WEBVTT

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- Okay, welcome everybody.

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The Emerging Threats and
Capabilities Subcommittee

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meets today to receive testimony

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from Admiral Craig Faller,

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Commander of U.S. Southern Command,

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or as we call it SOUTHCOM.

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Our focus will be on the
evolving security situation

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in this theater as well
as SOUTHCOM's efforts

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to implement the National
Defense Strategy.

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Welcome, to the Admiral.

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Thank you very much for being here sir.

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I certainly appreciate it.

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Today's hearing is a continuation

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of the subcommittee's
efforts to provide oversight

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over National Defense
Strategy implementation.

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This is an important
component of our efforts

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to ensure our military is
appropriately resourced,

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equipped, and postured
to defend the nation

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against a growing array of threats.

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While much attention has
been on countering China

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and Russia in their traditional
spheres of influence

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in Europe and across
the Indo-Pacific region,

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this subcommittee has
been particularly focused

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on how those nations are
increasingly challenging

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U.S. National Security interests,

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not just within their own
geographic boundaries,

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but elsewhere around the world.

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Last year the subcommittee held a hearing

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with leading experts to discuss

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China's expanding presence in Africa,

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and the implications for our interests

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and those of our partners.

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It was made clear during the hearing

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that China is undertaking a comprehensive

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and long-term approach to bolstering

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its global access and influence,

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oftentimes with the goal

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of undermining the
United States of America.

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The situation in the Western
Hemisphere is no different.

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Admiral Faller, you highlighted

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in testimony earlier this year,

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that China has accelerated expansion

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of its Belt and Road Initiative
in the Western Hemisphere

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at a pace that may one day
overshadow its expansion

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in Southeast Asia and Africa.

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China's strategic engagement
in the SOUTHCOM region

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bolsters China's geopolitical network

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at the expense U.S. Security Interests

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and regional stability.

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China's efforts to back
oppressive governments

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such as the Maduro regime in Venezuela,

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and to pump loans into local economies

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at unpayable interest rates,

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reveal China's interest
in spreading influence

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and consolidating power.

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As a result, Latin America
has become a fixture

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for China's ambitions,
utilizing economic coercion

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to grow support for Chinese foreign policy

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objectives, including.

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And the exclusion of the U.S. and Canada

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from regional discourse.

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Trade and economic ties
between the United States

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and Latin America are changing,

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with China recently
surpassing the United States

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as the main destination for exports

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from several Latin American countries.

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China is also deepening military

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and technological ties in the region.

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For example, we have seen
deepened space-related

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cooperation in Brazil,
Venezuela, and Argentina.

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China has increased arms sales in a manner

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that violates U.S. and EU restrictions

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and hinders our ability to integrate

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with our strategic partners.

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Meanwhile, Russia is also working

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to expand its influence in the region.

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The Putin regime seeks
to erode U.S. influence

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in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,

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and has doubled down on its efforts

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to prop up corrupt authoritarian regimes

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in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua,

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through economic and military assistance.

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For many years Putin
has viewed Latin America

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as a natural link in the chain,

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making up a multipolar world.

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And recent port visits
by Russian Navy vessels

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and the deployment of a long-range bomber

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to the region, highlight Russia's efforts

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to strengthen its global
reach in a new age

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of great power competition.

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In fact, just a couple weeks ago,

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the Admiral Gorshkov, one of
Russia's most advanced warships

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was docked in Havana Harbor.

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Finally, drivers of migration,

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including violence,
corruption, and poverty

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play significant strain
on regional governments

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and can engender regional instability,

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impacting not only the southern border

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of the United States, but
providing additional flashpoints

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for China and Russia to exploit

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at the expense of American soft power.

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All of this demonstrates clearly

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that the Western
Hemisphere should be viewed

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as an important front in our efforts

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to compete with China and Russia,

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and implement the NDS.

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I look forward to your input,

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and your candid assessment

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of the evolving security dynamics

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in this region, describe
how the NDS information

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is important, and how you'll allocate

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SOUTHCOM's limited resources,

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as well as identify any challenges

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that may impair your ability
to accomplish your mission.

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And thank you again, Admiral,
for joining us today,

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and I look forward to the discussion.

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I'll now turn it over to Senator Peters,

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our ranking member, for
your opening statement.

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- Well I think you, Madam Chair,

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and thank you for holding this hearing

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at a very critical time.

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Events in Latin America
are often overshadowed

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by the crisis in the Middle East and Asia,

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but stability in SOUTHCOM
AR is clearly critical

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to our national security.

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I want to thank our
witness, Admiral Faller,

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for his service and for
appearing here today

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to testify on the implementation

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of the National Defense Strategy

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in the Southern Command
Area of Responsibility.

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It's clear that Russia and China

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have significantly
increased their presence

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and their influence in the SOUTHCOM AR.

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Chinese investment has
reached unprecedented levels

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and Beijing has invested
billions of dollars

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in Latin America as part of
its Belt and Road Initiative.

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China often engages in
predatory lending practices

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that create debt traps
for small countries,

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and allow Beijing to
yield outsized influence

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in these countries.

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The projects are often
economically unsustainable,

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and many countries throughout the world

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have found themselves
billions of dollars in debt

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with no way to repay Beijing.

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Russia's economic
influence in Latin America

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is much smaller than China's,

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but its intentions are
much more pernicious.

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Russia's propaganda
machine has been active

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in Latin America with
efforts to raise doubts

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about the democratic process,

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and to sow discord in the region.

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Russia's state-controlled Spanish-language

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television station spreads misinformation

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throughout the region,
and seeks to undermine

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U.S. influence in the region.

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Russia has also used cyberattacks

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to attack democratic institutions.

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The Center for Strategic
and International Studies

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reported, for example,
that there have been

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50,000 cyber attacks against Columbia's

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National Voter Registry

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during the 2018 legislative elections.

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We have also seen Russia covertly deploy

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Kremlin-linked paramilitary groups

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to Latin America, repeating the pattern

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of using these forces to advance

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their strategic interest abroad

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without having to admit
that they've deployed

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any military personnel
to a specific country.

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Russia's intervention in Venezuela

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have propped up the
disastrous Maduro regime,

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and help deny the transition

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to the power of Interim President Guaido.

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This fits a pattern of
increasingly aggressive

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Russian seeking to use all of the tools

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in its playbook, to undermine the appeal

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of the democratic process

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and keep Russian aligned regimes in power.

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And while Russian and Chinese influence

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in Latin America is
destabilizing to the region,

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I think it's also important
to spend a few minutes

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on the most pressing threat to democracy

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in the Western Hemisphere,

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and that is corruption.

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Corruption is the root
cause of mass migration,

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instability and impunity
in Central America,

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and the trafficking of illicit narcotics

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into our country.

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Unless our strategy focuses on solving

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the root causes of corruption,

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then no amount of security
assistance dollars

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to Latin American partners
will be effective.

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That is why I'm quite concerned

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that the Trump Administration
has recently decided

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to cut off all non-defense USAID,

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and state assistance to Guatemala,

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Honduras, and El Salvador,

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while allowing defense assistance

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to these countries to continue.

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President Trump's stated rationale

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to punish these countries
for the migrant crisis

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is ill-considered, and
totally counterproductive

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to reducing forced migration numbers.

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Ultimately it undermines
our National Security

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in the region.

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Unless we support civil
societies in these countries

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and help improve the economic conditions,

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we will never get a handle
on the illicit drugs

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that flow through these
Northern Triangle countries

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and into the United States.

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One final note, and I think it's critical

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for us to discuss, is that corruption

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in Central and South America

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not only destabilizes the region,

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but it also provides China and Russia

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with a foothold into
these countries as well.

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Corrupt governments are more likely

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to take loans from China,

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that allow them to skim
billions off of the top,

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and leave their treasuries empty.

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Russia is able to sell
arms to corrupt governments

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that oppress their civilian populations

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and violate their human rights.

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The more we focus on combating corruption,

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the more successful we will be

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in implementing the
National Defense Strategy

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in the region.

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And I thank the chair again
for holding this hearing,

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and I look forward to the discussion.

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- And thanking Ranking Member Peters,

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thank you for those opening comments.

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Admiral Faller, we'll go ahead

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and start with your opening statement,

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and then we will move into
questioning, thank you.

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- Chairman Ernst, Ranking
Member Peters, senators,

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thank you for the opportunity
to testify before you today,

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and for the steadfast support

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you provide the men and women

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of the United States Southern Command

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day in and day out.

