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From Economic Justice News
Volume 6 Number 1 April 2003
The installation of military bases in Manta (Ecuador), Trjs Esquinas and Letmcia (Colombia), Iquitos (Peru), Rainha Beatrix (Aruba) and Hato (Curacao). These new bases complement the U.S. encirclement of the region, which already included bases in Puerto Rico (Vieques), Cuba (Guantanamo) and Honduras (Soto de Cano). The U.S. is also planning to build bases in El Salvador and in Argentina, and to gain control of the Alcbntara base in Brazil.
The training of Latin American militaries, as in the case of Operation Cabaqas in Argentina, with the participation of 1,500 officers from the U.S., Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. According to government documents from Argentina, the objective of this training is to create a "unified military command" to combat "terrorism..., in a battlefield littered with civilians, non-governmental organizations and potential aggressors." This command would act in the triple border region between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. The authorization for the entry of U.S. troops into Latin American countries includes guarantees of diplomatic immunity.
The installation of mechanisms like System of Surveillance of the Amazon (SIVAN), a $1.4 billion project with surveillance capabilities over 5.5 million square kilometers. Plans for SIVAN include the purchase of military aircraft, like the A-29 Toucan. The Pentagon wants to build a huge radar facility in Argentina, as part of an international surveillance system.
The strengthening of the U.S. defence industry. For example, the Manta base, with the ability to control airspace over a 400 km radius, will be the responsibility of DynCorp, accused of having close ties to the CIA. The Manta base will be equipped with E-3 AWACs and F-16 and F-15 Eagle fighters to patrol the Amazon region, the Panama Canal Zone, and Central America. Other defense contractors, like Raytheon and Northrop, have projected a 50% increase in earnings this year.
From Aerospace Power Journal - Summer 2002
Partnering for Hemispheric Security
Unfortunately, Brazil’s approach- investing heavily in the SIVAM/SIPAM projects and attempting to secure its borders from within- is necessary but not sufficient to assure long-term sovereignty. Because of the lack of regional linkage among Brazil and its neighbors, efforts to control vast borders and reduce criminal, drug, and refugee flows are uncoordinated. Perhaps the tradition of limited security cooperation with other states in the region is a matter of trust. However, the emerging SIVAM capability and ongoing US partnering arrangements in South America may provide an entrée to a Brazilian-hosted operations center for monitoring and integrating counternarcotic, counterinsurgent, and law-enforcement efforts.
At present, the United States provides military advisors, training, and equipment- including radars, communications gear, weapons, and helicopters- to Colombia. Modest US assistance also goes to Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil. The United States provides technical support to several countries in Latin America through radar-surveillance assistance and airborne-warning flights, and C2 through the Joint Interagency Task Force East (JIATF-East) for counterdrug assistance. However, comprehensive counternarcotics and security efforts are not regionally coordinated in real time through a single command center or a single agency in any one country. The limited, bilateral approach to law-enforcement, counterdrug, and counterinsurgency efforts, therefore, is not as optimized or efficient as a more integrated approach.
a $1.4 billion project
With a price tag of $200 million, the EMB-145 Erieye combination fills an emerging market niche. The price of the US Air Force’s E-3 airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft and newer systems such as the Wedgetail3 or Phalcon4 is simply too high for most countries. The combination of a radar and a commuter-type aircraft, however, has brought down the price. The original Swedish air force Saab 340 Erieye combination has not enjoyed any export success due to its lack of endurance. Most likely, the Brazilian aircraft/Swedish radar combination will enjoy considerable export success as other countries discover the affordability of the new AEW&C platform.
SIVAM is "truly a unique program," said Philip Marshall, manager of business development for Raytheon's Wide Area Surveillance and Management program, a new unit intended to market SIVAM's potential.
"No one has put together a [command, control, computers, communications and intelligence] program on a national level," he said.
Originally posted by Ken_Allen
Isn't that called "SETI" here in the USA and most other places around the world?
They use that big satellite in arciebo, puerto rico