Major General Miguel Aguilar, the Adjutant General for the State of New Mexico, U.S.A., visited Costa Rica as part of his 'Sister States' program duties.

As Adjutant General, Aguilar serves as senior military advisor to the Governor and is responsible for providing the State of New Mexico and the United States with a ready force of citizen Airmen and Soldiers.

Aguilar previously served as Deputy Adjutant General from 2018 to 2022. He has served concurrently as the Deputy Commanding General of First Army-Division West since May 2021.

His visit is part of his duties in the Sister States program, also known as Partner City, which is a form of legal or social agreement established in 2006 between New Mexico and Costa Rica to strengthen ties between the police and defense forces.

As part of his agenda, Aguilar visited the National Police Academy where he met with Mario Zamora, Minister of Public Security. Authorities discussed the strategies to support the initiatives that the United States Embassy, the U.S. Southern Command and the Sister States are already developing.

Also, Aguilar donated books and sports equipment valued at $4,000, according to the U.S. Embassy.

The books were donated at the Aruba School located in Desamparados Canton, San José. "These books will support the learning process of the students of this school," the embassy said in its statement.

While the Borders for Peace program of the Ministry of Public Security received sports equipment such as balls, 50 shirts and soccer cleats. The program supports young people in rural communities so that they learn and practice activities such as sports, music and arts, among others.

Aguilar arrived with his wife, Christine Aguilar and Lieutenant Ashley Castillo, a helicopter pilot for the New Mexico National Guard.

Currently, 18 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia are in partnership with the police and defense forces of 24 countries within Central America, the Caribbean and South America.

General Aguilar is one of many top key U.S. executives visiting Costa Rica this year. Recently, Ambassador Nathaniel C. Fick, U.S. visited the country and met with government leaders to discuss key issues such as connectivity, cybersecurity and digital freedom.

In March, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, led the U.S. delegation for the 2023 Summit for Democracy in Costa Rica.

In February, U.S. Army General Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), visited the country and hosted the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC).

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