February 2011.qxd - United States Special Operations Command

As one of the poorest countries in the Western
Hemisphere with a landscape offering seclusion to illicit
traffickers, Honduras has a considerable amount of
criminal activity across its borders en route from South
America to the U.S.
Countries throughout Central America deal with the
common threat of illicit trafficking and are taking efforts
to resolve the problem.
The Honduran military understands the difficulties
facing their nation as they train with a U.S Army Special
Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha, a group of the
Army’s most elite warriors, near a military base in the
coastal town of Trujillo, Honduras.
For members of the ODA, a team composed of
Soldiers assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group
(Airborne), assisting and advising their Honduran
partners assigned to the nation’s Special Forces battalion
is important in order to build their military capacity
against illicit activities. The battalion’s mission is to help
the Honduran government handle the nation’s illicit
trafficking concerns.
The Fort Bragg, N.C.-based Soldiers are assisting the
Hondurans establish their own Special Forces school and
ODAs. This school will help turn Honduran
Commandos, which is their version of U.S. Army
Rangers, into Honduran Green Berets as they transition
from a conventional infantry battalion to a special forces
battalion.
“One of the most important things about interdicting
illicit activities is reaction time,” said a weapons
sergeant assigned to the ODA. “Before they got here, we
were under the impression that the officers took care of
everything. However, with our course, we try to teach
them very similarly to the way U.S. forces do it.”
The U.S. Green Berets are taking the Honduran
Commandos through a six-week course where they train
them in jobs typically found in Special Forces ODAs.
To achieve this, the U.S. trainers are splitting up the
Honduran soldiers into teams consisting of officers,
intelligence sergeants, operations sergeants, and other
specialized jobs, such as weapons, engineering and
medical personnel.
A 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) member observes a
group of Guatemalan Special Operations soldiers conduct
marksmanship drills during a training exercise in Poptun,
Guatemala. The training is key in helping the Guatemalan
forces increase their capacity to combat illicit trafficking in
the region. Photo by SOCSOUTH Public Affairs.
Tip of the Spear
9