Delivered Under USUOUTHCOM Cooperation Programme

El Salvador’s naval forces will receive a Metal Shark DEFIANT 85 patrol boat by the end of March, as part of US Southern Command’s (USSOUTHCOM) cooperation programme, which began in 2017, aimed at supporting and equipping the naval and coast guard services of Central American and Caribbean nations.

Under the programme, the Dominican Republic received a DEFIANT 85 last August, while Costa Rica inducted a DEFIANT 45 and two DEFIANT 38s in December. Guatemala and Hondusras are equally slated to receive a DEFIANT 85 each.

The US Embassy in San Salvador confirmed the arrival of a ‘Near Coastal Patrol Vessel’ from Metal Shark some time this spring, and further stated the vessel had been procured with funds from the US DoD and the Armed Forces of El Salvador. The vessel is to be used to assist the government in continuing its struggle against drug trafficking and other instances of organised crime.

Santiago Rivas and Florencia Lucero Heguy in Buenos Aires for MON