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Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) personnel and aircraft recently returned home from Exercise Cooperación III, a multinational disaster relief exercise that took place in Peru from April 19 to May 2, 2014.
The deployment to Peru was the first time the CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter had been deployed outside of North America and the first time it had been transported in a CC-177 Globemaster III.
The Globemaster came from 429 Transport Squadron at 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, and the Cormorant from 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron at 14 Wing Greenwood, Nova Scotia. A CC-130J Hercules from 426 Transport Training Squadron at 8 Wing also deployed, along with crews from 9 Wing Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, and 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia.
Approximately 750 personnel took part Exercise Cooperación III, coming from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Guatamala, Mexico, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Uruguay and Peru.
In 2010, the RCAF participated in Exercise Cooperación I, which was hosted by the Republic of Chile, and sent delegates toCooperación II, which was a tabletop exercise held in Argentina.
The Cooperación exercises are held under the auspices of the Sistema de Cooperación entre las Fuerzas Aéreas Americanas (SICOFAA). SICOFAA (System of Cooperation among the Air Forces of the Americas) grew from an idea within the United States Air Force in 1961 to open a dialogue among senior air force officials of North, South and Central America to discuss military issues and aviation topics. This voluntary, apolitical organization strives to strengthen and promote ties of mutual support among member and observer nations.
It fosters friendships and cooperation among American air forces by sharing experiences, training and education and expertise, and by developing procedures and plans to improve interoperability and combined operations among its members.
In June 2012, the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force hosted the 52nd annual CONJEFAMER (Conferencia de los Jefes de las Fuerzas Aereas Americanas), which is a meeting of American air force chiefs who are members of SICOFAA. This year’s CONJEFAMER will be held in Medellin, Colombia.
