In a historic event for bilateral relations between Argentina and the United States, both nations signed a memorandum of understanding on March 13 to carry out an ambitious cooperation program in the field of Special Operations Forces (SOF).
This agreement, the result of three days of intense discussions between the military leaders of both countries, initiates a process that will allow Argentine troops to train directly alongside their American counterparts, expanding the capabilities of both nations in the field of special and high-risk operations.
The signing of this agreement took place between Colonel Néstor Oprandi, Joint Commander of Special Operations of the Armed Forces of Argentina, and Captain Nikolaos Sidiropoulos, Director of Strategy and Special Operations Plans of the United States Southern Command.
This signing occurred within the framework of the SOF Talks, a series of bilateral meetings held between March 10 and 13, whose main objective was to identify new cooperation opportunities in both operational and elite forces training areas of both countries.
A strategic alliance
The Joint Special Operations Forces Command, created in 2018 by a resolution of the Argentine Ministry of Defense, will be the body responsible for coordinating this new phase of cooperation.
This command, currently led by Brigadier General Xavier Isaac and Brigadier General Cristian Pafundi, is a relatively young structure that has been consolidating capabilities and resources to face increasingly complex challenges in the field of special operations.
In the next two weeks, Rear Admiral Mark Shafer, Commander of Special Operations of the United States Southern Command, is expected to arrive in the country to formally sign the memorandum with General Pafundi, thus marking the beginning of even closer cooperation.
The collaboration between this command and the Argentine forces aims to improve interoperability and the capability of both countries to face common threats in the Americas.
