From August 24 to 28, 2026, the capital city of Asunción in Paraguay played host to Fuerzas Comando 2026, one of the Western Hemisphere’s most prominent annual special operations exercises. Among the 18 elite special operations teams from 18 nations across the region in attendance was a contingent from the Belize Defence Force (BDF), represented by its specialized Special Operations Task Unit.
Designed to push the limits of special operations personnel, the exercise featured a rigorous lineup of challenges spanning physical endurance, tactical proficiency, and technical expertise. Each test was intentionally structured to assess competitors’ ability to maintain precision, coordinate closely as a team, and make sound critical decisions under high-stakes pressure. By the end of the five-day competition, the BDF team secured 14th place overall in the field of 17 competing nations.
For the Belize Defence Force, the outcome of the competition is only a secondary measure of the exercise’s value. In a post-event statement, the BDF emphasized that participation itself delivered irreplaceable professional value, creating a rare open platform for troops and command staff to share innovative tactics, exchange institutional knowledge, and deepen practical interoperability with partner military forces from across the Western Hemisphere.
The exercise drew to a formal close with an official closing ceremony, which brought together top military leadership from all participating nations. Key attendees included General Manuel Rodríguez Sosa, Commander of the Paraguayan Army and President of the Conference of American Armies, as well as Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, the current Commander of the Belize Defence Force, who represented Belize at the high-level command gathering.