AFSOUTH awards SICOFAA undersecretary Air Force Meritorious Service Medal

DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz.-- Chilean air force (FACh) Col. Marcelo Garcia, System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces (SICOFAA) undersecretary general, received the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal during a ceremony at 12th Air Force, Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH) headquarters on June 5.

The award recognized Garcia’s contributions to strengthening cooperation among the air forces of the Americas through SICOFAA during his two-year tenue as undersecretary general. His efforts helped enhance interoperability, facilitate information sharing and enabled member nations to coordinate responses to regional readiness and cooperation throughout the Western Hemisphere.

“One of SICOFAA's true values is helping partner nations understand what is happening in their neighboring countries and providing support,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. David Mineau, AFSOUTH commander. “Your leadership has been the steady drumbeat of SICOFAA. Thank you for your leadership and keeping all the partner nation air forces connected.”

Established in 1961, SICOFAA is a voluntary, non-political organization that brings together air forces from across North, Central and South America to strengthen cooperation, interoperability and regional partnerships. AFSOUTH supports SICOFAA’s mission by fostering collaboration among member nations, facilitating information sharing and helping build the trusted relationships that enable coordinated responses and burden sharing in the region.

“After learning about SICOFAA, its mission, and working alongside its members, I quickly came to appreciate the vital role this organization plays in strengthening cooperation among our air forces,” said Garcia. “Beyond the daily work, I had the privilege of building friendships and professional relationships with personnel across SICOFAA. Those connections are the foundation of what we do and are permanent in time.”

Through SICOFAA, Garcia helped bring partner nations together through 12 international conferences and played a leading role in large-scale multinational exercises. These efforts strengthened coordination among member nations and reinforced the organization’s ability to respond to regional challenges. By building relationships before crises occur, those efforts improved readiness and supported emergency management efforts across the hemisphere, including major flooding in Colombia and Ecuador, Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and wildfires in the United States.

“Whether responding to humanitarian crisis and disaster relief operations, sharing knowledge or exchanging professional experiences, our cooperation makes us stronger and better prepared to assist,” said Garcia. “Serving in this position has been the most rewarding experience of my career; it challenged me in new ways that allowed me to grow beyond the logistics field where I have spent most of my professional life.”

Garcia’s dedication was vital to implementing the air chiefs’ collective strategic vision for SICOFAA, which emphasizes improving air domain awareness and strengthening regional collaboration to address burden sharing across the Americas.

“Marcelo’s efforts have strengthened partnerships to create a more secure and safe hemisphere,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Gumersindo Santiago Rodriguez, SICOFAA director of operations. “His leadership was essential in drafting and implementing the air chiefs’ vision, establishing air domain awareness as a core strategic objective in the new 15-year strategic plan.”

From sharing lessons learned to developing tactics, techniques and procedures, SICOFAA enables a lasting framework of cooperation among the air forces of the Americas while advancing regional security and interoperability.

Garcia’s recognition highlights the shared commitment of partner nations to addressing regional challenges together and strengthening the relationships that contribute to a more secure and resilient Western Hemisphere.

Following his assignment at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Garcia will return to Chile, where he will continue strengthening the longstanding partnership between the FACh and AFSOUTH while advancing shared regional security objectives.