DORAL, Fla. -- U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South officially opened the doors to its new headquarters Friday in conjunction with the U.S. Southern Command ribbon cutting ceremony. The move marks the second time the Marines at MARFORSOUTH have moved since relocating from Panama in 1999.
The move, which results in the co-location of MARFORSOUTH with its combatant command, will give the Marines access to state-of-the-art facilities and a new conference center that will allow MARFORSOUTH to host conferences with its 16 partner nation Marine Corps/Naval Infantries. The new facility also offers support services such as a child development center, a modern gym and the ability to work closer with its SOUTHCOM counterparts.
The improved infrastructure of the new, centralized facility, will help the Marines of MARFORSOUTH better accomplish their mission - to coordinate all U.S. Marine Corps activities in the Caribbean, Central and South America for the SOUTHCOM Commander.
The Marines have a lengthy and distinguished history of operations in the Caribbean and Latin America. MARFORSOUTH traces its roots to the U.S. Marines Corps Barracks, Panama, which was established in 1903 to provide security for the Isthmian Canal Zone, Panama.
Today MARFORSOUTH continues to excel in providing stability in the region. Last year, two Marine Expeditionary Units, with nearly 5,000 Marines, supported the SOUTHCOM Commander and the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) with humanitarian assistance following the devastating earthquake in January.
Additionally, MARFORSOUTH participated in more than 75 Security Cooperation engagements throughout the region, and through its aggressive work with 16 Partner Nation Marine Corps/Naval Infantries continues to increase capacity and promote interoperability with the U.S. Marine Corps throughout the region.
MARFORSOUTH continues to take initiative to support the region by giving the SOUTHCOM Commander a greater flexibility to react to any natural/man-made disasters that may occur in the region with the employment of a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF). During Continuing Promise 2010, a SPMAGTF with approximately 500 Marines from Cherry Point, N.C. supported the humanitarian operations in eight nations: Colombia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama and Suriname with a mission aimed at fostering goodwill and demonstrating the U.S. commitment and support to Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The Marines provided air, ground and logistics support to humanitarian civic assistance activities, and were also poised to provide relief to the region if needed.
MARFORSOUTH continues to support the SOUTHCOM Commander and U.S. Marine Corps’ interests throughout the area of responsibility and is responsible for building and sustaining relationships with our multinational partners through professional and military exchanges and exercises, which help tremendously in humanitarian efforts and preserving peace and stability in a region that includes 31 countries and 10 territories in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.