TUCSON, Ariz. -- The 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Air Force Section Chief Theater Security Cooperation Workshop was held at the Radisson Suites Tucson, Feb. 5-9.
The workshop brought key personnel together to discuss strategy and to plan fiscal years 2019-2021 events in 12th Air Force’s (Air Forces Southern) Area of Responsibility.
“The objective of this workshop is bring different enablers to synchronize U.S. building partner capacity events in Latin America,” said Maj. Rigoberto Pérez, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Theater Security Cooperation Division chief. “All the events, whether it be subject matter expert exchanges or mobile training teams, that fall within the U.S. Southern Command and AFSOUTH strategies”.
Seventeen Air Force Section Chiefs, fourteen National Guard Bureau State Partner Program representatives, as well as, air advisors from the 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron, officials from U.S. Southern Command and Secretary of the Air Force International Affairs joined members of 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) for the workshop.
Throughout the first two and a half days participants were informed on U.S. Southern Command, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) and partner units objectives and capabilities, reviewed assessments of past engagements and received individual country briefs from Air Force Section Chiefs embedded in AOR embassies about the Caribbean, Central and South America.
The third and fourth days the participants focused on breakout sessions where individual foreign country officers met with the Air Force section chiefs, enablers, and support and training entities to establish a one to five year goal for each country, as well as, plan and schedule all of the fiscal year 2019-2021 TSC events.
Major General Howard Purcell, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Air National Guard assistant to the commander, thanked the participants for their hard work and dedication during the closing remarks of the workshop, emphasizing that long term relationships in the AOR are built through the personal engagement events that are planned at this workshop.