All amounts in U.S. dollars. Numbers in italics are estimates, usually based on the closest year for which data are available.

All amounts in U.S. dollars. Numbers in italics are estimates, usually based on the closest year for which data are available.

All amounts in U.S. dollars.

All amounts in U.S. dollars.

Document: Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Program and Budget Guide, Fiscal Year 2010

Program: International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement

Program Objectives and Performance Indicators Enhance the abilities of the Government of El Salvador (GOES) law enforcement agencies to detect and interdict trafficked drugs.

• Increased interdiction of narcotics
• Increased arrests and convictions for gang related crime.

Document: Joint Task Force-Bravo deploys to support damage assessment team in El Salvador

Program: Humanitarian and Civic Assistance

Joint Task Force-Bravo personnel deployed Nov. 11 to El Salvador in response to recent torrential rains that have caused flooding and landslides there.

Thirty-seven Joint Task Force-Bravo personnel, four helicopters (one HH-60, one CH-47 and 2 UH-60s) and a command and control package departed for El Salvador, where they will meet up with a team of U.S. Army engineers to conduct damage assessment.

“Joint Task Force-Bravo will play a critical role by providing air capability to the damage assessment team,” said the mission commander U.S. Army Lt. Col. Curtis Anderson. “With help from our helicopters, the assessment team will be able to get a broad, bird’s-eye-view of the damage done by the recent storm.”

Document: PANAMAX: Teamwork against terrorism

Program: Exercises

Fuerzas Aliadas PANAMAX is an annual exercise tailored to the defense of the Panama Canal against transnational threats. PANAMAX 2009 is designed to address a spectrum of possible threats, including terrorist acts against the canal, to ensure a multinational force can respond to any request for support from the Government of Panama while respecting national sovereignty.

Fuerzas Aliadas PANAMAX is an annual exercise tailored to the defense of the Panama Canal against transnational threats. PANAMAX 2009 is designed to address a spectrum of possible threats, including terrorist acts against the canal, to ensure a multinational force can respond to any request for support from the Government of Panama while respecting national sovereignty.

Ultimately Fuerzas Aliadas PANAMAX is about working together and learning from each other in order to promote trust and foster willingness for continued collaboration and teamwork. PANAMAX offers the opportunity to strengthen the ability to operate together which ultimately strengthens security of the hemisphere.

Participants and observers include forces from Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States and Uruguay. The ground portion of the exercise is being conducted at Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis, both in San Antonio from Sept. 13-21.

Document: Opening Ceremony Kicks Off FA PANAMAX 2009

Program: Exercises

More than 4,500 personnel from 20 countries began a 12-day exercise here Friday to train in a joint, multinational effort to ensure the security of the Panama Canal.

FA PANAMAX 2009 is one of the largest multinational training exercises in the world, and is taking place in the waters off the coasts of Panama from Sept. 11-22 with the participation of civil and military forces.

More than 20 vessels and a dozen aircraft are involved in the exercises. Participants are focusing on a variety of responses to any request from the Government of Panama to protect and guarantee safe passage of traffic through the Panama Canal, ensure its neutrality, and respect national sovereignty. Simulated ground forces are also participating at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.

The FA PANAMAX 2009 exercise scenario includes sea-based training devoted to maritime interdiction operations, including visit, boarding, search and seizure. Virtual land-based training in San Antonio, Texas, will focus on command and control, stability operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief operations.

FA PANAMAX 2009 participating nations include: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States and Uruguay. France and Mexico are scheduled to participate as observers. The Conference of Central American Armies, the Organization of American States and the United Nations will also participate.

Document: MEDRETE provides free medical care to El Salvador villagers

Program: Humanitarian and Civic Assistance

Twenty-three members of Joint Task Force-Bravo worked alongside members of the Salvadoran military and the Salvadoran Ministry of Health to make the MEDRETE a success. Together, the medical team provided care to more than 900 patients during the two-day exercise.

Document: U.S. Army Leads Multinational Peacekeeping Exercise in Guatemala

Program: Exercises

The U.S. Army is working hand-in-hand with the Central American Armed Forces Conference to enhance stability and cooperation throughout the region with their annual Peace Keeping Operations Exercise here.

The current three-week-long exercise consists of various training venues and culminates with a final command-post exercise Aug. 15-17 where students will get a chance to put into practice all the information and skills they learned during the annual Peace Keeping Operations Exercise

This is the third and final phase of annual exercises designed specifically for this region.

The conference, known as CFAC, is comprised of The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras and was established approximately a decade ago.

This annual exercise equips CFAC troops with the knowledge and tools to effectively execute peacekeeping missions and respond to natural disasters, within United Nations standards, throughout the region.

During this 16-day phase, a class consisting of 86 students representing the various countries, learn everything from convoy and security operations to medical evacuation and public affairs procedures all within United Nations guidelines.