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I'd like to introduce my
Command Senior Enlisted,

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Sergeant Major Brian Zickefoose,

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my eyes and ears, who's
here with me today.

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He's also unabashedly from
the great State of Iowa.

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As I mentioned in my statement,
my written statement,

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I've been in command of
SOUTHCOM for seven months.

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In that time I've traveled extensively

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throughout Central America, South America,

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and the Caribbean, to
get a first-hand view

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of the opportunities and challenges

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that you both illuminated.

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These opportunities and challenges

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directly impact the
security of this hemisphere,

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our neighborhood.

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Criminal organizations, narco-trafficking,

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illegal immigration, violent extremists,

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corruption, all enabled by weak governance

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are principal among those challenges.

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Most disturbing insight,
the aha for me, however,

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has been the degree to which
the external state actors,

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China, Russia, and Iran
have expanded their access

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and influence right here
in our neighborhood,

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or as General Neller put it,

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inside our interior lines.

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The National Defense Strategy makes clear,

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great power competition has reemerged

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as the number one security
challenge facing our nation.

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China, Russia, and others
want to shape a world

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consistent with their
authoritarian models.

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They're blurring the lines

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of what constitutes a military threat

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through economic coercion,

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the systematic stealing of technology,

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influence campaigns, and
malicious cyber activity.

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They're contesting our military advantage

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in all the traditional domains we fight

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around the globe, land, air, sea,

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space, cyber, and information,

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plus one more very important domain,

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values like democracy, sovereignty,

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the rule of law, and human rights.

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Competition is happening globally

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and right here in our neighborhood,

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the Western Hemisphere.

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We see this most acutely in Venezuela,

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where the security
crisis created by Maduro

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has compounded every
single security crisis

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we face in this hemisphere.

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Where Russia, in their own words,

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is protecting their loyal friend,

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to, quote, "By propping up the corrupt,

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"illegitimate Maduro regime

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"with loans and technical
and military support."

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Or China, as Venezuela's
largest single state creditor,

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saddled the Venezuelan people

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with more than 60 billion in debt

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and is exporting surveillance technology

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used to monitor and repress
the Venezuelan people.

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Iran has restarted direct
flights from Tehran to Caracas,

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and reinvigorated diplomatic ties.

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Along with Cuba, these
actors engage in activities

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that are profoundly
unhealthy for democracy

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and regional stability, and
counter to U.S. interests.

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How do we counter the threats

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and seize the opportunities
in this hemisphere?

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How do we counter the threats

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posed by external state
actors in Venezuela

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and across the region?

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The best way to out-compete
is by focusing our strengths.

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The strong enduring ties
we have with our neighbors,

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and from a defense perspective,

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these strong Mil-to-Mil relations

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are grounded in shared professionalism.

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We work with each other from a foundation

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of mutual respect, human
rights, and shared interests

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in regional cooperation
and interoperability.

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We reinforce and build
on this through training,

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education, intelligence,
and information sharing,

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and exercises.

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Security cooperation is our best tool

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to continue building
these strong partnerships

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and turn the challenges of our hemisphere

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into opportunities.

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Working together, training and exercising,

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shoulder to shoulder with
American military professionals

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is our competitive edge, and no one

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can match our system.

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We also need the right, focused,

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and consistent military
present day in and day out

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to go along with this training education.

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We cannot achieve positive results

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and influence outcomes without
being on the playing field.

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I'll point to two examples
of the positive impact

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of our presence, this
happening as I speak.

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Our Strategic Bomber Force
and F-16 Fighter Aircraft

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from the South Carolina Air National Guard

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are training with the very
capable Colombian Air Force.

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This mission takes place in conjunction

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with 100th anniversary
of Colombia's Air Force,

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and builds interoperability and readiness

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for the United States,

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and for our very capable
Colombian partners,

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while also demonstrating
our shared resolve

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in the face of regional
and global challenges.

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Nearby, the United
States Naval Ship Comfort

14:15.240 --> 14:17.550
is in Lima, Peru, to help our neighbors

14:17.550 --> 14:20.550
impacted by the man-made
crisis in Venezuela.

14:20.550 --> 14:22.430
Comfort shows the very best

14:22.430 --> 14:24.030
of the United States of America,

14:25.200 --> 14:28.040
and the strong partnerships
we have in the world.

14:28.040 --> 14:29.590
It's part of our enduring promise

14:29.590 --> 14:30.930
to our neighbors in this hemisphere

14:30.930 --> 14:33.433
to be a steadfast, reliable,
and trusted partner.

14:34.300 --> 14:36.380
We appreciate the continued
support of Congress,

14:36.380 --> 14:39.650
this committee, in helping
us fulfill that promise.

14:39.650 --> 14:42.437
The SOUTHCOM team, our
military, and civilian members

14:42.437 --> 14:45.840
and our families appreciate
the support of Congress,

14:45.840 --> 14:48.600
and we'll continue to honor
the trust you place in us,

14:48.600 --> 14:51.080
and our fellow citizens have placed in us.

14:51.080 --> 14:52.140
I look forward to your questions.

14:52.140 --> 14:53.860
Thank you very much.

14:53.860 --> 14:55.310
- Thank you very much, Admiral,

14:55.310 --> 14:58.990
and what we'll do, I'll go ahead and start

14:58.990 --> 15:00.590
with just a couple questions,

15:00.590 --> 15:02.930
and we'll go back and forth

15:03.772 --> 15:06.180
in order of arrival.

15:06.180 --> 15:09.520
And with that, we'll go
ahead and get started.

15:09.520 --> 15:12.250
Feel free to take as much
time as necessary, Admiral,

15:12.250 --> 15:15.760
to discuss the challenges
and opportunities

15:15.760 --> 15:17.918
that you have in SOUTHCOM.

15:17.918 --> 15:19.130
And so just to start, sir,

15:19.130 --> 15:21.720
the National Defense
Strategy clearly identifies

15:21.720 --> 15:24.900
great power competition
between the United States,

15:24.900 --> 15:27.590
and of course, China and Russia,

15:27.590 --> 15:30.500
as the most pressing threat
to national security.

15:30.500 --> 15:34.513
Giving their expanding
presence in your AO,

15:35.570 --> 15:37.630
the NDS has particular relevance

15:37.630 --> 15:40.050
to your area of responsibility.

15:40.050 --> 15:44.790
So if you could, explain what is the role

15:44.790 --> 15:47.980
of the U.S. Military, as we're competing

15:47.980 --> 15:50.470
with China and Russia in
the Western Hemisphere,

15:50.470 --> 15:52.253
what more can we be doing?

15:55.870 --> 15:58.260
- Our focus is to build
strong partnerships

15:58.260 --> 16:01.960
with very capable, 27 of
31 nations or democracies,

16:01.960 --> 16:04.390
so we focus on partnerships.

16:04.390 --> 16:07.710
And that's the best way
to out-compete China.

16:07.710 --> 16:10.080
Our partners want to work with us.

16:10.080 --> 16:13.150
They want the advantage of
United States education,

16:13.150 --> 16:15.090
training exercises,
and military equipment,

16:15.090 --> 16:16.440
it's the best in the world.

16:17.672 --> 16:19.880
And so it's up to us to
deliver that in a way

16:19.880 --> 16:22.350
that's relevant, and also
provides a return on investment

16:22.350 --> 16:23.460
for American taxpayers.

16:23.460 --> 16:25.040
So that is our focus.

16:25.040 --> 16:28.020
Colombia and Brazil are
two very good examples

16:28.020 --> 16:30.170
where we've spent a lot of time,

16:30.170 --> 16:32.460
we've traveled to Colombia
on multiple occasions,

16:32.460 --> 16:34.230
we've been to Brazil,
their Chiefs of Defense

16:34.230 --> 16:35.283
have been to see us.

16:36.240 --> 16:39.170
It begins with intelligence
sharing and education,

16:39.170 --> 16:41.210
frankly, at a person-to-person level

16:41.210 --> 16:42.650
and a Mil-to-Mil level.

16:42.650 --> 16:45.450
We enhance each other's
situational awareness,

16:45.450 --> 16:47.610
strengthen our understanding
of the opportunities

16:47.610 --> 16:51.220
and challenges, and work on education,

16:51.220 --> 16:52.630
both in their schools and in ours,

16:52.630 --> 16:53.890
and I've had the opportunity to go down

16:53.890 --> 16:56.280
and speak at their institutions.

