US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta begins his first Latin America tour Monday, traveling to Colombia, Brazil and Chile to bolster bilateral military cooperation and regional security ties.
Panetta is “looking to expand the defense and security cooperation with three important countries in the world, increasingly important players on the regional stage but also in terms of their leadership internationally,” press secretary George Little told reporters last week.
Panetta, who took over as defense secretary last year, was due to make stops in Bogota, Rio de Janeiro and Santiago, Little said.
The defense secretary’s tour will begin in Bogota. He will be the first senior US official to visit Colombia after a scandal involving US Secret Service agents who used the services of prostitutes ahead of Summit of the Americas in Cartagena.
Colombia has helped train thousands of police officers in Mexico and Central America in recent years, and this assistance was expected to increase following the signing of a bilateral agreement with Washington during the summit.
The Pentagon is facing drastic budget cuts in the next five years.
Panetta will meet with his Colombian counterpart, Juan Carlos Pinzon and President Juan Manuel Santos in Bogota.
During the visit, there could an announcement about aid to the country, Pentagon sources said.
On Tuesday, Panetta will travel to Brazil for meetings with Defense Minister Celso Amorim and President Dilma Rousseff.
While the partnership with Bogota remains strong, the recent cancelation of a $380 million contract with Brazil to buy aircraft manufactured by Embraer for the Afghan army has clouded the relationship with the South American giant.
Embraer and Sierra Nevada were awarded the contract in December for the 20 AT-29 Super Tucano warplanes but the Air Force called off the deal in February after a legal challenge from rival Hawker Beechcraft Corp.
The AT-29 Super Tucano, a turboprop aircraft designed for low-threat environments, is used to conduct advanced flight training, aerial reconnaissance and light air support operations.
The Pentagon has called for a new round of bidding for the contract, but in any case, the equipment will not be delivered before 2014.
Panetta is willing to discuss the issue with his Brazilian counterpart, a senior official said, without offering further details.
But the case can affect a $5-billion megacontract considered by Brazil, which wants to buy 36 new fighters for its Air Force. The bidders for this piece of defense pie include Boeing, France’s Dassault and Sweden’s Saab.
Washington also wants to discuss with Brazilian officials cooperation in Africa on issues such as peacekeeper training and security arrangements for the upcoming World Cup and the Olympic Games.
After a stop in Rio de Janeiro to give a speech at a military academy, Panetta will travel to Chile, where Panetta wants to talk about the country’s experience in using the military during natural disasters.
He will meet with Defense Minister Andres Allamand and President Sebastian Pinera.
The United States is also preparing for the next meeting of defense ministers of the Americas, which will be held in Montevideo in October.
At that meeting, as many as 14 countries could join an accord establishing a regional military cooperation mechanism in case of natural disasters, another official told reporters.