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Offices and Departments  

Military Liaison Office MLO 

Welcome to the Military Liaison Office (MLO)

American Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname, 2006

The Military Liaison Office (MLO) represents U.S. Southern Command in Suriname.

Our goal is to help in the development of the Armed Forces of Suriname by organizing/providing training and purchasing required equipment. In doing this, we hope to reinforce military subordination to civilian control and produce long term military professional development.

The MLO is responsible for implementing a variety of Security Assistance Programs and Exercises, including:

  • Humanitarian Assistance Civic Action
  • The Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) 
  • International Military Education and Training IMET) 
  • Foreign Military Finance (FMF) 
  • Excess Defense Articles Program (EDA) 
  • Traditional Commander’s Activities (TCA)
  • Regional Training Exercises 

Through these programs, the MLO promotes cooperation between the U.S. and Surinamese militaries, civilian control and the increased professionalization of the Surinamese Armed Forces.

During the past three years, the MLO has carried out the following programs in conjunction with the Surinamese Armed Forces:

  • Joint Combined Education and Training (JCET) program
  • Three Medical Readiness Training Exercises
  • Malaria Vector Control Assessment
  • Donated $200K school supplies to the Ministry of Education
  • Renovation of Suriname’s National Emergency Operations Center
  • Construction of two disaster relief warehouses
  • Medical first responder training
  • Donation of $250K medical first responder equipment
  • Exercises attended by Surinamese soldiers abroad:
    • TRADEWINDS
    • Fuerzas Armadas Humanitarias  FA-HUM
    • Peace Keeping Operations North/South PKO-N/PKO-S
  • Events Hosted in Suriname:
    • Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies (CHDS)
    • Military Police Subject Matter Exchange
    • Suriname Medical and HIV/AIDS Initiative Workshop
    • National Disaster Preparedness Conference
    • Physical Security and Stockpile Management Seminar
    • National Emergency Operation Center Training 
    • Three Training visits of the US Coast Guard Gentian
    • Medical First Responder Training, part II