16:56.280 --> 16:58.820
And so that's the foundation

16:58.820 --> 17:00.540
that counters Russia and China best

17:00.540 --> 17:04.810
because, frankly, they can't
compete with our system.

17:04.810 --> 17:07.490
They're trying, they're in the area.

17:07.490 --> 17:09.550
Everywhere I go the Chiefs of Defense

17:09.550 --> 17:11.520
say the Chinese have come,

17:11.520 --> 17:14.970
they've offered us a free education,

17:14.970 --> 17:18.052
unlimited travel, opportunity
to go to their schools,

17:18.052 --> 17:20.780
they've taken and replicated our model,

17:20.780 --> 17:23.513
they've stood up Spanish
language training in Beijing.

17:26.028 --> 17:28.280
And the message I get
from our capable partners

17:28.280 --> 17:29.230
is we don't wanna train with them,

17:29.230 --> 17:30.630
we want to continue.

17:30.630 --> 17:32.170
So the best way is to be consistent,

17:32.170 --> 17:35.730
to offer the level of service and demand

17:35.730 --> 17:38.220
that the partners can meet.

17:38.220 --> 17:39.730
We operate at their speed.

17:39.730 --> 17:41.570
And then also ensure
that there's something

17:41.570 --> 17:42.403
that we give back.

17:42.403 --> 17:45.030
And when you meet a new chief
of defense, for example,

17:45.030 --> 17:47.730
the new chief of defense in El Salvador,

17:47.730 --> 17:49.330
and the new minister of
defense in El Salvador,

17:49.330 --> 17:52.790
both graduates of U.S. Service schools,

17:52.790 --> 17:54.630
in fact the chief of defense, I think,

17:54.630 --> 17:56.670
has been to five U.S. schools,

17:56.670 --> 17:58.160
and the minister of defense graduated

17:58.160 --> 18:00.320
of the Naval War College in Newport.

18:00.320 --> 18:02.520
And they're committed to working with us,

18:02.520 --> 18:05.030
not with others, and that's
the way we move forward

18:05.030 --> 18:06.960
in a real meaningful way, Senator.

18:06.960 --> 18:07.870
- Thank you very much.

18:07.870 --> 18:10.580
And just to go a little
bit further with that,

18:10.580 --> 18:14.600
I do firmly believe in those
Mil-to-Mil opportunities,

18:14.600 --> 18:16.740
whether through training exercises

18:16.740 --> 18:19.570
or through educational opportunities.

18:19.570 --> 18:23.920
Now we have spoken, maybe
you can expand a little bit

18:23.920 --> 18:27.970
on the lack of opportunity, maybe,

18:27.970 --> 18:30.540
that we have been able to extend

18:30.540 --> 18:32.350
to other military members

18:32.350 --> 18:35.220
in attending our military schools.

18:35.220 --> 18:36.380
If you could talk a little bit

18:36.380 --> 18:38.140
about what some of those challenges are,

18:38.140 --> 18:40.020
whether it's funding or otherwise,

18:40.020 --> 18:41.443
it would be good to hear about that.

18:43.320 --> 18:48.210
- The opportunity to expand
our offerings of education

18:48.210 --> 18:50.467
in our military schools,
and training in our schools,

18:50.467 --> 18:51.480
and there is a difference,

18:51.480 --> 18:53.780
but, to get after technical skills

18:53.780 --> 18:55.930
and then some of the professional military

18:55.930 --> 18:58.630
is a single best investment
we can make long term

18:58.630 --> 18:59.820
to our partnerships.

18:59.820 --> 19:02.120
Graduates of our school systems

19:02.120 --> 19:04.420
go back with an understanding
of U.S. doctrine,

19:04.420 --> 19:09.420
U.S. tactics techniques, and
really become lifelong friends.

19:09.670 --> 19:12.846
The chief of defense in
Argentina, for example,

19:12.846 --> 19:16.680
is an honor grad of the Army War College,

19:16.680 --> 19:18.300
and very proud of it,
and was just admitted

19:18.300 --> 19:20.480
into the Army War College Hall of Fame.

19:20.480 --> 19:24.440
And that fact is known by
the political leadership

19:24.440 --> 19:26.530
in Argentina, and it's valued.

19:26.530 --> 19:28.740
And I find him to be
one of my best generals,

19:28.740 --> 19:31.250
he's also one of my
best strategic partners.

19:31.250 --> 19:33.930
Our levels of funding
that have been provided,

19:33.930 --> 19:36.480
and principal source of
funding for education

19:36.480 --> 19:38.660
comes from the International
Military Education Training,

19:38.660 --> 19:42.050
IMET Account, it's
State Department funded.

19:42.050 --> 19:44.240
That's basically been flatlined

19:44.240 --> 19:47.460
for as long back as I can do the math.

19:47.460 --> 19:50.380
So then your dollars,
in current year dollars,

19:50.380 --> 19:52.440
a flat account's getting
us less school seats

19:52.440 --> 19:55.370
over time because the schools cost more,

19:55.370 --> 19:57.530
what we are able to
contribute within the rules.

19:57.530 --> 20:00.920
So I've advocated and
former defense secretaries

20:00.920 --> 20:03.120
have as well, that we would be well served

20:03.120 --> 20:04.880
to look at an increase in this.

20:04.880 --> 20:07.920
The overall account for the
entire Department of Defense

20:07.920 --> 20:10.530
is somewhere just north of 100 million,

20:10.530 --> 20:12.700
and for SOUTHCOM it's about 11 million.

20:12.700 --> 20:15.333
I think I could absorb 18 million,

20:16.810 --> 20:17.690
a modest increase.

20:17.690 --> 20:19.560
And when you look at the kinds of monies

20:19.560 --> 20:21.523
we're spending in other areas,

20:22.672 --> 20:24.490
this is a low amount of money

20:24.490 --> 20:26.100
for a high dividend, high payoff.

20:26.100 --> 20:27.460
So I would advocate that scenario.

20:27.460 --> 20:29.083
We could expand.

20:30.070 --> 20:32.420
I'm glad we're not like these others,

20:32.420 --> 20:34.060
and I won't dignify by naming the names

20:34.060 --> 20:35.050
of the countries that come in

20:35.050 --> 20:37.763
and offer no strings attached training.

20:38.650 --> 20:40.730
I'm glad we have vetting,

20:40.730 --> 20:43.080
and emphasize human rights,
it's the right thing to do.

20:43.080 --> 20:44.970
It should be a high bar
to go to our schools.

20:44.970 --> 20:47.440
We should get a return
on investment from it.

20:47.440 --> 20:49.240
So I think we do the right things

20:49.240 --> 20:52.105
with the way we screen, and invest,

20:52.105 --> 20:54.470
and look at the long term,
and return on investment

20:54.470 --> 20:55.860
for both our forces.

20:55.860 --> 20:58.180
That's an area I think we've would do well

20:58.180 --> 21:00.010
to expand, Senator.

21:00.010 --> 21:01.700
- Very good, dollars well spent.

21:01.700 --> 21:03.230
Thank you very much, Admiral.

21:03.230 --> 21:05.050
Ranking Member Peters.

21:05.050 --> 21:06.550
- Thank you Madam Chair,
and again Admiral Fallor.

21:06.550 --> 21:09.606
Thank you for being here,
Admiral, we appreciate it.

21:09.606 --> 21:11.500
I think it's clear from the discussion

21:11.500 --> 21:13.410
that we had earlier in my office,

21:13.410 --> 21:15.460
as well as in your testimony

21:15.460 --> 21:17.690
that you provided here at the opening,

21:17.690 --> 21:19.590
is that you agree that corruption,

21:19.590 --> 21:22.020
lack of economic opportunity, violence,

21:22.020 --> 21:24.730
and really the failure
of democratic governance

21:24.730 --> 21:27.980
in the Northern Triangle
is a significant cause

21:27.980 --> 21:29.570
for some of the mass migration

21:29.570 --> 21:31.050
that we're seeing out of these countries,

21:31.050 --> 21:34.020
as well as the drug trade
through these countries.

21:34.020 --> 21:35.930
Is that an accurate statement?

21:35.930 --> 21:38.930
- Senator, the connection
between weak governance,

21:38.930 --> 21:42.690
corruption, transnational
criminal organizations,

21:42.690 --> 21:45.810
and then even the opportunity
for China and Russia,

21:45.810 --> 21:48.330
as you articulated, is significant,

21:48.330 --> 21:50.620
and I consider that the
number one security threat

21:50.620 --> 21:52.120
that we face here in this hemisphere.

