Fuerzas Comando: Integrated Assault

ILOPANGO, El Salvador - The competitors in the Fuerzas Comando competition faced an “Integrated Assault” challenge June 21, completing the last event of this year’s competition.

Nineteen six-man teams consisting of two snipers and four assaulters competed in the event. The sniper team shot two watermelons at a 175 meter distance to begin the exercise. 

Then the assault team proceeded to move toward the shoot house to clear 12 targets identified as threats.The team had to breach the house’s main entrance with a large mallet. Once in the shoot house, the teams had to eliminate all the threats located inside and rescue a hostage dummy. Each team had to carry their hostage back to the finish line to successfully complete the eventThe Fuerzas Comando competition will conclude June 23 with an awards ceremony.

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Fuerzas Comando competitors evaluated on critical

A lane judge penalize a Bahaman special operations member as he engages targets June 18, 2011 at the Critical Tasks Evaluation event of Fuerzas Comando 2011 at the Shangallo Range. Fuerzas Comando, established in 2004, is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored special operations skills competition and senior leader seminar which is conducted annually in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

ILOPANGO, El Salvador – Brazil and Panama went target for target and forced a draw as the two-day Critical Tasks Evaluation event of Fuerzas Comando 2011 wrapped up June 18 at the Shangallo Range here. 

Fuerzas Comando was established in 2004 as a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored special operations skills competition and senior-leader seminar featuring nations from Central and South America and the Caribbean.

A Nicaraguan special operations member engages targets 

The event began June 17 when the nine teams in Group A, led by last year’s winner Ecuador, tackled the course. Four-man teams engaged four stations, one competitor at a time. Each station tested the competitor’s accuracy and agility in firing and switching weapons while subjecting them to the pressure of the clock.

Brazil and Panama led the 10 teams of Group B who closed out the event this morning.

A Guatemalan special operations member engages targets 

After two days of ducking, switching and shooting an American lane judge said he saw firsthand how the competition inspired the participants to a higher level.

“Everybody out here is real competitive and they all push themselves,” he said.

A member of the Chilean team, representing his country for the fifth time, said the experience he and his teammates have gained is a great boon to his country’s police force.

“The majority of the competitors here are in the Army, and there are only a few countries – Panama, Costa Rica, Chile – with police forces. It’s a great opportunity for us to see where we stand against our Army brothers and for us to level up with them.”

A Costa Rican special operations member engages targets 

He said the Critical Tasks Evaluation event in particular translated well to real-life scenarios.

“I had a small hiccup firing my pistol which threw me a bit, so I had to readjust just like in real life. Things don’t always go your way 100 percent … but the hallmark of a good special operations member is the ability to work around equipment failures to accomplish the mission,” he said.

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Fuerzas Comando 2011

Photo by Sgt. Luke Rollins

Fuerzas Comando, which was established in 2004, is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored special forces skills competition and senior leader seminar which is conducted annually in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

ILOPANGO, El Salvador – Special operations teams from across the Americas participated today in the Pistol and Rifle Qualification event of Fuerzas Comando 2011 at the Centro Especial Anti-Terrorista compound here, demonstrating their precision marksmanship skills. 

Fuerzas Comando was established in 2004 as a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored special operations skills competition and senior-leader seminar featuring nations from Central and South America and the Caribbean.The event kicked off day two of competition as the 19 teams faced a 100-meter range consisting of four rifle rounds and four pistol rounds. 

Each round tested the shooter’s proficiency in a different position for a maximum possible score of 400 points on each weapon. After seeing a full day’s shooting that saw dramatic shifts in weather, the judge said the teams did not disappoint.“I think [everybody] did their country proud,” he said. “Looking at the shooting, myself being a shooter, I’d say they’ve done well.

And looking at the conditions – it’s overcast and it was raining for some teams – they went out and put their best foot forward.”Adapting to the climate was a main feature of the Colombian team’s training, said one team member.“The training we did back in our own country was very similar to this, and we tried to get it as close as possible to what face here.

With pistol and rifle qualifications we had ranges setup almost exactly like this one in different climates and altitudes to try to prepare as much as we could for the event,” he said.Each event is as much about training as it is about winning, said the judge, who competed seven times before returning this year for his first turn as an evaluator. 

Though every team wants to succeed, in the end it is the spirit of cooperation that prevails.“It’s a kind of unity together. We get to know people, people get to know us. And if duty calls that we’re to work together, we know how to work together with each other,” he said.

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