Rapid Alerts

DORAL, Florida - As part of its ongoing commitment to regional security and crisis response, U.S. Southern Command established a Combined Humanitarian Coordination Center (CHCC) at its headquarters in Doral, Florida.

The newly formed center served as a hub for U.S. military disaster relief efforts across Latin America and the Caribbean. Operating on an unclassified network, the cell provided a single location where allied and partner nations, alongside interagency partners, could synchronize humanitarian assistance efforts to improve shared situational awareness and accelerate life-saving assistance.

Since the area of responsibility that SOUTHCOM operates within is highly susceptible to natural disasters, such as devastating hurricanes and major seismic events, rapid response is critical. The Coordination Center aimed to shave vital hours off the mobilization process by having international planning, operations, and logistics experts co-located in a single workspace, all looking at the same common operational picture, said Dennis Turner, SOUTHCOM future operations planner.

“The greatest value of the coordination center proved to be the reduction of the time between identifying a humanitarian need and connecting it with an organization capable of meeting that need,” added Turner. “By bringing military, diplomatic, international, and partner nation representatives together in one place with a common operating picture, we were able to shorten decision cycles, reduce duplication of effort, and improve the delivery of life-saving assistance.”

Historically, U.S. military disaster relief operations, operating in support of the Department of State, the lead federal agency, require complex logistical orchestration. By standing up this dedicated coordination center, SOUTHCOM was able to build the infrastructure required to respond rapidly to humanitarian crises.

The cell is designed to coordinate critical logistics like airfield management and the delivery of vital supplies. During its activation for the recent humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operation, it demonstrated the value of leveraging advanced analytics to stay ahead of the crisis.

“The CHCC enabled participating nations to rapidly exchange information regarding available capabilities, transportation requirements, and evolving humanitarian needs,” said Col. Lorenzo Cabrera, Paraguay’s foreign liaison officer assigned to SOUTHCOM.

Beyond active crisis response, the center prioritized day-to-day preparedness and relationship-building among partner nations. A core component of this operational model was the creation of a "marketplace," a platform where partner nations could transparently highlight their contributions in relief and assistance efforts, ensuring effective multinational cooperation, said Turner.

“The integrated work in the CHCC with partner nations was a true joint and combined effort, allowing us to maintain a clear, shared picture of the situation in the emergency zone,” said Col. Christian Acosta, the Argentina foreign liaison officer assigned to SOUTHCOM.

By promoting continuous dialogue, shared platforms, and joint planning, the CHCC ensures that when U.S. service members are called upon to deliver critical relief, the mission is executed safely and efficiently, reinforcing SOUTHCOM’s role as the trusted partner for Caribbean, Central, and South American forces.