U.S. AND HONDURAN MILITARY EXCHANGE FOR THE CONSERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

Tegucigalpa, Honduras – Members of Joint Task Force-Bravo of the U.S. Southern Command stationed at the Enrique Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras will carry out a cultural heritage conservation exchange in cooperation with members of the 120th Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Honduras in the Copán Ruins from March 7-11. 

The Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History and the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Laboratory of the Virginia Museum of National History will participate in the joint training.  This exchange will help Honduran partners identify and preserve sites of historical importance during disaster events and in their routine operations throughout the country. 

These engagements strengthen relationships among partner nations by integrating U.S. military engineers and civil affairs professionals with military counterparts, local archeologists, and international anthropologists. 

An example of this commitment was the visit of U.S. Southern Command Commander General Laura Richardson to Honduras on February 23 and 24.  During her visit and as part of her agenda and commitment to the Honduran people, General Richardson had the opportunity to donate 18 ultra-low temperature freezers to increase Honduras’capacity to store four million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. 

With this donation, there are already 23 ultra-low temperature freezers that the United States government, through the Office of Security Cooperation under the U.S. Southern Command Humanitarian Assistance Program, has donated to the Honduran Ministry of Health.  Additionally, the United States has donated more than 3.8 million doses of vaccines to Honduras through the COVAX mechanism. 

As part of the Southern Command’s Enduring Promise to its regional partners, Joint Task Force-Bravo routinely conducts training to increase interopoerability among its Central American Partners. 

 

March 3, 2022