Air Forces Southern Commander Major General Barry Cornish visits Belize

Published by BBN Staff at January 28, 2021

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Posted: Thursday, January 28, 2021. 9:33 am CST.

By BBN Staff: The United States Embassy in Belmopan welcomed the official visit of Major General Barry Cornish, the 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) commander to Belize.

Major Cornish was in Belize from January 25-27.

Gen. Cornish is the highest-ranking U.S. military official to visit Belize since 2019.

General Cornish met with senior officials from Belize’s Ministry of National Defense and Border Security as well as representatives of the Belize Defense Forces to emphasize the strong and enduring security partnership between the United States and Belize.

On January 26, General Cornish met with Minister of National Defense and Border Security Florencio Marin, Minister of State Oscar Mira, CEO Brigadier General (Retired) Dario Tapia, Chief of Defense Rear Admiral John Borland, Belize Defence Force Commander Brigadier General John Borland, BDF Air Wing Commander LTC Raymond Shepherd, and Director Alford Grinage of the Joint Intelligence Operation Center.

General Cornish has facilitated the delivery of donated ambulances through the Denton Humanitarian Aid Program.

Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Keith Gilges observed that the visit by the high-level commander of Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH) underscored the importance of the U.S. relationship with Belize, “We live in challenging times, which currently include threats from natural disasters, unstable borders, drugs, and transnational crime, and of course COVID-19. Gen. Cornish’s visit demonstrates the priority that the United States places on our partnership with Belize since our militaries’ long-standing partnership continues to play a critical role in addressing these challenges together.”

AFSouth is the air force component to the U.S. Southern Command and it conducts security cooperation and provides air, space, and cyberspace capabilities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

AFSOUTH supports U.S. Southern Command to deter aggression, defeat threats, rapidly respond to crises and work with our allies and partner nations to build regional capabilities to ensure a free, secure, and prosperous Western Hemisphere.

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