CSL Comalapa
The cooperative security location ( CSL ) Comalapa is a base of the US Navy in El Salvador . It is located in the area of the San Salvador airport and is about 5 kilometers from the Pacific coast. The term Cooperative Security Location describes the smallest level of a foreign base, the operation of which is usually not ensured by US military personnel.
history
Comalapa Airport was built in the mid-1970s to replace the old Ilopango Airport.
The government of El Salvador entrusted the public institution CEPA with the construction of the airport. Construction began in 1976 and the opening took place in 1980. The construction was carried out by the Japanese Hazama Group (株式会社 間 組 Kabushiki-gaisha Hazama-gumi). The airport is operated by the Commission Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma .
Since its completion, the airport has been used for both civil and military purposes. The CSL is located on the eastern edge of the airport right next to the ramp for Salvadoran government flights and diplomatic delegations.
Establishment of the US military base
After the US bases in Panama were closed in 1999, the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) decided to use Comalapa as a Cooperative Security Location (CSL) to use a preferred base in the eastern Pacific in the fight against drug smuggling.
In Central America, the US Department of Defense secured CSLs in El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica in 2000 under the Torrijos Carter Accords. The CSL Comalapa was established in August 2000.
Role of the base
CSL Comalapa has 65 employees, 25 of whom are military personnel. The CSL supports an average of 175 pilots and crew members of P-3C, E2C and C-130 aircraft as well as HH-65D helicopters. The US Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO) and the 4th US fleet have operational control . The CSL Comalapa has gained even more importance since the closure of a similar base in Manta, Ecuador in August 2009.
Web links
- Official site (English)