USSOUTHCOM Area of Responsibility US SOUTHCOM AOR US
USSOUTHCOM Area of Responsibility
US SOUTHCOM AOR • US National Security Concerns • Regional Cultural Perspectives • The Combatant Command
USSOUTHCOM AOR US National Security Concerns
National Security Concerns Geographic Proximity 31 nations and 15 areas of special sovereignty Lands south of Mexico Waters adjacent to Central and South America, the Caribbean Sea, and portions of the Atlantic Ocean The Panama Canal
National Security Concerns Geographic Proximity • The Panama Canal: – Strategic waterway used by 14 K ships / year – Transports 16% of total US borne trade – Undergoing expansion of global importance • Will double canal capacity by 2015 • Third lane will accommodate mega-ships nearly three times larger than any before • In 2013, the North Korean ship Chong Chon Gang was caught carrying Soviet-era parts
National Security Concerns Extra-hemispheric Influence 19 th Century: Monroe Doctrine 20 th Century: Communist Containment 21 st Century: Global Economic/Political Influences
National Security Concerns Extra-hemispheric Influence “In recent years (China, Russia, and Iran) have made in-roads, deepening diplomatic, economic, and military ties with the region. Declining US influence will provide an opportunity to expand these relationships at the expense of the United States. ” – General Kelly, USMC Commander, USSOUTHCOM
National Security Concerns Extra-hemispheric Influence • China • Naval deployments • Investments, arms sales & military training • Russia • Navy Interfleet Surface Action Group deployed to Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela • Long-range strategic bombers deployed to Venezuela and Nicaragua • Iran • Evasion of nuclear sanctions • State-sponsored terrorism - Hezbollah
National Security Concerns Regional Stability • Decades of instability – 35 governments overthrown between 1963 & 1999 – Since 2000 … only two • Ecuador in 2000 • Honduras in 2009 Pinochet of Chile & Castro of Cuba • Long history of interstate peace – Most recent protracted war between nations was the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay (1932 -1935)
National Security Concerns Regional Stability • Colombia – Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) utilizes drug trade to fund its activities – US & Colombia cooperate to strengthen the rule of law and weaken the FARC • Venezuela – Presidential forces have clashed (at times violently) with opposition groups • Central America – States overcome by drug trafficking organizations
National Security Concerns Regional Stability • One the most insecure & violent regions ‒ 100, 000+ lives lost per year ‒ Murder one of 5 main causes of death • Criminal elements overwhelm governments – Criminals often collude with—or are actually part of—local law enforcement – Other criminals take over ungoverned spaces • Money, arms, and technology flow back to region, further undermining local governments
National Security Concerns Transnational Organized Crime • Impacts to US ‒ Spike in heroin-related deaths ‒ Cocaine corporations set up in 1. 2 K US cities ‒ Narcotics routes can be dual-utilized to smuggle weapons, cash, fissile materials or terrorists ‒ “Narco subs” ‒ Developed by FARC & Shining Path groups ‒ Can transport 10 metric tons of cargo and travel to major US cities in 10 -12 days
National Security Concerns Transnational Organized Crime CONVERGENCE Coming together of previously unrelated adversaries, who not only might combine in operations, but also share resources, know-how, weapons and technology and personnel
National Security Concerns Transnational Organized Crime On Convergence: “This is really the dark end of the spectrum of globalization as you assess rising national security risks” – Admiral James G. Stavridis Future of security for the US is to build up its own physical networks of alliances, coalitions and partnerships
US SOUTHCOM AOR Regional Cultural Perspectives
The Culture Economics and Resources Ecologically Diverse, Endangered Environments Massive reserves of minerals and crude oil Navigable interior waterways Large reserves of arable land
The Culture Economics and Resources • 9 of 20 US free trade agreements are with Central and South American countries • 16% of US foreign investment ($652 B) • 15% of US crude oil and petroleum product imports come from the AOR. – USNORTHCOM AOR = 38% – USCENTCOM AOR = 28% – USAFRICOM AOR = 16% • Total US trade in AOR = $584 B – US trade with China = $539 B
The Culture Economics and Resources Primary Imports (USSOUTHCOM products traded to US) Brazil $39 B Mineral Fuel and Oil (crude), Iron and Steel, Machinery, Beverages Colombia $25 B Mineral Fuel and Oil (crude), Precious Stones, Spices, Coffee and Tea, Live Trees and Plants (cut flowers) Chile $10 B Copper, Edible Fruit and Nuts (grapes, blueberries), Fish and Seafood Venezuela $44 B Mineral Fuel and Oil (crude), Organic Chemicals, Iron and Steel, Aluminum, Fertilizers
The Culture Economics and Resources • The AOR has been singled out as world’s most unequal region (World Bank, 2012) • Our partners in AOR likely come from either very wealthy or very poor circumstances – 34% live in poverty (13% in extreme poverty) – Wealthiest 20% possess 19 times the wealth of the poorest 20% • Impoverished citizens are easy prey for illicit traffickers and terrorist recruiters