The exercise took approximately 3 months of coordination and planning and the team is already looking to plan future exercises, said Kempf. “Next year, the focus country will be Chile, and in 2011, it will be in Brazil.”

The overall goal is to enhance interoperability and improve security and cooperation of the people in the region

Document: USNS Comfort Wraps Up Humanitarian Mission in El Salvador

Program: Humanitarian and Civic Assistance

The hard work of Comfort’s crew was evident in both the number of patients treated and the quality of care they received. The medical and dental staff triaged more than 19,000 patients and performed 185 surgeries. The veterinary staff treated 3,270 animals and the pharmacy filled 32, 644 prescriptions. The optometry department dispensed 5, 367 pairs of glasses and 2,062 pairs of sunglasses.
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Another important part of the mission was the education and training exchanges between Comfort crewmembers and host nation personnel through both “hands on” sessions and classroom lectures. More than 2,000 students across all disciplines were given classes on topics ranging from tropical diseases in the area, dental health, and more. Salvadoran instructors were also on board for two days to help instruct the students and Comfort staff.

Document: FY 2010 Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign Operations

El Salvador is an important partner for U.S. regional counter-narcotics and law enforcement efforts, a leader in the implementation of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), and the host for the Secretariat for the Central American Integration System (SICA). U.S. foreign assistance resources will work to address the threats posed by a surge in criminal violence and gang activity that deters foreign investment, fuels illegal migration, and undermines popular support for democratic government by focusing on the following key objectives: upgrading the quality of basic education, improving the health system, sustaining higher levels of economic growth needed to reduce poverty, supporting efforts to implement CAFTA-DR, improving the rule of law and good governance, and combating transnational crime and narco-trafficking.

Peace and Security: U.S. Government programs will focus on countering transnational street gang violence, enhancing Salvadoran law enforcement capabilities, and furthering the professionalization of El Salvador’s Armed Forces. U.S. agencies will train, equip, and mentor El Salvador’s police, judiciary, and public security organizations. U.S.-funded security assistance will help train and equip the Salvadoran military to better control its borders, participate in international peacekeeping operations, respond to natural disasters, increase its maritime security capability, and engage in counter-narcotics missions. Continued U.S. assistance to two institutions located in El Salvador, the Comalapa Cooperative Security Location (a staging facility for U.S. anti-narcotics surveillance operations) and the San Salvador International Law Enforcement Academy, will prove crucial to realizing U.S. public security objectives throughout the region.

In FY 2010, the U.S. will continue to enhance training focused on interoperability between military and civil law enforcement forces. Training courses will address El Salvador’s territorial integrity, maritime patrol and search and seizure, and a mobile course titled, “Legal Aspects of Border Security and Counter Narcotrafficking,” in which 18 officers from the Salvadoran Armed Forces participated in FY 2008. In FY 2009 the U.S. also plans to train military and police personnel in maintaining diesel motors, which power the 599 watercraft used to conduct littoral and maritime patrols. Additional specific courses are to be determined. The increase in FY2010 funding will be reflected in FY2011 targets.

Governing Justly and Democratically: The United States will work in partnership with the Government of El Salvador (GOES) to continue to support the priorities of reducing crime and corruption through a balanced, integrated approach of community crime and violence prevention coupled with justice sector reforms and improved law enforcement. Community crime will be addressed through the expansion of civil society activities, public-private sector alliances, capacity building at multiple levels of government, improved policy making, and coordination and implementation of prevention strategies. In support of the U.S. Government anti-gang strategy, additional assistance will be given to local governments and civil society to establish and strengthen activities that deter youth from joining gangs, and enable municipal government to act as a catalyst in making communities safer. These activities will complement those expected to be carried out under the Merida Initiative, including activities targeted toward communities that are vulnerable to crime. Justice sector reform efforts will focus on improved justice sector processes, particularly in the areas of criminal justice and criminal investigation, legislation and regulations, and transparency. Assistance will continue promoting anti-corruption measures and encourage more transparent and accountable management of public resources and decision-making at the various levels of government. Emphasis will be placed on increased involvement of civil society and the private sector, and continued support for the new administration following national elections.

Investing in People: U.S assistance will focus on helping El Salvador achieve the healthy and educated workforce necessary to sustain a growing economy and democracy. Health programs will support the GOES’ efforts to improve the health of mothers and children (including reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates through quality hospital-based services and a focus on the prevention of hospital-based infections). While family planning assistance is phasing-out, U.S. assistance will continue strengthening the GOES' voluntary family planning program. The bilateral HIV/AIDS program will continue to work to slow the incidence of new HIV infections by focusing on prevention among the most at-risk groups.

