Overview
- Gen. Francis L. Donovan visited Iquitos on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and met Defense Minister Rafael Belaúnde and Comando Conjunto chief César Briceño to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.
- Officials used the trip to set priorities for greater intelligence exchange, logistical support and joint exercises under the Coalition Against the Cartels (A3C) and Peru’s recent accession to Escudo de las Américas.
- The delegation flew by U.S. Bell‑Boeing V‑22 Osprey to the El Estrecho base and the CU PUMA headquarters in Iquitos to review operations along the Putumayo border with Colombia.
- Peruvian authorities explicitly ruled out deployment of foreign combat troops and said future work will focus on training, information sharing and support roles rather than on‑the‑ground foreign combat operations.
- The move targets cross‑border cocaine economies and remnants of Sendero Luminoso in the VRAEM and highlights pressure on porous Amazon frontiers where local communities expect clearer security gains and reduced illegal mining.