A delegation from the Adjutants General Association of the United States met last week with leaders of US Northern Command at Peterson AFB, Colo., to establish a new working relationship for homeland security and civil assistance efforts. Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, Alaska’s adjutant general, called the conference an absolutely essential aspect of working with homeland defense missions, since NORTHCOM provides a critical homeland emergency response service in conjunction with civilian agencies. Members of the AGAUS homeland security committee engaged in discussions on emergency management assistance compacts, placing defense coordinating officers, and managing events such as pandemic influenza.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.