter illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons and money. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration by Capt. David Liapis)