U.S. Southern Command Opens Humanitarian Coordination Center for Venezuela

U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has established a Combined Humanitarian Coordination Center (CHCC) at its headquarters in Doral, Florida. The center serves as a hub for U.S. military disaster‑relief operations across Latin America and the Caribbean, specifically to streamline aid for Venezuela.

Operating on an unclassified network, the CHCC co‑locates military, diplomatic, international and partner‑nation representatives to share a common operational picture. According to SOUTHCOM future operations planner Dennis Turner, the center “reduces the time between identifying a humanitarian need and connecting it with an organization capable of meeting that need.” The facility coordinates logistics such as airfield management and the delivery of vital supplies, and it enables rapid information exchange on capabilities and transportation requirements, as noted by Col. Lorenzo Cabrera, Paraguay’s liaison to SOUTHCOM.

The new coordination cell is intended to shave vital hours off mobilization, cut duplication of effort, and improve the delivery of life‑saving assistance in the region’s disaster‑prone environment.