President Lobo Meets with General Kelly of the US Southern Command
The meeting covered the United States and Honduras’s bilateral agenda to combat organized crime, handle emergency situations, and explored future areas of military cooperation between the two countries.
Talks included enhanced cooperation in combating transnational threats, support for humanitarian assistance projects, training in missions of peace, and responding to natural disasters. Addressing human rights and participation in bilateral and multinational exercises were also discussed.
In attendance were Foreign Minister, Arturo Corrales; the Minister of Defense, Marlon Pascua; the Honduran Ambassador in Washington, Jorge Ramón Hernández Alcerro; and the U.S. Ambassador in Tegucigalpa, Lisa Kubiske.
This is the first visit of General John Kelly to Honduras as head of the Southern Command, the Pentagon branch responsible for military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Honduran Presidential website (presidencia.gob.hn) indicates that General Kelly is with the Marine Corps, but in fact, the General represents the U.S. Airforce, as outlined in his impressive career. General Kelly took office last November 19th as commander of U.S. Southern Command, after his appointment was approved by the Senate in Washington, D.C. in July. Kelly replaced General Douglas Fraser of the U.S. Air Force after serving as senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense from March 2011 to October 2012.
Background:
General Douglas Fraser comes to U.S. Southern Command from U.S. Pacific Command, where he served as the Deputy Commander from 2008-2009. He is a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a native of Colorado. He spent three years of high school in Bogota, Colombia, graduating from Colegio Nueva Granada in 1971.
General Fraser has commanded operational units across the U.S. Air Force, including the 12th Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan, the 366th Operations Group at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho and the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska from 2000-2002.
Following his time at the 3rd Wing, he commanded the Space Warfare Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado and four distinct commands while serving his second time in Alaska, including Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Defense Region, Joint Task Force Alaska, and Eleventh Air Force at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.
General Fraser’s staff assignments include Aide to the 12th Air Force Commander, action officer for Air Force’s Directorate of Programs and Resources, the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Action Group, and analysis assistant in the Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Requirements. He also served as the Director of the Chief of Staff’s Air Force Operations Group from 1996-1997, as the Executive Assistant to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command from 1999-2000, and was the Director of Air and Space Operations for Air Force Space Command from 2003-2005.
General Fraser’s operational flying assignments include Bitburg Air Base, Germany; Luke Air Force Base, Arizona; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; Kadena Air Base, Japan; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; and Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. He is a command pilot with more than 2,800 flying hours, primarily in the F-15A/B/C/D, the F-15E and the F-16.
General Fraser graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. He earned a Masters Degree in Political Science from Auburn University in 1987. He is also a graduate of Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, National War College, and the Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course.
His decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Legion of Merit.
Background credit: defense.gov
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