US, Mexican officials stress cooperation during binational disaster drill
JUAREZ, Mexico (Border Report) – The nightmare scenario a few hundred yards from the border wall was but a simulation. The swift Mexican and U.S. response was not.
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake had struck as thousands of fans cheered for their team in a packed Juarez soccer stadium. Metal beams and boards littered the stands. Victims were under the rubble.
As soon as the Mexican government called for help, American Blackhawks were flying across the border and hovering over Benito Juarez Olympic Stadium.
A soldier sent down a rope from 75 feet in the air and Mexican first responders attached it to a victim of the collapse. The rescuers motioned with their arms and the helicopter crew pulled up the victim. Crews then flew the individual in critical condition to a mobile field hospital in a south Juarez military base.
Minutes later, a Mexican army helicopter arrived at the stadium. It’s rescue crew pulled a second victim and stretcher away with a soldier keeping the stretcher from spinning on its way up.
Tuesday’s exercise was part of Fuerzas Amigas 2024, a joint U.S.-Mexico military exercise meant to maximize resources in the event of a major natural catastrophe on either side of the border.
“The river divides us, but the interaction between our two communities is extremely fraternal. The people on both sides share a family bond, so it’s very important that our authorities in Mexico and the United States work in coordination to protect them,” said Juarez Civil Protection Director Sergio Rodriguez.
The exercise has brought together 500 U.S. and Mexican soldiers to Juarez. They are participating in different disaster scenarios through Friday. The training includes responding to a chemical spill, a train derailment, the collapse of an airport terminal and other contingencies.
The presence of U.S. troops in Mexico has always been a sensitive subject south of the Rio Grande. Textbooks remind students how Mexico lost half its territory to the Americans in the war of 1846-1848. The story of U.S. Gen. John “Blackjack” Pershing chasing Pancho Villa after the Mexican revolutionary general raided Columbus, New Mexico, is part of Mexican-American lore.
But Gen. Ruben Zamudio, commander of the Mexican Army’s 5th Military Region, and Brig. Gen. Tomika Seaberry, commanding general of the 4th Sustainment Command based in San Antonio, Texas, stressed the friendship and cooperative nature of this week’s training in Juarez.
“I want to thank the American delegation for working with us. The main purpose of this is improve our procedures,” Zamudio said on Tuesday. “Our teams are working together to perfection. Year after year, we will continue to improve.”
Fuerzas Amigas has taken place on both sides of the border since at least 2022. That’s the year troops from both countries met at a military base in Reynosa, Mexico. In 2023, binational exercises took place in Camp Pendleton, California.
Rodriguez said natural or man-made disasters can quickly overwhelm local authorities.
"We need our armed forces to be properly prepared," Rodriguez said. "Their help can be invaluable when civil authorities are stretched to their limit."