Costa Rican security personnel are taking part in a new round of U.S.-led regional exercises in El Salvador, where more than 1,200 members of military, security and disaster-response forces from seven countries began training yesterday under the CENTAM Guardian 26 program. The exercise, hosted by U.S. Southern Command and El Salvador’s Ministry of National Defense, runs through April 27 and brings together delegations from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, the Dominican Republic and the United States.
The drills opened at Ilopango, east of San Salvador, with U.S. Southern Command deputy commander Lt. Gen. Evan Pettus telling participants the goal is to build a combined multinational force able to respond to shared threats and crises. U.S. and Salvadoran officials said the training is designed to improve readiness, interoperability and coordination in the face of transnational crime, natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
This year’s exercise includes land, sea and air operations at multiple sites across El Salvador. Official descriptions of the program say participating teams will train in command and control, search and rescue, law enforcement and cybersecurity, along with disaster response, amphibious operations and special tactics. Salvadoran Defense Minister René Francis Merino said the focus is on rapid-response operations aimed at confronting drug trafficking, organized crime, gangs, illegal migration and arms trafficking.
For us here in Costa Rica, the exercise highlights a familiar balancing act. Our country abolished its standing army in 1949, and Article 12 of the Constitution states that the army as a permanent institution is abolished while police forces are maintained for public order. That means Costa Rica’s role in regional security initiatives is carried out through public security bodies rather than a permanent military, giving its participation in CENTAM Guardian a different institutional character from that of most of its neighbors.
The training also fits into Costa Rica’s broader security cooperation with Washington at a time when drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean and Pacific remain a growing concern. In December, Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly approved access for 195 U.S. Coast Guard ships to use Costa Rican ports during the anti-narcotics operations in support of our Coast Guard. That agreement showed how Costa Rica is continuing to strengthen operational ties with the United States on maritime interdiction while still working within its civilian security framework.
CENTAM Guardian has been held annually since 2022, and officials describe it as a platform for improving the region’s ability to act together during security threats and emergencies. The opening of the 2026 edition comes as Southern Command remains heavily engaged in counter-drug operations in regional waters.
