The Dominican Republic was connected to the [[Contras|Contra]] war through [[Enrique Bermudez|Enrique Bermúdez]], who served as deputy commander of a Nicaraguan infantry company sent to support a U.S.-led invasion there in 1965. The operation to put down a leftist political movement was one of several instances where Somoza's Nicaragua provided military support for U.S. interventions in the [[Caribbean]] and [[Central America|Latin America]].[^1] ### Historical Context Anastasio Somoza Debayle had sent Nicaraguan troops to the Dominican Republic in 1965 to help the United States quell a leftist uprising. He also sent Nicaraguans to fight in Vietnam. This pattern of military collaboration with the [[United States]] was central to the relationship between the Somoza dynasty and the U.S. government, a relationship that later facilitated the creation of the Contra army from former National Guard officers. Bermúdez's service in the Dominican Republic was part of the military career that later qualified him, in the CIA's eyes, to lead the [[FDN]].[^2] ### Footnotes [^1]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 5. [^2]: Gary Webb, *Dark Alliance*, Ch. 4, Ch. 5.