Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Carlos Luciano Díaz Morfa, ERD, received in his office the Commander of the Seventh District of the Coast Guard of the United States of America, based in Miami, Vice Admiral Douglas M. Schofield along with a delegation from the Security Cooperation Office of that country.
The visit, which will be extended in the coming days to other military bases, has the objective of strengthening ties of friendship and reinforcing operational cooperation between the military institutions of both nations.
During the stay in the country, an extensive agenda of activities will be developed, which will include visits to strategic maritime and air defense and security bases, such as the “27 de Febrero” and “San Isidro” bases, of the Navy and Air Force of Dominican Republic, respectively, the “Vicealmirante Cesár de Windt Lavandier” Naval Academy and the Juanillo detachment in Punta Cana.
During the visit Díaz Morfa was accompanied by Vice Admiral Ramón Gustavo Betances Hernández, ARD, Vice Minister of Defense for Naval and Coastal Affairs; Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester, ARD, general director of the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cybersecurity and Intelligence Center (C5i) and Rear Admiral Samuel Jiménez Lorenzo, ARD, Administrative Director of MIDE.
Vice Admiral Gouglas M. Schofield
He is the commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, headquartered in Miami, Florida, which oversees operations in the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean Basin. This district encompasses a vast area of 1.8 million square miles and shares operational borders with 34 foreign nations and territories. Additionally, he leads the Homeland Security-Southeast task force, focused on deterring, preventing, and responding to illegal maritime migration.
With more than 30 years of service, Vice Admiral Schofield has had an outstanding career, including roles on several cutters and shore assignments in various locations, including Boston, Washington DC and Baltimore. Also, he is a graduate of the US Coast Guard Academy, with a Master of Science in Naval Architecture and Naval Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with program management certifications from DHS. In 2019, he was promoted to flag rank.