The Security Assistance Command has been called the Army’s face to the world. One employee fulfilled this literally when she briefed students at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in English and Spanish.
For this and many more accomplishments, Vanessa Lugo, received the League of United Latin American Citizens 2024 Excellence in Service Uniformed Services Public Service Award.
Lugo, a country program manager in USASAC’s NORTHCOM/SOUTHCOM Regional Operations, spoke to students at the institute during the Joint Logistics and Security Assistance class earlier in 2024. The foreign military sales briefing was requested to enhance security efforts with partner nations while developing adaptive leaders to confront challenges using a multinational and interagency approach to regional security objectives.
“Ms. Lugo prepared an FMS 101 overview to provide an in-depth brief … designed to streamline the (foreign military sales) case development process,” Michael Roach, division chief within the USASAC NORTHCOM/SOUTHCOM regional operations, said. “This briefing was also translated into Spanish for ease of understanding throughout the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Ms. Lugo addressed pertinent FMS policy and procedural informational updates and gave an opportunity for a question-and-answer session.”
The SOUTHCOM area of responsibility encompasses 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
She has provided briefings like this for three years. The presentations are beneficial in educating and updating requesters on USASAC’s role as an implementing agency and its organizational structure. The FMS process poses dynamic challenges presented by the current security assistance environment and the challenges of foreign military sales programs to stay agile and responsive to each country’s military materiel needs. Lugo is known to meet all these points in her presentations on this topic. These briefings also include the effects of the FMS process on the SOUTHCOM AOR, and the way-ahead for policy and processes.
“Ms. Lugo has demonstrated excellence and professionalism in her duties as a country program manager, within USASAC, servicing South and Central America, and the Eastern Caribbean,” Myra Gray, deputy to the commanding general, said.
She serves as the country program manager for the Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua and the Eastern Caribbean programs.
In the past, she assisted the Mexico program in the delivery of Humvees and UH-60M Black Hawk multi-mission helicopters for multiple Mexican programs. Lugo has also been instrumental in the Columbia Army program’s deliveries to seven services within that program.
Her multi-country workload, and knowledge of so many military systems help her remain part of USASAC’s “face to the world.”
She is from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, attended the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and received a master’s in business administration from Catholic University, Puerto Rico.
Lugo began her federal career as an intern in 2008 with the Aviation and Missile Command Security Assistance Management Directorate. She began working at USASAC in 2013.
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