The Culture History and Myth • Vestiges of colonialism – Inequitable land distribution (church, officer corps, big landowners) – Vacuum of experience & skilled labor – Slavery, discrimination, caste system • Economic policies of US, Europe • Ruthless dictatorships, genocide • Failures of local leaders to reinvest in infrastructure, education
The Culture Politics and Social Relations • History of democracy across area • Elections are fair, yet citizens’ freedoms restricted in many nations • Reasons why democracies struggle – Weak Economies – Guerrilla Movements – Corrupt and Inept Administrations – State Media Control and Threat of Violence
The Culture Politics and Social Relations • 9 of 31 nations in USSOUTHCOM AOR categorized as “partly free: Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Haiti Colombia Venezuela Ecuador Bolivia Paraguay Free Partly Free Unfree
The Culture Politics and Social Relations • Rise of populist leaders – Strong, charismatic leader purports to be a savior – Craft an identity that they are “one of us” – Oftentimes they favor redistribution of wealth and state ownership of industry Daniel Ortega Evo Morales Dilma Rousseff
The Culture Relating and Communicating • Economics and Resources – How do our partners view resource exchange between the US and their nation? Fair or unfair? • History and Myth – How do the locals perceive the US military? Partners, opportunists, or conquerors? • Politics and Social Relations – How do local citizens view democracy? (and do they define democracy the way we do? )
USSOUTHCOM AOR Combatant Command Missions
The Command Overview Preceded by US Caribbean Defense Command Established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy Impacted by 1977 Panama Canal treaties Headquarters moved to Doral (Miami) Florida
The Command Overview Supports US national security objectives throughout the Western Hemisphere in cooperation with domestic and international partners, in order to foster security, ensure stability, and promote prosperity throughout Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the global community
The Command Overview USSOUTHCOM HQs Air Forces Southern / 12 th Air Force AFSOUTH: - 1, 200 mil/civ assigned + subcomponents & task forces - Provides air component support to USSOUTHCOM CC - Supports Combatant Command Priorities via: 1. Command Control 2. Operational Mobility 3. ISR 4. Air Defense
The Command Overview Center for Hemispheric Studies US Naval Forces Southern Command/US Fourth Fleet USSOUTHCOM HQs Air Forces Southern / 12 th Air Force US Marine Forces South JIATF South, Key West Special Operations Command South JTF-Bravo, Soto Cano, Honduras JTF-Guantanamo, Cuba US Army South
The Command Mission Areas Mission Focus: Detainee Operations • Joint Task Force Guantanamo GTMO Force Protection Patrol – Established after 9 -11 to provide safe, humane, transparent confinement for alleged terrorists – Conducts intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination – Supports law enforcement, Office of Military Commissions, and war crimes investigations
The Command Mission Areas Mission Focus: Contingency Response MEDRETE • Respond to crises; enhance preparedness • Medical Readiness Training Ex’s (MEDRETE) – Conducted in multiple nations dozens of times / year – Provides free medical treatment – Helps improve overall health care of host nations – Enhances US military medical readiness
The Command Mission Areas Mission Focus: Building Partner Capacity • UNITAS – World’s longest-running multinational maritime training exercise • Inter-American Air Forces Academy (IAAFA) – 21 courses in flight and aircraft maintenance Inter-American Air Forces Academy Lackland AFB TX
The Command Mission Areas • State Partnership Program – 20 partnerships with USSOUTHCOM nations – National Guard Program designed to: • Build Capacity to Deter, Prevent, Prepare • Build Capacity to Respond and Recover • Support Interagency Civil-Military Cooperation and Professional Development – Mechanism for Training the National Guard
The Command Mission Areas (1) Guatemala - Arkansas (2) Belize, (5) Haiti - Louisiana (6) Dominican Republic, (7) Honduras - Puerto Rico (8) Jamaica - District of Columbia (9) El Salvador - New Hampshire (10) Nicaragua - Wisconsin (11) Costa Rica - New Mexico (12) Panama - Missouri (13) Venezuela, (15) Guyana - Florida (14) Trinidad-Tobago - Delaware (16) Suriname – South Dakota (17) Ecuador – Kentucky (18) Peru – West Virginia (19) Bolivia – Mississippi (20) Chile – Texas (21) Paraguay – Massachusetts (22) Uruguay - Connecticut
The Command Mission Areas Mission Focus: Countering Transnational Organized Crime Operation Martillo • USSOUTHCOM’s Role: Detection, monitoring, and tracking – Operation Martillo: 132 metric tons + 66 metric tons interdicted by partner nations – JIATF South: Eight times what was interdicted on SW border of the US in 2010
USSOUTHCOM AOR • US National Security Concerns • Regional Cultural Perspectives • The Combatant Command
- Slides: 36