21:52.120 --> 21:55.470
Because that same corruption
breeds criminal activity,

21:55.470 --> 21:57.810
could breed terror activity,

21:57.810 --> 22:01.760
and certainly breeds
the kind of dirty deals

22:01.760 --> 22:04.603
that other external state
actors come in and thrive on.

22:05.690 --> 22:09.360
- So in order to deal with that breakdown

22:09.360 --> 22:12.180
of governance, it probably makes sense

22:12.180 --> 22:14.180
to have a whole-of-government approach

22:14.180 --> 22:15.650
in dealing with it, and that means

22:15.650 --> 22:17.700
not just the military operations,

22:17.700 --> 22:21.040
that you're engaged in,
but also NGO activities

22:21.040 --> 22:23.530
that are working on civil
society instructors.

22:23.530 --> 22:24.830
I know you've had experience

22:24.830 --> 22:26.360
working with some of the NGOs,

22:26.360 --> 22:28.170
particularly in the Northern Triangle.

22:28.170 --> 22:30.300
Are those, are they helpful?

22:30.300 --> 22:33.430
Do you think that's part of the approach

22:33.430 --> 22:37.050
that we need to take in order
to stabilize those countries?

22:37.050 --> 22:39.097
- The strong institutions

22:39.097 --> 22:42.530
and the strong defense
institutions in these countries

22:42.530 --> 22:44.720
contribute to the whole
government solution,

22:44.720 --> 22:45.750
and that's where we focus.

22:45.750 --> 22:48.040
We have a program called
Defense Institution Building,

22:48.040 --> 22:50.370
which gets after that
through our Perry Center

22:50.370 --> 22:51.710
here in Washington, D.C.

22:51.710 --> 22:55.300
And so as that plays into
a whole government strategy

22:55.300 --> 22:57.230
across what we call the DIME,

22:57.230 --> 23:00.350
diplomacy, information,
military, and economics,

23:00.350 --> 23:02.170
that's the best solution long-term,

23:02.170 --> 23:04.720
and when we play into that
with the private sector

23:04.720 --> 23:06.690
and NGOs, that's the best way

23:06.690 --> 23:08.730
to get the most lasting, resilient,

23:08.730 --> 23:10.490
long-term results, Senator.

23:10.490 --> 23:13.320
- So you're saying, for
the programs at USAID,

23:13.320 --> 23:15.500
State Department programs
in those countries

23:15.500 --> 23:17.650
are critically important for us,

23:17.650 --> 23:20.540
and in our work to stabilize those areas,

23:20.540 --> 23:23.040
and hopefully prevent mass migration

23:23.040 --> 23:24.450
and some of the drug trafficking

23:24.450 --> 23:26.910
that comes out of those countries?

23:26.910 --> 23:29.770
- The integration of all
elements of our powers keeps,

23:29.770 --> 23:32.000
I have a deputy, a civilian deputy,

23:32.000 --> 23:35.000
who's a full ambassador
from State Department,

23:35.000 --> 23:38.300
she has former USAID
experience, Ambassador Yelday,

23:38.300 --> 23:41.690
and we have a senior executive from USAID

23:41.690 --> 23:45.710
that sits to my immediate
left at every meeting

23:45.710 --> 23:47.030
as one of my most senior reps,

23:47.030 --> 23:49.740
so we can figure out how
to best integrate it.

23:49.740 --> 23:52.160
- So the Trump Administration
recently cut off

23:52.160 --> 23:53.990
all non-defense aid to the countries

23:53.990 --> 23:56.860
in the Northern Triangle,
as I know you're aware of,

23:56.860 --> 23:59.010
Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

23:59.010 --> 24:00.410
Did the administration consult you

24:00.410 --> 24:02.673
as to whether or not that made sense?

24:04.370 --> 24:05.980
- The pressure that's being applied

24:05.980 --> 24:08.780
to these governments, I would just,

24:08.780 --> 24:09.830
I would offer as good.

24:09.830 --> 24:13.010
And the decision to cut
off is a policy decision,

24:13.010 --> 24:16.210
and I'm not normally part of
policy decisions, Senator,

24:16.210 --> 24:21.210
but I've I advocated and articulated

24:22.320 --> 24:23.870
to the defense leadership,

24:23.870 --> 24:27.150
the important contributions
that professional militaries

24:27.150 --> 24:29.130
from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador

24:29.130 --> 24:32.000
have been made, particularly
in the counter-narcotics fight,

24:32.000 --> 24:33.150
where their Special Forces

24:33.150 --> 24:34.480
are really getting after it in a way

24:34.480 --> 24:37.650
that is paying dividends
for U.S. Security,

24:37.650 --> 24:38.730
and that's why we were able

24:38.730 --> 24:41.513
to continue our Mil-to-Mil
engagement, Senator.

24:43.190 --> 24:45.800
- Admiral, the Leahy Law bars assistance

24:45.800 --> 24:47.950
to security forces who've committed

24:47.950 --> 24:51.040
gross human rights
violations, as you're aware.

24:51.040 --> 24:54.770
Would it make sense to
add corruption to the list

24:54.770 --> 24:56.210
that would cut off security assistance,

24:56.210 --> 24:59.260
particularly of corruption
that enables drug

24:59.260 --> 25:00.573
and human trafficking?

25:02.400 --> 25:04.620
- Senator, I don't know that I would have

25:04.620 --> 25:06.740
thought through enough
how corruption might play

25:06.740 --> 25:07.573
into Leahy Law.

25:07.573 --> 25:10.253
I think Leahy Law is extremely effective.

25:11.230 --> 25:15.330
It's demanding, rightly
so, and it produces units

25:15.330 --> 25:18.770
that we can trust, and that
we can look at and know

25:18.770 --> 25:22.750
are doing the right thing
with respect to human rights.

25:22.750 --> 25:25.160
- Admiral Faller, in the
Financial Times interview

25:25.160 --> 25:28.650
from June 26, 2019, President Putin

25:28.650 --> 25:31.037
said that, quote, "There
are no Russian troops

25:31.037 --> 25:33.780
"in Venezuela" and characterized
the personnel there

25:33.780 --> 25:36.250
as just specialists and instructors

25:36.250 --> 25:38.200
to train local forces.

25:38.200 --> 25:40.310
Yet multiple press outlets have reported

25:40.310 --> 25:43.420
that paramilitary forces
linked to the Wagner Group

25:43.420 --> 25:45.470
deployed to Venezuela to provide security

25:45.470 --> 25:48.400
for President Maduro,
these are the same forces,

25:48.400 --> 25:49.680
as I know you're very aware,

25:49.680 --> 25:53.270
that conducted missions on
behalf, on Kremlin's behalf

25:53.270 --> 25:56.380
in Ukraine, Syria, and other
countries across Africa.

25:56.380 --> 25:59.320
How would you characterize
the actions of Kremlin

25:59.320 --> 26:01.140
and Kremlin-linked forces in Venezuela?

26:01.140 --> 26:04.550
Is it just regular training,
as Mr. Putin alleges,

26:04.550 --> 26:06.840
or is it something more nefarious?

26:06.840 --> 26:11.140
- Senator, we've consistently seen the way

26:11.140 --> 26:14.370
Russia manipulates media around the world.

26:14.370 --> 26:16.650
At one point, in February,

26:16.650 --> 26:20.140
for my Full Senate Armed
Services Committee Hearing,

26:20.140 --> 26:21.290
about a week before the hearing,

26:21.290 --> 26:23.340
I was here doing pre-hearing office calls

26:23.340 --> 26:25.680
and I came out of Senator Rubio's office

26:25.680 --> 26:28.390
to the news that Russian state TV

26:28.390 --> 26:29.780
was reporting my presence

26:29.780 --> 26:32.380
on the Colombian-Venezuela border,

26:32.380 --> 26:34.720
including a picture of
someone who wasn't me,

26:34.720 --> 26:37.120
and B-roll footage of tanks and planes

26:37.120 --> 26:38.860
poised to conduct an invasion.

26:38.860 --> 26:41.620
I think that sort of
states Russia's approach

26:41.620 --> 26:42.970
overall to accuracy.

26:42.970 --> 26:44.670
There are Russian troops,

26:44.670 --> 26:47.750
there are Russian defense contractors,

26:47.750 --> 26:51.320
their presence are in the
hundreds in Venezuela.

