Gen. Douglas Fraser, commander of US Southern Command, said the organization’s newly opened $402 million headquarters building in Doral, Fla., a part of greater Miami, “demonstrates the commitment of the US to our partners in Latin America.” The four-story facility includes 20 conference rooms, eight training rooms, and a number of offices. The complex, which SOUTHCOM officials officially opened on Dec. 17, also includes a 45,000-square-foot “Conference Center of the Americas” that gives users the ability to translate meetings into multiple languages and conduct video conferences. SOUTHCOM officials said they chose Miami as the HQ site because of its proximity to the 31 countries and 10 territories in the Caribbean and Central and South America that make up the command’s area of responsibility. (Doral report by Arthur McQueen)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
