Readiness

Sgt. Justin Cortez, a civil affairs specialist with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Southern Command, wears a facemask in accordance with virus prevention at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Marines and Sailors of SPMAGTF-SC take the necessary precautions to avoid a spread of the virus to continue training in order to certify themselves for their deployment in the U.S. Southern Command area of operations. The task force stands ready to deploy to Latin America and the Caribbean to conduct crisis response training and operations within the region. Cortez is a native of Miami, Florida. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Sgt. Andy O. Martinez)