26:51.320 --> 26:54.040
They are supporting the Maduro regime,

26:54.040 --> 26:57.960
they are keeping Russian gear operable,

26:57.960 --> 27:01.870
they are conducting a
full range of activities

27:01.870 --> 27:04.140
you would expect a foreign power to do

27:04.140 --> 27:07.450
to prop up their puppet regime.

27:07.450 --> 27:09.050
- Thank You Admiral.

27:09.050 --> 27:10.250
- [Joni] Senator Hawley.

27:12.380 --> 27:13.280
- Admiral, thank you for being here,

27:13.280 --> 27:14.650
thank you for your leadership.

27:14.650 --> 27:16.470
Is it fair to say that one key Russian

27:16.470 --> 27:18.090
and Chinese objective in the region

27:18.090 --> 27:21.523
is to reduce United States
influence and access?

27:23.060 --> 27:24.510
- Sir, I think it is.

27:24.510 --> 27:26.320
I would differentiate it slightly.

27:26.320 --> 27:29.780
I think for Russia,
that would characterize

27:29.780 --> 27:32.120
as almost a wounded bear or wanting power.

27:32.120 --> 27:34.480
Their principal objective
is to make the U.S. look bad

27:34.480 --> 27:36.510
at whatever turn they can do,

27:36.510 --> 27:40.520
and do anything that would
blunt a U.S. advantage,

27:40.520 --> 27:43.130
even if that advantage is
for the international good

27:43.130 --> 27:45.500
of the people, as it is in Venezuela.

27:45.500 --> 27:47.900
For China, they have
legitimate economic interests

27:47.900 --> 27:50.630
around the world, and I
know we're working hard

27:50.630 --> 27:54.760
as a nation to figure
out how those legitimate

27:54.760 --> 27:57.680
international interests
can actually be played

27:57.680 --> 27:59.620
using the rule of law.

27:59.620 --> 28:02.060
So they have an economic
interest primarily,

28:02.060 --> 28:04.610
but make no question that my research,

28:04.610 --> 28:07.420
my study, the 56 ports
that they're working on,

28:07.420 --> 28:09.210
the extensive IT infrastructure,

28:09.210 --> 28:11.440
the extensive work they're doing cyber,

28:11.440 --> 28:13.590
the space access that they're working on,

28:13.590 --> 28:16.300
all these that would be characterized,

28:16.300 --> 28:19.100
I think by Russia, or excuse me,

28:19.100 --> 28:21.800
Chinese state officials as soft power,

28:21.800 --> 28:23.113
they have hard aims.

28:24.710 --> 28:27.070
And as I said in earlier
testimony this year,

28:27.070 --> 28:29.780
they're setting the
stage for future access

28:29.780 --> 28:33.360
and influence that would have
clearly military dimension.

28:33.360 --> 28:35.860
- So, just on this last
point there about China,

28:35.860 --> 28:37.130
with their ports, with their cyber,

28:37.130 --> 28:39.650
with their development,
you see that as part

28:39.650 --> 28:42.560
of a larger strategic plan on China's part

28:42.560 --> 28:44.460
to ramp up their influence in the region

28:44.460 --> 28:47.430
and also to diminish
ours, is that fair to say?

28:47.430 --> 28:51.630
- China has global aims
that extend beyond economic

28:51.630 --> 28:54.220
and I think we've got to continue

28:54.220 --> 28:57.400
to out-compete China globally,

28:57.400 --> 28:59.290
including in this
neighborhood, this hemisphere.

28:59.290 --> 29:00.870
- What is, thank you for that answer,

29:00.870 --> 29:02.380
what does it, give us a
sense of what you think,

29:02.380 --> 29:03.570
in your judgment, that looks like,

29:03.570 --> 29:05.217
what does it look like
for us to out-compete them

29:05.217 --> 29:07.530
and what do we need to be doing

29:07.530 --> 29:10.610
to meet their, meet and turn back

29:10.610 --> 29:12.470
their strategic aims here?

29:12.470 --> 29:13.710
- There are a lot of security challenges

29:13.710 --> 29:16.650
around the world, as have been outlined.

29:16.650 --> 29:20.840
North Korea, Iran, Russia
and the near abroad,

29:20.840 --> 29:22.620
China, South China Seas.

29:22.620 --> 29:24.530
We have to make sure that
we look at those globally

29:24.530 --> 29:26.190
and we are as a department.

29:26.190 --> 29:28.570
We have to make sure that
their resourced globally

29:28.570 --> 29:30.850
and resourced to a sufficient level

29:30.850 --> 29:33.120
so that China doesn't come in

29:33.120 --> 29:35.420
and fill that vacuum when we're not there.

29:35.420 --> 29:39.160
And so, at a point, you can't
do that just via a schoolhouse

29:39.160 --> 29:41.390
in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
and Newport, Rhode Island,

29:41.390 --> 29:43.530
or Montgomery, Alabama, at any one

29:43.530 --> 29:44.770
of our excellent war colleges,

29:44.770 --> 29:47.560
or at Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security,

29:47.560 --> 29:50.270
Fort Benning, or here in the
Perry Center in Washington.

29:50.270 --> 29:52.610
At a point, we've got to be in the region,

29:52.610 --> 29:55.300
be present, that means U.S. Navy ships,

29:55.300 --> 29:59.340
Coast Guard Cutters, Marine
Special Purpose MAGTF forces,

29:59.340 --> 30:02.540
Special Operations forces, small numbers.

30:02.540 --> 30:06.400
We have, in some cases,
adequate numbers now,

30:06.400 --> 30:09.120
but if we took reductions,

30:09.120 --> 30:11.800
and we might have to for the global fight,

30:11.800 --> 30:13.920
that would have a
disproportionate impact, I think,

30:13.920 --> 30:17.030
in the long term ability
to work with our partners.

30:17.030 --> 30:19.690
- Are there capability gaps
that you have currently

30:19.690 --> 30:20.523
that you're concerned about,

30:20.523 --> 30:22.340
that we should be doing something about?

30:22.340 --> 30:25.170
- I am concerned, the Littoral Combat Ship

30:25.170 --> 30:28.260
is an excellent platform
the Navy's bringing online.

30:28.260 --> 30:29.570
It's had some growing pains.

30:29.570 --> 30:32.470
I'm confident we're
gonna come out of those.

30:32.470 --> 30:34.790
The Sergeant Major and
I spent several hours

30:34.790 --> 30:38.020
on a Littoral Combat Ship in
Mayport, Florida, recently.

30:38.020 --> 30:39.390
It's a capability we need.

30:39.390 --> 30:42.120
We don't have it, Navy's
committed to deploying one

30:42.120 --> 30:44.480
in October, in fact the U.S.,

30:44.480 --> 30:46.587
won't give the name,
but a ship in October,

30:46.587 --> 30:48.150
and we look forward to that,

30:48.150 --> 30:50.740
so we don't have a Navy combatant now.

30:50.740 --> 30:52.470
And so that's a capability gap.

30:52.470 --> 30:54.450
Intelligence, Surveillance,
reconnaissance assets

30:54.450 --> 30:56.390
are a challenge worldwide.

30:56.390 --> 31:00.160
We need those for monitoring
the situation in Venezuela,

31:00.160 --> 31:03.070
also for the global
counter-narcotic fight,

31:03.070 --> 31:06.180
the crisis this nation,
that's our number one asset

31:06.180 --> 31:08.070
to detect that flow.

31:08.070 --> 31:10.720
So we are short assets, yes, Senator.

31:10.720 --> 31:12.720
- Thank you for that, that's very helpful.

31:12.720 --> 31:15.900
Let me ask you about our
Mil-to-Mil contacts there,

31:15.900 --> 31:18.530
which you've already discussed some.

31:18.530 --> 31:21.030
They seem to be in your region,

31:21.030 --> 31:22.300
they're relatively narrow focused,

31:22.300 --> 31:24.030
and at the small unit level.

31:24.030 --> 31:27.330
I'm just wondering do you
feel that our training events

31:27.330 --> 31:30.760
with our partner nations are
focused at the right level,

31:30.760 --> 31:32.470
and are they having the effects

31:32.470 --> 31:34.613
that you think they should should be?

31:36.550 --> 31:37.960
- We do focus at the unit level,

31:37.960 --> 31:40.560
and the basic blocking,
tackling rightly starts there,

31:40.560 --> 31:43.660
but we also have some high-end exercise

31:43.660 --> 31:44.860
with our very capable partners.

31:44.860 --> 31:49.860
So we just completed UNITAS,
which is the longest-serving

31:49.970 --> 31:52.150
maritime exercise that
the United States has,

31:52.150 --> 31:54.840
60 years, this was 60th year.

