Marines Aid Fight Against Drugs, Transnational Crime

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2012 – Officials at Joint Interagency Task Force South are welcoming the contributions that a 200-member Marine Corps detachment is making toward tracking drug traffickers and other transnational criminals.

The Marines -- mostly from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Marine Forces South in Miami -- deployed to Guatemala City at the Guatemalan government’s request Aug. 11, reported Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Earnest Barnes, Marine Forces South spokesman.

Since their arrival, they have been patrolling the skies over Guatemala’s littoral waters with four UH-1N Huey helicopters, reporting suspicious activity as part of Joint Interagency Task Force South’s Operation Martillo mission, which kicked off in January.

Detachment Martillo also is using enhanced communications to increase the task force’s monitoring and detection capabilities to help Guatemalan authorities quickly apprehend and prosecute illicit traffickers, and seize their shipments, Barnes said.

Barnes emphasized that the Marines are not directly involved in apprehending traffickers and are serving only in a supporting role.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Steven J. DePalmer, Joint Interagency Task Force South’s deputy director, praised the Marines’ contributions. “Our Marines are well-suited to work with the Guatemalans against transnational organized crime. With their aerial surveillance helicopters and communication support, the U.S. Marine detachment deployed in support of Operation Martillo provides an enhanced capability to partner-nation efforts.”

Operation Martillo, which translated, means “Operation Hammer,” specifically targets illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American Isthmus -- the route for more than 90 percent of the cocaine destined for the United States.

The goal, explained Coast Guard Rear Adm. Charles D. Michel, the task force commander, is to “take pressure off these Central American countries.”

Particularly in the northern triangle area of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, “thousands of their citizens are being murdered,” Michel told American Forces Press Service. “Government officials are being corrupted. Institutions are being rotted from the inside out. Portions of their territory are no longer effectively under their control.”

“That is instability,” the admiral said, “and that is a national security threat, right in our backyard.”

Operation Martillo is showing progress in working with partner nations to address that threat. Since Jan. 15, law enforcement and Coast Guard members operating under its umbrella seized or disrupted shipments that included more than 108 tons of cocaine, almost 8 tons of marijuana and $3.5 million in laundered money, reported Jody Draves, the task force’s public affairs officer.

Michel had high praise for the interagency and international teamwork that has made Joint Interagency Task Force South “the most effective and efficient counter-illicit trafficking, detection, monitoring and law enforcement organization the planet has ever known.”

The task force stood up 23 years ago as Joint Task Force 4 as a new model of intergovernmental cooperation in dealing with drug trafficking. The staff includes representatives of all five armed services, including the National Guard and reserves, members of various federal law enforcement entities, the intelligence community and their counterparts from 13 partner nations.

Even as the Marines tentatively plan to wrap up their support mission Oct. 31, Michel said, he’ll continue to press for more assets – particularly ships and aircraft – to support the task force’s mission.

“If we had more assets, we would be able to make an even bigger dent into this effort,” he said. “You give me assets, and I’ll show you results.”

Guantanamo Bay Kicks Off Annual DEFY Summer Camp

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Justin Ailes, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (NNS) -- Nineteen children at Naval Station (NS) Guantanamo Bay, Cuba attended the opening day of the installation's Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) summer camp, Aug. 15.

The DEFY program is offered to children ages 9-12, and is designed to deter "at-risk" behaviors by providing students the tools they need to resist substance abuse and develop positive social skills.

"The first day of DEFY really sets the tone of the camp for the kids," said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Jodie Hurlbut, NS Guantanamo Bay DEFY operations coordinator. "The children will benefit from this program by taking away positive life lessons which reinforce the message of reaching their full potential by avoiding drug and alcohol abuse."

Established in 1993, the DEFY program is in its 19th year of providing character development, drug education, and mentorship to military children. NS Guantanamo Bay's eight-day DEFY day camp incorporates learning activities while involving representatives from numerous tenant commands and departments on base.

Day one of the summer camp provided children with an interactive field-trip to NS Guantanamo Bay's Military Working Dog facility and training area where students witnessed a firsthand demonstration of Security department K9s in action.

"The students learned how military working dogs and their handlers react in the presence of drugs or other detrimental contraband," said Hurlbut. "Today's trip was an educational experience that provided information on the potential dangers in the world today."

DEFY is a nationwide, professionally developed curriculum that incorporates key characteristics of successful substance abuse prevention programs as identified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

"We have numerous activities planned over the coming days and we are focused on providing a memorable and positive influence on GTMO's youth," said Hurlbut.

USS Nicholas Brings Home 4 Tons of Drugs from Operation Martillo

From U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs

MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate USS Nicholas (FFG 47) delivered more than four tons of cocaine and marijuana to Naval Station Mayport, Fla., seized from drug interdictions conducted in support of Operation Martillo, July 17.

