Soto Cano Air Base
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 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 Contras in the 1980s. If President Manuel Zelaya had sided with Hugo Chavez militarily, the United States could have lost this airbase in Honduras.1
Sources
- Seymour, Cheri. The Last Circle: Danny Casolaro’s Investigation into the Octopus and the PROMIS Software Scandal. First Edition. TrineDay, 2010. ↩
Local network
Soto Cano Air Base's direct connections. Click any node to navigate, drag to pan, scroll (or pinch) to zoom. + 2‑hop expands the neighborhood one level further.