The [[Soto Cano Air Base]], also commonly known as Palmerola Air Base, is a joint [[Honduras]] and [[United States]] military base located near Comayagua in [[Honduras]], approximately 60 miles (97 km) from the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. The airbase became operational in 1981.[^1] ### Operations and Significance The [[United States]] military uses Soto Cano as a launching point for its war on drugs efforts in Central [[America]] as well as humanitarian aid missions throughout [[Honduras]] and Central [[America]]. A large concentration of U.S. troops and the Honduran Air Force academy utilize the airbase. The U.S. military's Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-B) is headquartered at Soto Cano, consisting of a Medical Element – Military Hospital, Army Forces, Air Force Forces, Joint Security Forces, and the 1st Battalion-228th Aviation Regiment (comprising approximately 18 aircraft, a mix of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and CH-47 Chinook helicopters).[^1] ### Political Context The Honduran Constitution does not permit a permanent foreign presence in [[Honduras]]. A "handshake" agreement between the [[United States]] and [[Honduras]] allows the U.S. military's Joint Task Force (JTF-Bravo) to remain on a "semi-permanent" basis. This agreement, an annex to the 1954 military assistance agreement, can be abrogated with little notice.[^1] [[Oliver North]] once used this air base as a base of operations for the [[Iran-Contra Affair|Contras]] in the 1980s. If President [[Manuel Zelaya]] had sided with [[Hugo Chávez]] militarily, the [[United States]] could have lost this airbase in [[Honduras]].[^1] --- ### Footnotes [^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.