---
category: Military Installation
summary: 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.
tags:
- Place
- Honduras
- USMilitary
- ContraWar
- CentralAmerica
---

The [Soto Cano Air Base](/places/soto-cano-air-base/), also commonly known as Palmerola Air Base, is a joint [Honduras](/places/honduras/) and [United States](/places/united-states/) military base located near Comayagua in [Honduras](/places/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](/places/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](/places/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](/places/honduras/). A "handshake" agreement between the [United States](/places/united-states/) and [Honduras](/places/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](/people/oliver-north/) once used this air base as a base of operations for the [Contras](/events/iran-contra-affair/) in the 1980s. If President [Manuel Zelaya](/people/manuel-zelaya/) had sided with [Hugo Chavez](/people/hugo-chavez/) militarily, the [United States](/places/united-states/) could have lost this airbase in [Honduras](/places/honduras/).[^1]

---

[^1]: Seymour, Cheri. *The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal*. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010.