31:54.840 --> 31:57.280
Our very capable Chilean
partners lead that

31:57.280 --> 32:00.370
and hosted it, and were in
command of that exercise.

32:00.370 --> 32:04.150
12 nations in that exercise
from around the globe,

32:04.150 --> 32:06.620
observers from the UK and others,

32:06.620 --> 32:09.070
and ships from Ecuador,

32:09.070 --> 32:11.980
and very capable high-end exercise.

32:11.980 --> 32:14.400
At the same time we had
our Forces Commando,

32:14.400 --> 32:17.170
so 19 special operations forces squads

32:17.170 --> 32:19.690
working together as a
team in a competition,

32:19.690 --> 32:23.220
also in Chile, simultaneously operating.

32:23.220 --> 32:26.060
So we do have high-end exercises.

32:26.060 --> 32:27.460
I think there's more we could do

32:27.460 --> 32:30.370
to increase the level
and complexity of those

32:30.370 --> 32:31.400
and bring more partners in,

32:31.400 --> 32:33.880
and that's one of the
things we're focused on

32:33.880 --> 32:36.660
if there's additional
resources for exercises.

32:36.660 --> 32:38.150
- Can I ask just one more
question Madam Chair,

32:38.150 --> 32:39.380
last question, just on UNITAS,

32:39.380 --> 32:41.600
since you mentioned it, Admiral.

32:41.600 --> 32:43.610
Can you tell us if 1,700 personnel,

32:43.610 --> 32:46.383
I understand over 1,700
personnel participated,

32:47.260 --> 32:50.760
12 nations, can you
describe the degree of trust

32:50.760 --> 32:53.450
among the member nations,
the participating nations,

32:53.450 --> 32:54.480
alignment of priorities,

32:54.480 --> 32:56.150
things you feel came out of this

32:56.150 --> 32:58.750
that you would report on to us?

32:58.750 --> 33:01.180
- I attended the opening ceremony,

33:01.180 --> 33:03.450
and had a chance to sit
in to the pre-sail brief

33:03.450 --> 33:06.470
in the hanger of a Chilean frigate,

33:06.470 --> 33:09.070
and went down the line, met the lieutenant

33:09.070 --> 33:10.780
who was leading the diving salvage,

33:10.780 --> 33:14.300
and the aggressor force, 03 Lieutenant,

33:14.300 --> 33:16.750
who was leading the opposition force,

33:16.750 --> 33:18.540
the commander of the Chilean sub

33:18.540 --> 33:20.100
who was gonna go out and try to sink

33:20.100 --> 33:23.690
the high-end American destroyer
that Michael Murphy named

33:23.690 --> 33:25.850
after one of our Medal of Honor winners.

33:25.850 --> 33:28.700
And you saw a band of brothers

33:28.700 --> 33:29.960
standing there on the flight deck,

33:29.960 --> 33:31.940
it would make any one of us proud,

33:31.940 --> 33:35.530
and that's exercise money, train dollars,

33:35.530 --> 33:36.970
that's well spent.

33:36.970 --> 33:38.960
And that exercise covered everything

33:38.960 --> 33:42.800
from HADR to response
to a terrorist activity,

33:42.800 --> 33:44.130
and it was intense.

33:44.130 --> 33:45.120
- [Josh] Thank you, thank you Madam Chair.

33:45.120 --> 33:47.250
- [Joni] Thank you, Senator Shaheen.

33:47.250 --> 33:49.970
- Thank you Madam Chair,
and thank you Admiral Faller

33:49.970 --> 33:51.910
for being here today.

33:51.910 --> 33:53.400
You mentioned the shortfall

33:53.400 --> 33:56.290
in the global counter-narcotics effort,

33:56.290 --> 33:58.750
and as I'm sure you're aware,

33:58.750 --> 34:00.790
the opioid crisis in the U.S.

34:00.790 --> 34:05.790
was responsible for more
than 47,000 deaths in 2017,

34:05.870 --> 34:09.560
and much of that, those substances

34:09.560 --> 34:11.640
come in through Mexico,

34:11.640 --> 34:14.810
heroin grown in South American countries,

34:14.810 --> 34:17.300
particularly Colombia,
is trafficked to the U.S.

34:17.300 --> 34:19.210
by air and sea.

34:19.210 --> 34:23.720
And it has a real impact on the
entire country, as you know.

34:23.720 --> 34:25.780
In New Hampshire we
have the second highest

34:25.780 --> 34:29.050
opioid-related overdose
deaths in the nation,

34:29.050 --> 34:30.920
So can you talk a little bit about

34:30.920 --> 34:35.080
what you're doing to coordinate
with state governments

34:35.080 --> 34:37.163
in the U.S. on this effort?

34:39.760 --> 34:43.830
- The drug crisis is a national
security crisis, Senator,

34:43.830 --> 34:47.310
and it's that easy to get drugs in

34:47.310 --> 34:49.570
and the other illicit commodities

34:49.570 --> 34:51.910
that can come along with
those same networks.

34:51.910 --> 34:53.710
It's a significant focus of ours,

34:53.710 --> 34:56.300
and as I mentioned in a previous question,

34:56.300 --> 34:58.690
there are insufficient
resources dedicated to that.

34:58.690 --> 35:00.800
We're working as hard as we can

35:00.800 --> 35:03.730
with the Coast Guard,
it's a premier agency,

35:03.730 --> 35:04.660
and they're working hard.

35:04.660 --> 35:07.380
They've dedicated twice
the number of Cutters

35:07.380 --> 35:09.000
to the effort than what they commit

35:09.000 --> 35:10.340
in their annual global plan,

35:10.340 --> 35:11.550
which shows the level of commitment,

35:11.550 --> 35:14.863
and our Navy stepped up to commit more.

35:15.930 --> 35:18.520
Joint Interagency Task
Force South in Key West,

35:18.520 --> 35:20.870
as you know, is a premier center,

35:20.870 --> 35:23.140
and with about 1.5% of the budget

35:25.794 --> 35:28.040
gets about 90% of the drugs
headed into the country,

35:28.040 --> 35:30.540
cocaine which is principally
coming from Colombia.

35:31.770 --> 35:34.180
So we're working as hard as we can

35:34.180 --> 35:39.150
with our partners across
the U.S. interagency,

35:39.150 --> 35:41.510
principally in the Joint
Interagency Task Force South,

35:41.510 --> 35:45.220
and in the committees
here in Washington, D.C.,

35:45.220 --> 35:47.690
to look at ways to be more effective,

35:47.690 --> 35:50.403
and to put more resources,
and intelligence,

35:52.290 --> 35:54.960
and thought into the interdiction problem.

35:54.960 --> 35:58.433
It's also a supply problem,
and a demand problem.

35:59.631 --> 36:01.110
And in that regard, I'd have to say

36:01.110 --> 36:04.710
that Columbia has stepped
up in a significant way.

36:04.710 --> 36:06.500
And while the statistics that you cite

36:06.500 --> 36:09.053
don't reflect that,
because of the time lag,

36:10.350 --> 36:13.410
what has been published
and made public for 2018,

36:13.410 --> 36:15.610
since President Duque's taken over,

36:15.610 --> 36:19.000
is a significant increase in eradication,

36:19.000 --> 36:21.720
manual eradication, a significant increase

36:21.720 --> 36:24.280
in Colombian partner interdiction,

36:24.280 --> 36:27.950
a significant increase
in the Colombian forces

36:29.020 --> 36:30.830
contact with the narco-traffickers

36:30.830 --> 36:33.810
and the terrorist groups
that deal in this.

36:33.810 --> 36:35.780
And so working with our partners,

36:35.780 --> 36:37.770
both in the U.S. Interagency

36:37.770 --> 36:40.270
and our other host nation partners,

36:40.270 --> 36:41.980
40% of our interdictions right now

36:41.980 --> 36:44.750
are by these partner nations that we train

36:44.750 --> 36:45.990
and work with.

36:45.990 --> 36:47.710
Colombia, and I mentioned already

36:47.710 --> 36:50.170
the very capable forces of El Salvador,

36:50.170 --> 36:51.270
Honduras, and Guatemala.

36:51.270 --> 36:54.081
I would have to add in there Panama

36:54.081 --> 36:56.930
and Costa Rica have stepped
up, but more can be done.

