Partner Nation Liaison Officers Assigned to SOUTHCOM Visit U.S. Army South

By Mr. Alex Delgado (ARSOUTH)November 9, 2010

Partner Nation Liaison Officers Assigned to SOUTHCOM Visit U.S. Army South
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. Manuel Ortiz, deputy commander, U.S. Army South, speaks with Colombian Army Col. Oscar O. Lopez, and Chilean Navy Cmdr. Luis F. Bravo during their visit to U.S. Army South Oct. 05. They were part of a delegation of Foreign Liaison Officer... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Partner Nation Liaison Officers Assigned to SOUTHCOM Visit U.S. Army South
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Mark Costello, U.S. Army South, Speaks with Brazilian Marines Cmdr. Elson L. Gois, U.S. Air Force Maj. Pedro Matos, and Peruvian Army Col. Juan C. Liendo during their visit to U.S. Army South Oct. 05. They were part of a delegation of Foreign Li... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

A delegation of Foreign Liaison Officers assigned to U.S. Southern Command visited U.S. Army South for a series of briefings and tour of the command, Oct. 05.

The group representing U.S. Southern Command consisted of Brazilian Marine Cmdr. Elson L. Gois, Canadian Army Ltc. James D. Waddell, Chilean Navy Cmdr. Lous F. Bravo, Colombian Army Col. Oscar O. Lopez, Peruvian Army Col. Juan C. Liend, and Uruguayan Navy Cpt. Hugo De. Barros.

U.S. Army South staff greeted the group and provided a command briefing which included the command history, broad overview of ongoing operations, and capabilities of the command. Col. Erich Rose, deputy director, U.S. Army South Operations, addressed the group during the briefing and encouraging more participation of partner nations in future joint exercises.

"We can only reach success though cooperation and partnership between our countries," said Rose. "When we reach out together and make a positive change in someone's life, it will reflect positively on every country involved."

Foreign Liaison Officers assigned to U.S. Army South also provided their own briefings to the group. "I would like to express our appreciation to U.S. Army South for providing a forum where we can all communicate our mission with not only Army South, but with our neighbors who are here with us today," said Brazilian Ltc. Valerion Lange, Brazilian Foreign Liaison Officer to U.S. Army South.

The Army Foreign Liaison Officer Program was established to facilitate cooperation and mutual understanding between U.S. Army and armies of allied and friendly nations. A Foreign Liaison Officer is a foreign government military member or civilian employee who is authorized by his or her government, and is certified by a Department of the Army component in connection with programs, projects, or agreements of interest to the governments.

U.S. Army South currently has a total of three Foreign Liaison Officers assigned to the command. Brazilian Ltc. Valerion Lange, Chilean Col. Luis Chamorro, and Colombian Col. German Lopez Guerrero. Each representative offered their continued dedication to regional security and partnership through communication and friendship with their neighbors and Army South.