US Embassy donates 15 vehicles to the Defense Ministry

Santo Domingo.- The United States Embassy in Santo Domingo on Tuesday donated 15 Jeeps model J-8 to Dominican Republic’s Defense Ministry.

The vehicles, valued at more than US$900,000, are part of the bilateral cooperation program between the Dominican Defense Ministry and the US Southern Command.

“This agreement provides equipment and infrastructure assistance to the Dominican Army to support the sustainable development of trained armed forces, focusing on the fight against transnational organized crime and the promotion of regional security,” the US Embassy said in an emailed statement.

In a ceremony US Embassy chief of staff Patrick Dunn delivered the keys to Defense minister Rubén Darío Paulino, accomanied by senior military officers.

Dunn stressed the cooperation program’s continued success. “This donation is only one piece within the mosaic of constant collaboration between our forces.”

He lauded “the great role of the Dominican seamen and soldiers who work daily to combat regional threats, improving security and protection in the country.”

Paulino thanked the US for the donated vehicles, noting that the they will increase the military’s response capacity to bolster national security.

He added that the Dominican Naval and Army will use the all-terrain vehicles to bolster security along the border with Haiti and the shores to combat transnational threats.