The United States and Honduras will take part in a joint exercise, Fused Response, over three weeks in May in various locations across Honduras. The exercise supports bilateral cooperation and coordination involving civilian and military personnel from both countries.
As part of Fused Response, U.S. personnel and aircraft will be operating with their Honduran counterparts to enhance our respective rapid crisis response procedures and learn from each other’s best practices.
“Cooperation and integration among partner nations is the best way to face transnational security challenges,” said Ambassador James Nealon. “This civilian-military exercise will leave both the United States and Honduras better prepared for the challenges they face.”
Honduras and the United States spent more than a year preparing for the exercise. “This is another example of the many ways Honduras and the United States work together to face our shared security challenges, including organized crime, narcotics trafficking, money laundering and trafficking in persons,” stated Minister of Defense Samuel Reyes.
Residents in Honduras might notice an increase in the number of U.S. aircraft and helicopters as they participate in the exercise. “All aspects of Fused Response have been carefully coordinated with the appropriate officials in the government of Honduras to help ensure that the exercise not impact the normal, daily activities of the residents in the different areas where the exercises will take place,” affirmed Minister of Security Julian Pacheco.
Fused Response is one of the various joint Civil-Military exercises that the two countries have scheduled this year, including the recent CENTAM SMOKE regional training between firefighters from the United States and Central America, New Horizons, the upcoming special Marine deployment and the arrival of the USNS Comfort Hospital Ship, which will provide medical and humanitarian assistance to thousands of Hondurans around the country.
The press will be invited to a Media Day during the exercise, the date and time of which will be announced shortly.
