Marine Leaders of The Americas Conference (MLAC) 2025

A member of the media sips water that was poured from a light weight water purification system utilized by Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Southern Command, during a joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise with the Colombian Marines in Coveñas, Colombia, Oct. 2, 2019. A light weight water purification system was used to show members of the media the capability to turn salt water into potable water during a disaster relief situation. U.S. and Colombian Marines have begun a weeklong humanitarian assistance and disaster relief rehearsal in Coveñas, which is on Colombia's Caribbean coast. The exercise will test and strengthen the interoperability and responsiveness between these countries, preparing for real-world disaster scenarios in the region. The task force are conducting training and engineering projects hand-in-hand with partner nation military members in Latin America and the Caribbean during their deployment to the region, which coincides with hurricane season. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Stanley Moy)