Crew members offloaded approximately 3,408 kilograms (7,500 pounds) of cocaine, and 109 kilograms (239 pounds) of marijuana, with an estimated wholesale value of more than $93 million. The amount of cocaine seized was enough for 7.2 million doses, each dose approximately the same size as a sugar packet.

USS Nicholas is returning to port after a 175-day deployment supporting counter illicit trafficking operations aimed at disrupting transnational organized crime and keeping drugs off the streets.

"With the help of some partners in the region we accomplished what we set out to do; disrupt the drug trade," said Cmdr. Stephen Fuller, USS Nicholas commanding officer. "Interdictions are challenging, but with the help of other naval units, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the partner nation navies, we executed a successful deployment."

During the deployment, Nicholas with embarked U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) conducted a combination of six disruptions and interdictions while in the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters of South and Central America.

Also during the deployment, Nicholas transited the Panama Canal twice, conducted passing exercises and an officer exchange with the Colombian Navy, certified 22 pilots through Helicopter Anti Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 42 Detachment 9, four underway replenishments with a Chilean oiler, celebrated the anniversary of the War of 1812, and a "Crossing the Line" ceremony when the ship crossed the equator.

U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels, U.S. military and patrol aircraft from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, along with the support of allied and partner nation (PN) forces assisted with patrolling coastal regions from Colombia to Mexico to detect and monitor illicit traffic in order to cue and support PNs and U.S. interagency interdiction efforts.

Patrol airplanes from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 77 (VAW-77), Patrol Squadron Eight (VP-8) operating from El Salvador and U.S. Customs and Border Protection long range patrol aircraft operating from Jacksonville, Fla. And Corpus Christi, Tex., use sophisticated sensors to detect suspicious vessels and coordinate interdictions by the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and partner nations patrolling the region.

More than 80 percent of the narcotics entering Central America and largely transiting through Mexico on their way to U.S. markets enter via maritime littoral routes, with the main conveyance being "go-fast" boats. By teaming up with regional partner nations and allied forces to scrutinize the littorals, transnational organized crime networks will be denied those routes.

LEDETs belong to Tactical Law Enforcement Team South or Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team and are an armed deployable specialized force under the USCG's Deployable Operations Group. They were created to support narcotics interdiction operations aboard U.S. Navy and allied ships and are capable of supporting DOD national defense operations. LEDETs provide specialized law enforcement capability and maritime security capabilities to enforce U.S. laws across a full spectrum of maritime response situations, maritime security augmentation and maritime interdiction anti-piracy operations.

Operation Martillo (Spanish for 'hammer') is a U.S., European, and Western Hemisphere partner nation effort targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus. This joint service, interagency, and multinational operation is being led by Joint Interagency Task Force South, the agency charged with detection, monitoring, and supporting the interdiction of illicit trafficking in a 42 million square mile area under the direction of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).

Operation Martillo is a component of the U.S. government's coordinated interagency regional security strategy in support of the White House strategy to combat transnational organized crime and the U.S. Central America Regional Security Initiative.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet (COMUSNAVSO/C4F) supports USSOUTHCOM joint and combined full-spectrum military operations by providing principally sea-based, forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.

Panetta Reaffirms Partnership, Friendship With Chile

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

SANTIAGO, Chile  – In talks here today with his Chilean counterpart and the nation’s head of government, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta discussed ongoing and emerging issues, from drug trafficking to cyber security, that the countries plan to address as partners.

During this first visit to the country as defense secretary, Panetta met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and Defense Minister Andres Allamand at the Ministry of Defense in Chile’s capital and largest city, Santiago.

“The United States and Chile are neighbors, we are friends, and we have built a longstanding defense relationship founded on mutual respect, shared values and the goal of advancing peace and stability in this hemisphere and beyond,” Panetta said during a joint press conference this afternoon with Allamand.

“This shared goal has been the focus of my meetings throughout Latin America,” the secretary added, “and it was the focus of my meetings today with President Pinera and Minister Allamand.”

Chile is the third South American country Panetta has visited this week, after successful meetings with counterparts and officials in Colombia and Brazil.

In today’s meeting, Panetta said, he and Allamand continued a discussion that began last month in Washington, in which they considered how to enhance collaboration in areas of key interest to both nations.

The areas include enhancing the security capacity of nations in the hemisphere, countering illicit drug trafficking, meeting humanitarian needs, working together on issues like cyber security, confronting those who would undermine the stability of the nations, and examining defense institutional reform.

An example of the U.S.-Chile common effort to confront narcotics trafficking is called Operation Martillo, a multinational and interagency drug-interdiction effort to shut down illicit trafficking routes on both coasts of the Central American isthmus.

