89th Bde.

Prelude ~ US & Honduran Military History

Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo) formerly JTF-11 Honduras

JTF-Bravo, a component of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), was established in 1983 under the name Joint Task Force-11, and was given its current name in August 1984.

~ click on map to view full map of Honduras ~

It is stationed at the Enrique Soto Cano semi-permanent air base, located about ninety kilometers northwest of Tegucigalpa near Comayagüela, a Honduran-owned facility built in 1982. Soto Cano is also home to the Honduran Air Force Academy.         The joint task force was originally established to support U.S. efforts on behalf of Central American militaries and to “deter the Communist Nicaraguan Contra aggression” during the region's civil wars of the 1980s. At its 1980s peak, over 2,000 U.S. military personnel were stationed at Soto Cano.

November 1993, 410th MP Company The 410th MP Company, approximately 120 strong, was deployed from Fort Hood, Texas, to Central America at the Tacan Mountain radar site, Soto Cano Air Base, Comayagua, Honduras to join Joint Task Force-Bravo.

        During the deployment the 410th MP Company assignment was to perform a security and law enforcement mission.

        The company also conducted team certification, squad lanes, and ARTEP in a field environment.

        The MP’s also participated in some humanitarian projects that were not part of the original deployment mission.

        With the region at peace, SOUTHCOM describes JTF-Bravo's current mission as "to enhance cooperative regional security through forward presence and peacetime engagement operations."3 Specific activities include exercises, humanitarian and civic assistance (HCA) projects, disaster relief, and support for counter-drug operations. JTF-Bravo, a SOUTHCOM document adds, also assists Central American armed forces in "restructuring their militaries to fit changing security requirements.