U.S. Army personnel practice search and rescue techniques in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during Fuerzas Amigas 2024.
Photos by CATHRYN LINDSAY/U.S. AIR FORCE
For the first time, members of the Mexican and United States militaries conducted a joint disaster response exercise outside a military base as Fuerzas Amigas 24 broke new ground in cross-border collaboration. In June 2024, downtown Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, filled with smoke and 30 mock victims lying on the streets as Mexican authorities requested cross-border assistance from the U.S. to help contain a chemical fire from tank cars on a rail line connecting Ciudad Juárez to El Paso, Texas. The annual exercise demonstrated the increasing operational compatibility of Mexican and U.S. Armed Forces and the practical benefits of mutual aid in cross-border disasters.
About 220 U.S. and 280 Mexican service members participated in the five-day exercise, which had previously been conducted on Mexican and U.S. military bases. Mexican Army Maj. Jose Luis Cora Torres said the scenario called for the Mexican Army to relieve overwhelmed local first responders. “We proceeded to take over. We determined the fire to be intense, so we called for air support,” Cora Torres told Border Report, a U.S. website dedicated to border issues.
U.S. forces deployed two UH-60 Black Hawks and a CH-47 Chinook to Mexico, along with essential lifesaving equipment, including breaching and breaking equipment, rope rescue, and a Jaws of Life. A unit specialized in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense from Joint Task Force Civil Support (JTF-CS) was equipped with tools to respond to a chemical spill, according to the El Paso Times website, citing information from U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).
Earlier in the week, participants responded to scenarios such as a stadium collapse, a chemical spill at a wastewater treatment plant, and the collapse of an airport terminal, and practiced medical evacuations using transport helicopters in Ciudad Juárez, according to the El Paso Times. The exercise concluded with a review of the training and an action plan to deal with future responses to disasters. If a disaster were to strike on the U.S. side of the border, Mexican forces are prepared to assist and support a U.S. response, Cora Torres told Border Report.
Fuerzas Amigas is designed to increase collaboration between the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense, U.S. Army North and JTF-CS — components of USNORTHCOM. Fuerzas Amigas supports each nation’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response policies and plans: Mexico’s National Defense Plan-III and U.S. Defense Support of Civil Authorities.
“The main purpose of [these exercises] is to improve our procedures,” Mexican Gen. Rubén Zamudio, the Mexican commander of the 5th Military Zone, said when the exercise began. “Our teams are working together to perfection. Year after year, we will continue to improve.” U.S. Brig. Gen. Tomika Seaberry said Fuerzas Amigas deepened the bonds between the militaries. “The Mexican Army is our partner … our friend,” she said, according to the Times. “It is rewarding for us to save the lives of our citizens and use our combined resources to do that.”
Fuerzas Amigas, which means “friendly forces,” began in 2011 and has occurred yearly except during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 iteration was the first time the exercise scenarios had been conducted in public view, sparking considerable interest among residents of Ciudad Juárez, the Times reported. “Fuerzas Amigas has enhanced humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities for both nations,” a USNORTHCOM spokesperson told the Times. “In recent years, the U.S. has assisted Mexico in responding to earthquakes and hurricanes, while Mexico has assisted the U.S. with wildfire operations.”