The joint security plan between Ecuador and the United States will last five years

President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa, Senator Christopher Dodd and General Laura Richardson, Commander of the US Southern Command (X/Presidency of Ecuador)

Since January 23, President Biden’s Special Advisor for the Americas, Christopher Dodd, and the Commander of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), General Laura Richardson, have met with senior authorities of the Ecuadorian government, including President Daniel Noboa. This visit is a sign of US support for Ecuador after the increase in violence. In addition to providing law enforcement equipment and funding, the United States said it planned a five-year security plan for Ecuador based on a maritime cooperation agreement signed between the two nations.

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“We have several things that we have done recently with Ecuador. For example, the Security Assistance Roadmap, called ESAR, with Ecuador. And there is only one other country in the region with which we have signed this roadmap. This involves a five-year plan and sets the roadmap for the security cooperation that we will put in place. “We have created a bilateral defense working group and this is how we carry out exchanges between the Pentagon and Ecuador,” Commander Richardson told Ecuadorian media Primicias.

Additionally, Richardson indicated that Ecuador also approved the “framework under which U.S. military personnel operate in a foreign country.” On January 24, the Constitutional Court (CC) ruled that the agreement reached between Ecuador and the United States, known as the “agreement on operations against illicit transnational maritime activities”, does not require the approval of Parliament, so it can come into force force, if Noboa ratifies it. This agreement was signed on September 27, 2023, one month before Guillermo Lasso ended his presidential term, and aims to carry out joint operations to counter illicit transnational maritime activities, such as trafficking in drugs, migrants, weapons of destruction and massive fishing it’s illegal.

The commander of the US Southern Command, Laura Richardson, reiterated Washington’s support for Ecuador. (Yale Loaiza/Infobae).

The overarching objective is for both nations to prevent, detect, combat and disrupt illicit transnational maritime activities, addressing the urgent need to combat organized crime internationally. Furthermore, it establishes rules for aircraft, authorities and ships belonging to law enforcement agencies or institutions of both countries; These must be clearly identified and have the respective authorization from the corresponding state.

These agreements, the commander indicated, will allow for an increased US military presence in Ecuador for “security cooperation, mobile training teams, thematic exchanges, small and medium business exchanges, etc.” Richardson explained to Primicias that, for example, the Southern Interagency Joint Task Force for the detection and monitoring of illicit maritime and air drug trafficking, based in Key West, Florida, carries out missions in the Galapagos due to illicit activities which have been found throughout the archipelago.

Regarding the high-level dialogues held this week, the US commander said that “the purpose of the meetings was to listen. We met with the president and the cabinet… The meeting focused on the security and current situation in Ecuador, the enormous efforts to counter criminal activity, President Noboa’s decision to declare these 22 gangs as terrorist organizations and to empower the military and the police to work together, which is very important and they have done very well in those missions… (Also) It was really nice to meet the Attorney General to hear his point of view. We also visited the commander of the National Police and the Minister of Government and the Interior.” Richardson announced that he will also visit the Minister of Defense, the Chief of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces and the Military High Command.

The United States will not only train the Ecuadorian army, but equip it. (EFE/Jonathan Miranda)

The commander’s agenda will end with a donation of $1 million in equipment to the military forces and the Risk and Emergency Service: “We already have a very solid investment portfolio with Ecuador. Obviously it’s over time. And it’s about cooperation between military forces, between the US Southern Command and the Ecuadorian army. So our portfolio is worth $93.4 million and includes not only the transfer of military equipment, but also humanitarian assistance, disaster response and professional military education.”

Historically, Ecuador and the United States have maintained stable and friendly bilateral relations: “The United States team is here to be Ecuador’s partner… We have a very large and solid portfolio of investments in security and cooperation; Like-minded democracies work together to uncover threats and counter them. And we have a lot of work to do. It’s not like we haven’t already done it. But we will continue this close relationship,” Richardson told Ecuadorian media.

2024-01-25 16:59:00
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