The Central American Integration System (CAIS) opened on 18 April 2011 in Panama, as the first regional security operations center combating organized crime in Central America. The center opened in response to the high rates of violence plaguing Central America and will be equipped with satellite telecommunications, voice and data digital encryption, and radar systems; and will be connected with the Joint Interagency Task Force Southern Command in Florida. Countries with representatives at the center include Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic.
