New Mexico Guard trains with Costa Rican partner
Story courtesy of the New Mexico National Guard
Soldiers from the 1-171st General Aviation Support Battalion of the New Mexico National Guard offload a UH60A Black Hawk Helicopter from a U.S. Air Force C17 after its arrival in Costa Rica. The 1-171st GASB will perform search and rescue operations and damage assessment missions in response to simulated natural disasters in Costa Rica, including an earthquake, mudslides and flooding during Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias 2009. (Photo By Officer Candidate Tabitha Baker, New Mexico National Guard)
download
hi-res photo
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (4/22/09) - About 70 members of the New Mexico Army National Guard will participate in the largest military exercise in Costa Rica since partnering in with the country in 2006 to improve security, stability and foreign relations.Â
From April 20-26, the New Mexico Guard will join a regional disaster relief field training exercise, Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias 2009, which is designed to test and improve regional and national disaster response capabilities for earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and a pandemic within Central America and the Caribbean Basin.
New Mexico’s Aviation Support Battalion with three UH60A Black Hawk helicopters and medical detachment will respond to a series of simulated natural disasters including an earthquake, flooding and mudslides, performing search and rescue and medical operations. Â
During the exercise, New Mexico Soldiers will perform search and rescue, damage assessment and medical care missions in response to several simulated natural disasters in Costa Rica, including an earthquake, mudslides and flooding.
Medical treatment missions for Costa Ricans without regular access to medical care began April 21. Disaster simulations will begin today.
The exercise is being held in cooperation with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Relief Agency and Coordination Center for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America.
About 25 countries, including Honduras, Costa Rica, Antigua, and Barbuda/Grenada, will also participate in the exercise as well as active duty, reserve and National Guard forces from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. It is sponsored by U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Army South.
New Mexico is partnered with Costa Rica in the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, which is a national diplomatic program that links the National Guard of each U.S. state with foreign nations to promote regional security, peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, counter drug operations and to promote open trade markets.
The state partnership program is instrumental in building worldwide stability by nurturing collaborative relationships with foreign countries around the globe.
Related Stories
Photos
NM Guard in Costa Rica