36:56.930 --> 36:59.310
And we are certainly dedicated to that

36:59.310 --> 37:02.700
because there is still way too much drugs

37:02.700 --> 37:03.533
that are getting through

37:03.533 --> 37:05.640
and getting to this country, Senator.

37:05.640 --> 37:07.353
- Well, thank you very much.

37:08.890 --> 37:10.970
I wanna switch subjects now.

37:10.970 --> 37:14.500
I'm looking at a contract award document

37:14.500 --> 37:16.300
from the Defense Logistics Agency

37:16.300 --> 37:18.870
for February of 2018.

37:18.870 --> 37:20.850
And one of the projects described here

37:20.850 --> 37:23.870
is for a contingency
mass migration complex

37:23.870 --> 37:25.930
at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay,

37:25.930 --> 37:30.930
and it's a $23,164,000
fixed-price contract

37:31.680 --> 37:35.080
for construction of that
mass migration complex.

37:35.080 --> 37:37.690
It includes site shaping for tents,

37:37.690 --> 37:39.710
concrete pads for camp headquarters.

37:39.710 --> 37:42.630
It goes on to talk about
mass notification system,

37:42.630 --> 37:46.180
various infrastructure requirements.

37:46.180 --> 37:49.560
Are you aware of this contract,

37:49.560 --> 37:52.580
and do you, have you been
part of any discussions

37:52.580 --> 37:54.770
about what that mass migration complex

37:54.770 --> 37:56.160
is gonna be used for?

37:56.160 --> 38:00.410
Is it gonna be used for
movement of migrants

38:00.410 --> 38:03.013
from our southern border
to Guantanamo Bay?

38:04.980 --> 38:06.250
- Senator, one of our missions

38:06.250 --> 38:09.730
is to be able to handle any
kind of mass migration event,

38:09.730 --> 38:10.647
that's a SOUTHCOM mission,

38:10.647 --> 38:13.260
and we have experienced that in the past

38:13.260 --> 38:15.840
with migrants from Cuba and Haiti.

38:15.840 --> 38:20.000
The part of the Naval
Station, there's a field,

38:20.000 --> 38:22.700
at part of the Naval
Station in Guantanamo Bay

38:22.700 --> 38:26.350
that is an unimproved
field that could be subject

38:26.350 --> 38:29.650
to any kind of weather conditions, mud.

38:29.650 --> 38:32.300
And so to get that field to a standard,

38:32.300 --> 38:34.320
so if we had a mass migration,

38:34.320 --> 38:36.740
as I mentioned, from Cuba or Haiti,

38:36.740 --> 38:39.225
we could keep the migrants on cement pads

38:39.225 --> 38:42.050
instead of in the mud,
and have power and water

38:42.050 --> 38:43.770
for sanitation ready to go.

38:43.770 --> 38:46.930
We didn't currently
have adequate facilities

38:46.930 --> 38:48.950
for the numbers that we would estimate

38:48.950 --> 38:50.450
in those worst kind of migrations.

38:50.450 --> 38:52.850
So I've been down to look at the progress

38:52.850 --> 38:54.770
that was there at the start of the work.

38:54.770 --> 38:56.930
Work's ongoing, we're supervising it.

38:56.930 --> 38:59.270
We also run an annual training drill.

38:59.270 --> 39:03.020
We actually send our
Army South soldiers there

39:03.020 --> 39:05.300
to walk through the command and control

39:05.300 --> 39:07.130
and the interagency
coordination have been required,

39:07.130 --> 39:09.740
so I'm very much involved in the details.

39:09.740 --> 39:13.670
That is for a projected
future mass migration event.

39:13.670 --> 39:17.350
There has been no discussion,
or no order given to me

39:17.350 --> 39:19.100
to prepare that site for any kind

39:19.100 --> 39:23.210
of a southwest border flow.

39:23.210 --> 39:24.810
- Are you aware of any discussions

39:24.810 --> 39:28.610
that have been held that
you may not have been given

39:28.610 --> 39:30.900
a direct order, but have you been part of,

39:30.900 --> 39:32.410
or do you know of any discussions

39:32.410 --> 39:35.660
that have been held to move
southern border migrants there?

39:35.660 --> 39:37.730
- No, Senator, nobody's
had a discussion with me

39:37.730 --> 39:39.030
to that effect.

39:39.030 --> 39:40.950
- Thank you, thank you.

39:40.950 --> 39:42.150
- [Joni] Senator Hirono.

39:44.070 --> 39:46.070
- Thank you Madam Chair.

39:46.070 --> 39:48.460
I'd like to follow up on the questions

39:48.460 --> 39:50.690
that Senator Shaheen just asked.

39:50.690 --> 39:53.473
So she referred to a $23 million?

39:54.580 --> 39:56.130
- It's over 23, it's almost 24.

39:57.172 --> 40:01.783
- $24 million contract
to house mass migration,

40:02.730 --> 40:06.110
people as a result of mass migration.

40:06.110 --> 40:09.380
So what is that money for?

40:09.380 --> 40:12.530
Is it just, what, to, I don't understand.

40:12.530 --> 40:15.470
Doesn't it, isn't it gonna
go to put some buildings up

40:15.470 --> 40:16.994
in this field that you're talking about

40:16.994 --> 40:18.383
at Guantanamo Bay?

40:19.550 --> 40:23.340
- Senator, we currently
have a migration operation

40:23.340 --> 40:25.947
for principally for Cuban migrants,

40:25.947 --> 40:29.683
and there are a small flow of
migrants that come from Cuba.

40:30.970 --> 40:34.410
- This money is for mass migration.

40:34.410 --> 40:37.870
I don't think we're talking
about Cuba or Haiti.

40:37.870 --> 40:40.320
- So the current facilities are inadequate

40:40.320 --> 40:42.816
to hold any more than a few hundred,

40:42.816 --> 40:44.870
and so the worst case plans,

40:44.870 --> 40:46.520
based on historical analysis,

40:46.520 --> 40:48.800
or some kind of future event,

40:48.800 --> 40:51.090
could be a weather-related event,

40:51.090 --> 40:54.160
would call for a larger
infrastructure footprint

40:54.160 --> 40:55.900
that could hold into
the tens of thousands.

40:55.900 --> 40:57.250
And so that's what that's based on.

40:57.250 --> 40:59.390
It's based on electrical infrastructure,

40:59.390 --> 41:02.260
sewage, water, power, concrete pads,

41:02.260 --> 41:05.550
some sanitation buildings.

41:05.550 --> 41:08.010
It's a very spartan camp though, Senator.

41:08.010 --> 41:09.610
- Admiral, are you saying that this money

41:09.610 --> 41:12.610
is not for the purposes of
moving some of the migrants

41:12.610 --> 41:17.243
from the Northern Triangle
countries to Guantanamo Bay?

41:17.243 --> 41:19.597
- That's correct, Senator, not for.

41:20.740 --> 41:23.730
- So, in any news reports that say

41:23.730 --> 41:27.080
that there is a potential
for housing these people

41:27.080 --> 41:29.930
at Guantanamo Bay would be mistaken?

41:29.930 --> 41:31.550
- I've seen the same
news reports, Senator,

41:31.550 --> 41:33.130
but the program money,

41:33.130 --> 41:34.810
and the project we're overseeing

41:34.810 --> 41:37.670
and the mission we have
is for mass migration,

41:37.670 --> 41:38.780
not southwest border.

41:38.780 --> 41:40.590
- So you haven't gotten any order,

41:40.590 --> 41:43.480
or well, there's no direct order,

41:43.480 --> 41:46.380
no discussion about sending people

41:46.380 --> 41:48.530
from the Northern Triangle
to Guantanamo Bay,

41:48.530 --> 41:51.030
but if such an event occurs,

41:51.030 --> 41:52.460
or such discussions occur,

41:52.460 --> 41:54.960
would you let this committee know?

41:54.960 --> 41:56.160
- Senator, I assure you I would,

41:56.160 --> 41:59.580
if there was a discussion,
or an order that I had

41:59.580 --> 42:01.010
with that respect.

42:01.010 --> 42:04.690
- Okay, because, of course,
you know with thousands

42:04.690 --> 42:06.990
and thousands of people coming
from the Northern Triangle,

42:06.990 --> 42:08.990
our facilities are bursting at the seams,

42:08.990 --> 42:11.730
and there's no question
that there's acknowledgement

42:11.730 --> 42:16.730
that the some of our defense
assets might be put to use

42:18.240 --> 42:19.510
to house these people.

42:19.510 --> 42:23.003
So I think it's a matter
of great concern for us.