While continuing to improve the quality of basic education, activities will also help provide academic and vocational competencies and strive to increase the number and quality of secondary school graduates. Teacher training will continue to be a priority area of emphasis, and peer and adult counselors will be trained to work with out-of-school adolescents in developing their life skills in non-school settings. FY 2010 funds will permit the expansion of education program for schools specifically in high-risk, difficult-to-reach areas with low levels of performance. The focus will be on improving the quality and effectiveness of education while building on new competency-based language and teacher training programs developed and continuously improved upon elsewhere in the country. With an increased focus on teacher training, a growing number of primary aged students will benefit from the program, leading to higher rates of success at the secondary level. In collaboration with the GOES’ Ministries of Health and Education, U.S. assistance will strengthen management systems, thereby contributing to the sustainability gains made through U.S. support. Additionally, support to the current private-public sector alliances program will ensure an increased flow of resources to the social sector.

Economic Growth: U.S. assistance will continue to bolster trade capacity building activities in El Salvador as part of a regional effort to help CAFTA-DR signatories take advantage of trade relations with the United States. The United States will help the GOES address key fiscal policy constraints that limit long-term growth and enhance the participation of small and medium sized enterprises in local and global markets. Programs will also work at the sub-national level to promote investment and job creation. Assistance will help municipalities improve enabling environments for local businesses and secure long-term financing for growth-enhancing investments. As El Salvador’s economy grows, firms are finding it difficult to find workers with specific technical skills. Accordingly, local training institutes, universities, and private sector firms will be targeted to improve training for workers in service, export-oriented, and other growing 600 industries. Finally, the United States will work to improve the ability of the GOES to sustainably manage and protect economically important, but endangered, marine and coastal resources focusing on coastal areas of high biodiversity importance.

FY 2010 funds will help enhance the skills of Salvadoran workers, building the competitiveness of local firms in the global economy. The program objective is to improve the functioning of the Salvadoran labor market so private sector demand for skilled workers can be met. The Unites States will focus on developing occupational skills standards and competency certifications so that more Salvadorans have a certified competency level, generating and disseminating consumer-based reports complemented with career counseling and placement, improving the labor market information system, and developing alliances with the private sector to improve technical and vocational education and training.

Linkages with the Millennium Challenge Corporation On November 29, 2006, El Salvador signed a $461 million MCC Compact. The Compact will continue supporting human development, productive development grants, and transportation connectivity projects. The U.S. foreign assistance package is designed to support El Salvador in maintaining its eligibility for MCC funds during the full five years of Compact implementation.

Document: International Narcotics Control Strategy Report

In the coming year, the DEA and INL San Salvador will work with the PNC and DAN to establish two mobile inspection teams capable of deploying to highway choke points adjacent to El Salvador’s land borders with Guatemala and Honduras, as well as stand up a specialized container cargo inspection unit at the port of Acajutla. Automated fingerprint analysis equipment is installed and training completed; 2009 will be the first full year of applying this important crime fighting tool.

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For its part, the USG will provide significant support in the coming year under the Merida Initiative--a partnership between the governments of the United States, Mexico, Central America, Haiti and the Dominican Republic to confront the violent national and transnational gangs and organized criminal and narcotics trafficking organizations that plague the entire region, the activities of which spill over into the United States. The Merida Initiative will fund a variety of programs that will strengthen the institutional capabilities of participating governments by supporting efforts to investigate, sanction and prevent corruption within law enforcement agencies; facilitating the transfer of critical law enforcement investigative information within and between regional governments; and funding equipment purchases, training, community policing and economic and social development programs. Bilateral agreements with the participating governments were in the process of being negotiated and signed at the time this report was prepared.

Document: International Narcotics Control Strategy Report

Policy Initiatives. U.S. assistance focuses on increasing the operational capacity of Salvadoran law enforcement agencies to interdict narcotics shipments and combat money laundering, financial crime, and public corruption. There is also a strong emphasis on transparency, efficiency, and institutional respect for human and civil rights within Salvadoran law enforcement organizations and the criminal justice system. The USG provides support for Salvadoran measures to fight organized crime, including a test case for the new extradition law, as well as anti-money laundering efforts of the PNC financial crime unit and federal prosecutor’s Financial Investigative Unit. USG support also aids Salvadoran efforts to fight transnational gangs. These measures are intended to improve public security and counter street-level drug sales, narcotics consumption, and related violence.

Bilateral Cooperation. In 2008, the U.S. provided operational support to the joint DEA and DAN high profile crimes unit (GEAN), as well as training and logistical assistance to various DAN entities. The USG has increasingly focused on training and equipping the Salvadorans to deal with emerging narcotics threats, such as diversion of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, and possible establishment of methamphetamine labs in El Salvador. The International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) provided police management and specialized training to the region, with strong Salvadoran participation (148 as of October 2008).

An INL Regional Gangs Advisor began coordinating anti-gang policy and initiatives for El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala in January 2008. Although gang involvement in narcotics trafficking appears to be confined to retail distribution, the Regional Gang Advisor is nonetheless routinely consulted on narcotics issues that may factor into his area of responsibility, including programs that combat gangs, such as prison reform and CAFÉ (fingerprint exchange). The U.S. Coast Guard provided training and technical assistance on marine law enforcement and other maritime control and management measures.