“Chile is making an important contribution to this effort,” Panetta said, “and earlier today the United States announced that, as part of Operation Martillo, our forces conducted a major drug bust off the coast of Panama, seizing $362 million worth of cocaine.”

The secretary commended the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service who were in the lead in that effort, with the support of the U.S. Southern Command.

“These are the kinds of results that strong partnerships can deliver,” he added.

“Today’s operation shows how important it is for countries in the region to cooperate and work together to confront these kinds of threats,” Panetta said, “and build even stronger mechanisms of regional security cooperation.”

Another example is the ongoing effort to strengthen regional security cooperation, the secretary said, “particularly as we look ahead to this year’s [October] Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas in Uruguay, which both the minister and I will be attending.”

Panetta and Allamand also discussed cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster response coordination.

“This initiative I believe will improve our ability to respond to natural disasters by creating a framework to share information, share expertise and deliver the capabilities that we absolutely need to help save lives for our people more quickly and more effectively,” Panetta said.

Chilean officials clearly understand what it means to respond to natural disasters, he added, and Chile’s critical lessons learned must be shared with the rest of the hemisphere.

“I commend Chile’s leadership in helping advance this proposal,” the secretary said, “and I look forward to working with them to try to make this a reality.

Panetta noted Chile’s success in helping those who suffered in Haiti’s 2010 earthquake and tsunami, and in December 2011 the hundreds evacuated from a massive forest fire that raged through Torres del Paine Park in Patagonia, one of the country's most popular national parks, destroying more than 21,000 acres.

“I commend the Chilean government and the Chilean people,” Panetta said, “because they are an inspiration to the United States and the world in overcoming adversity and emerging even stronger.”

Chile and the United States share more than a hemisphere, he said.

“We also share the Pacific Ocean, and we are both Pacific nations,” he said, adding that the security and prosperity of both nations depends on the Asia Pacific region.

“That’s where many of the key challenges and opportunities in the 21st century lie,” the secretary said.

Panetta detailed the Defense Department’s new defense strategy for 2020 and Chile’s important role.

Allamand said Chile was the first country in South America to sign a free-trade agreement with the United States, and that his nation is in the final stages of drafting its first national defense and security strategy.

Between Chile and the U.S., the defense minister said, “we share a lot of principles, in terms of what is the needed [for] a safer world.”

“ … We share concerns about the risks of what are called the new threats to security such as drug trafficking, organized crime, civil attacks, terrorism and arms proliferation,” he said.

“We agree on the importance of the Pacific and the need to safeguard the value of peace on regional and global levels,” Allamand added. “And we agree that in the future the global security of the world demands cooperation and innovative alliances among all countries.”

Panetta said the U.S.-Chile defense relationship in many ways is a fulfillment of the Defense Department’s new strategy.

“It is exactly the kind of partnership we need under the strategy to help advance global peace and global security,” the secretary said.

“So I’m very grateful to the minister and to the president and to the Chilean people for their friendship, for their shared commitment to building a safer world for the future,” he added.

“We are one family in this hemisphere, una famiglia, as we say in Italian,” Panetta said. “And like any family, we must work together to give our children a better life, a more secure life, and protect our people.”

Navy to Begin Testing for Synthetic Chemical Compounds

From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy announced Mar. 12 that it will begin random testing of urine samples this month for synthetic chemical compounds like Spice.

Commanders may take appropriate actions related to health, safety, and security based on a positive result. Every positive sample will be sent to NCIS for further investigation with a view towards potential disciplinary or adverse administrative action by the service member's command.

"There is zero tolerance for the use of drugs - synthetic or otherwise - in our Navy," said Vice Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk, Chief of Naval Personnel. "Synthetic chemical compound drug use impacts a Sailor's career, their family life and overall well-being while also impacting Fleet Readiness. If a Sailor makes a poor choice and uses these types of drugs, they need to know that there will be consequences."

The initial testing will be conducted by a contracted laboratory, with Navy Drug Screening Laboratory capable of conducting in-house testing later this year.

The Navy has been testing urine samples seized from suspects during criminal investigations for nearly a year. Navy and Marine Corps commanders can have urine samples tested for several of the compounds found in Spice-like products at the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES) when the sample has been collected in conjunction with an ongoing investigation.

The capacity for testing for designer drugs will continue to expand. During fiscal year 2012 the Navy will invest $1.73M to test for synthetic chemical compounds and expects to increase that amount to $2.9M in fiscal year 2013.

The Navy continues to educate Sailors on the dangers of drug use to include new and designer drugs through targeted awareness campaigns and continues to work closely with local governments to identify users and distributors.

This program is a key element of the readiness area of the 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative which consolidates a set of objectives and policies, new and existing, to maximize Sailor and Marine personal readiness, build resiliency and hone the most combat-effective force in the history of the Department of the Navy.