JOINT INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE SOUTH

U.S. Navy says farewell to the Bucket Cover.

Foreign Air Force Liaison Officers to AFSOUTH at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base visit JIATF South for an orientation brief and to meet their counterparts. They are from Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

JIATFS Deputy Director U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Cedric Pringle currently deployed as the JTF-Matthew Commander (Click link for Video!)

The 2015 United States Interdiction Coordinator Awards were presented to Mr. John DiRenzo and Mr. Robert Jankowski from JIATF South. Teams from JIATF South won in three of the eight categories: Interdiction and Intelligence Support Category, Detection and Monitoring Category, and in the Special Recognition/Counter Narcotics Force Enabler Category.The recognition in each of those categories is well deserved and is a testament to the daily efforts displayed throughout JIATF South.

Happy Birthday U.S. Navy!

Congratulations to the senior and junior joint service members of the quarter. They were recognized by the community during the October Military Affairs Committee Breakfast. Committed to Excellence!

Col. Jean Paul Strong, Colombian Air Force, receives the Joint Service Commendation Medal (JSCM) award from Coast Guard Rear Adm. Christopher Tomney, Director JIATF South. The contributions of partner nations are essential to the task force's goal of countering illicit trafficking. Last year, partner nations supported 50 percent of all interdictions and disruption operations.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Cedric Pringle, Deputy Director JIATFS, left, is deployed as the commander of Joint Task Force Matthew, and Rear Adm. Roy Kitchener, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2, visits Joint Task Force Matthew Headquarters to discuss current and future relief efforts in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Oct. 9, 2016. JTF Matthew, a U.S. Southern Command-directed team, is comprised of Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Southern Command and soldiers from Joint Task Force-Bravo’s 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, deployed to Port-au-Prince at the request of the Government of Haiti on a mission to provide humanitarian and disaster relief assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kimberly Aguirre)

http://keysnews.com/node/78030

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/10/07/cutter-mohawk-takes-5-000-kilos-cocaine-water.html

JIATF South has ordered the setting of Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness Five for its members. Which means we are in our normal condition of readiness during hurricane season.

U.S. Southern Command has established Joint Task Force Matthew to oversee U.S. military relief efforts in Haiti and has appointed JIATF South Deputy Director U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Cedric Pringle to command the task force. Read more about it by clicking the link below: https://dialogo-americas.com/en/articles/joint-task-force-oversee-us-military-relief-efforts-haiti

Hurricane Matthew Update: JIATF South remains at COR 4 for accountability purposes through tomorrow morning where we will return to COR 5. Hurricane Matthew is still on track to strengthen and impact South Florida into tomorrow evening. While we should not see any significant weather affects here in Key West, the upper keys and Miami-Dade County will experience high winds and coastal flooding from storm surge. Starting today, many services, bridges, and some secondary roads prone to flooding will be closed in the Miami area and points north. There are no road/bridge closures expected for Monroe County. Public offices and schools in Islamorada and Key Largo are closed today but are expected to reopen tomorrow. Please check the Monroe County Emergency Management website for additional information. While Key West has escaped any significant weather impacts from hurricane Matthew, we will experience service and supply disruptions that could linger into next week. These could include shortages of fuel and perishables so please plan accordingly.

NAS Key West currently remains at Condition of Readiness 5. The Director has issued the order for JIATFS to attain COR 4 to initiate an accounting for our personnel and prepare for potential impacts in the event this storm takes a further turn to the west. Please take appropriate action to prepare your homes and families should any impacts from the storm in the Upper Keys cause outages here in Key West. There are no plans to evacuate or shelter as we are not in the path of the storm. However, travel to and from the Lower Keys may be affected through Friday so plan accordingly.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter mentions JIATF South in the article below, read about it by clicking the link: http://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/961370/carter-asean-ministers-reaffirm-commitment-to-regional-security

JIATF South Director U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Christopher Tomney speaks to Ambassador Linda Taglialatela, U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean on the task force’s detection and monitoring mission during her visit yesterday. JIATF South executes detection and monitoring of illicit trafficking across all domains, and facilitates international and interagency interdiction to enable the disruption and dismantlement of illicit and converging threat networks in support of national and hemispheric security.

Congratulations! JIATF South’s military and civilian members were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and service for the month of September. Committed to excellence!

JIATF South Director U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Christopher Tomney hosted newly promoted brigadier generals and rear admirals attending CAPSTONE (a professional U.S. military education course). Their quarterly visit to JIATF South is part of their course objective.

Admirals from Indonesia Navy visited JIATF South to understand on how it coordinates and partners with military, federal, law enforcement and international partners in countering illicit trafficking.