The U.S. military has two Cooperative Security Locations (CSLs), formerly known as Forward Operating Locations, in Latin America and the Caribbean.  One of those CSLs is located in Comalapa, El Salvador. This location allows U.S. and partner nation aircraft the use of an existing airfield to support the region’s multinational efforts to Combat Transnational Organized Crime (CTOC). The CSLs are not bases. They are tenant activities on existing airfields whose purpose is to support CTOC missions. The unarmed aircraft offer unique surveillance capabilities that support and compliment the counter-drug efforts of partner nation law enforcement agencies. CSLs are the result of cooperative, long-term agreements between the United States and host nations.  

U.S. Southern Command oversees the operations from the CSLs. The U.S. Navy handles day-to-day operations at the CSL, and provides the military aircraft and personnel.  From these locations U.S. detection and monitoring aircraft fly missions to detect, monitor and track aircraft or vessels engaged in illicit drug trafficking. U.S. military, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S Customs personnel operate from the CSLs to support the U.S. aircraft and to coordinate communications and information.