FRIDAY FOTO (June 15, 2012)

Bridge? What Bridge?

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Karen Kozub

What’s wrong with this picture? Why are these guys crossing a bridge that has no floorboards?

Actually they’re special operations team members from the Dominican Republic’s military tackling their first obstacle during a special forces competition. Fuerzas Comando (commando forces) 2012 was held from June 6-14 at the Colombian National Training Center on Fort Tolemaida, Colombia. The goal is to promote military-to-military relationships and increasing familiarity with each others’ equipment, weapons and tactics while fostering improved regional security. There was also a separate leadership seminar running concurrently in Bogota, Colombia’s capital.

Capabilities tested during the special operations competition include: physical fitness, marksmanship, aquatic skills, close quarters combat and tactical skills.

Military and police teams from 21 nations across the Americas and Caribbean took part in the competition sponsored by U.S. Southern Command.

They came from the Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. and Uruguay.

Colombia won the competition, followed by Ecuador in 2nd place and Uruguay in 3rd place. The full results are here.

To see more photos of the competition, click here. Videos of the competition are available here.

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