42:28.590 --> 42:30.420
Page one of your testimony,

42:30.420 --> 42:32.780
you talk about the impact
of interstate competition

42:32.780 --> 42:35.260
with China and Russia,
who are capitalizing

42:35.260 --> 42:38.530
on the instability within your AOR.

42:38.530 --> 42:41.150
So China, as you know, is a primary threat

42:41.150 --> 42:44.690
in the Indo-Pacific AOR,
but they are, of course,

42:44.690 --> 42:46.840
increasingly turning to other countries,

42:46.840 --> 42:50.730
including, they spread a wide net.

42:50.730 --> 42:53.670
What impact has the China's activities

42:54.950 --> 42:59.810
on Southern Command had
with your relationships

42:59.810 --> 43:00.750
with partner nations?

43:00.750 --> 43:02.190
Because, you know China is very busy

43:02.190 --> 43:06.857
trying to insert themselves
into having influence

43:08.480 --> 43:11.200
with our partner countries in that area,

43:11.200 --> 43:13.740
so is it making it harder for you

43:13.740 --> 43:17.200
to retain these important relationships

43:17.200 --> 43:18.550
with our partner countries?

43:20.470 --> 43:23.410
- Our partners still want and view us

43:23.410 --> 43:24.540
as a partner of choice.

43:24.540 --> 43:28.423
And our schools, education,
and everything is preferred.

43:29.320 --> 43:30.510
I think the challenge comes in

43:30.510 --> 43:34.800
if we don't have the speed, the quantity,

43:34.800 --> 43:38.180
or for some reason we're not there

43:38.180 --> 43:39.960
to be able to provide the partnership.

43:39.960 --> 43:41.970
And so from that respect when a nation,

43:41.970 --> 43:44.800
I'll give you one example, Senator.

43:44.800 --> 43:47.920
I'm sitting with, having
my third cup of tea

43:47.920 --> 43:52.560
with one of the leaders from a capable

43:52.560 --> 43:56.250
Caribbean partner nation,
and I don't start out

43:56.250 --> 43:59.700
asking about China, I start
asking about the things

43:59.700 --> 44:02.780
that are mutual threats,
how they perceive 'em.

44:02.780 --> 44:06.590
I have a lot to learn in my tour.

44:06.590 --> 44:08.750
But we get to China,
whether they bring it up,

44:08.750 --> 44:12.320
I'll bring it up, and then I'll be blunt

44:12.320 --> 44:14.377
and ask, "What's China providing for you

44:14.377 --> 44:16.600
"in this particular?"

44:16.600 --> 44:20.567
Chief of defense said,
"They gifted me $23 million

44:20.567 --> 44:21.400
"last year."

44:21.400 --> 44:23.177
I said, "Well, what did what do with it?"

44:23.177 --> 44:25.330
"Just 23 million, here's cash."

44:25.330 --> 44:28.740
I looked at my my
security cooperation card

44:28.740 --> 44:32.210
and I think my total sum of assistance

44:32.210 --> 44:36.210
was 1.5, which I thought
was pretty adequate.

44:36.210 --> 44:38.360
And so we're not gonna compete in volume,

44:38.360 --> 44:41.890
we have to compete in quality
and speed of relevance.

44:41.890 --> 44:43.840
Sometimes that may be fast, sometimes slow

44:43.840 --> 44:46.450
based on what the partner needs.

44:46.450 --> 44:48.730
And so that does make
it challenging though,

44:48.730 --> 44:49.840
that 23 million.

44:49.840 --> 44:53.937
And the chief of defense said,
"Well I didn't buy any IT

44:53.937 --> 44:54.810
"with that, Admiral."

44:54.810 --> 44:56.380
I'm like, well, okay.

44:56.380 --> 44:57.920
But I mean there's only so many uniforms

44:57.920 --> 44:59.460
you can buy for 23 million,

44:59.460 --> 45:01.940
so you did something with it, I get it.

45:01.940 --> 45:03.290
It's hard to turn down cash.

45:03.290 --> 45:05.870
That's the challenge that
we're competing with.

45:05.870 --> 45:08.120
And some of the partners
are turning it down.

45:09.470 --> 45:11.020
- One asks, one wonders, for how long

45:11.020 --> 45:14.630
can they turn down what might
be basically free money.

45:14.630 --> 45:18.250
And so is China and, are
China and Russia also involved

45:18.250 --> 45:20.000
in the Northern Triangle countries?

45:20.980 --> 45:23.150
- So it's different per country,

45:23.150 --> 45:25.050
and I try to always break 'em apart,

45:25.050 --> 45:27.440
and go country by country.

45:27.440 --> 45:29.640
Previous leadership in El Salvador

45:29.640 --> 45:31.400
had a little different view about China,

45:31.400 --> 45:32.920
and changed directions.

45:32.920 --> 45:36.670
I think the new leadership
is much more pro U.S.

45:36.670 --> 45:38.070
and really wanting to partner,

45:38.070 --> 45:39.950
I mentioned their chief of defense

45:39.950 --> 45:43.930
and minister of defense,
and that's including

45:43.930 --> 45:47.440
both Russia and China.

45:47.440 --> 45:50.903
And I see the same in
Honduras and Guatemala,

45:52.601 --> 45:53.570
and from a policy perspective,

45:53.570 --> 45:56.207
they stuck by Taiwan and the U.S.,

45:57.520 --> 45:58.760
Guatemala and Honduras have.

45:58.760 --> 46:00.170
So I think it's different,

46:00.170 --> 46:01.890
but Russia and China are in there,

46:01.890 --> 46:03.060
and they're trying to make inroads,

46:03.060 --> 46:06.500
and they'll take every
opportunity to move in

46:06.500 --> 46:07.333
if we're not.

46:07.333 --> 46:09.310
- So it sounds as though,
with that kind of competition,

46:09.310 --> 46:11.710
your presence, whatever we can do

46:11.710 --> 46:16.200
to shore up our relationships
is a constant thing for you,

46:16.200 --> 46:18.710
so keep doing it.

46:18.710 --> 46:19.810
Thank you Madam Chair.

46:20.900 --> 46:22.530
- Okay, Admiral, we will go ahead

46:22.530 --> 46:24.430
and do a second round of questioning.

46:24.430 --> 46:26.570
I think our members have
additional questions

46:26.570 --> 46:29.253
they'd love to to hear your thoughts on.

46:30.730 --> 46:35.070
We talked to a little bit about Argentina

46:35.070 --> 46:36.830
during your office call,

46:36.830 --> 46:40.900
and some of the deep
space tracking facilities

46:40.900 --> 46:42.940
that are there.

46:42.940 --> 46:45.680
If you could, in an unclassified setting,

46:45.680 --> 46:47.400
in this room, can you elaborate

46:47.400 --> 46:49.600
on the assess purpose of that facility

46:49.600 --> 46:53.150
and the threat that it
is posing to our military

46:53.150 --> 46:57.430
and to other assets that we have here?

46:57.430 --> 47:01.340
- China's working in
space around the globe

47:01.340 --> 47:03.960
and across all elements of space.

47:03.960 --> 47:07.150
I think our focus on
space is exactly right

47:07.150 --> 47:08.990
as we gotta stay ahead in this area.

47:08.990 --> 47:10.420
They're looking for access points.

47:10.420 --> 47:13.560
They've found them in South America,

47:13.560 --> 47:15.790
and Argentina is principally one,

47:15.790 --> 47:20.360
and that's the extent
to what China is doing,

47:20.360 --> 47:24.960
and the degree of military
activity at that site

47:24.960 --> 47:28.213
is extremely concerning to the security

47:29.220 --> 47:30.420
of the United States.

47:30.420 --> 47:34.000
- And can you expound
on what is the impact

47:34.000 --> 47:36.128
to the United States,

47:36.128 --> 47:37.120
having them there.
- China has the ability

47:38.461 --> 47:41.730
to have a more global view
of all space activities,

47:41.730 --> 47:46.068
and that could run the gamut
of offense and defense,

47:46.068 --> 47:48.994
so beyond that, we'd have to go

47:48.994 --> 47:50.435
to a different setting, Senator.

47:50.435 --> 47:52.690
- Okay, absolutely, thank
you, I appreciate that.

47:52.690 --> 47:54.360
Outside of China and Russia,

47:54.360 --> 47:56.210
we've spent a lot of
time visiting about them,

47:56.210 --> 47:59.760
but Iran and Iranian proxies

47:59.760 --> 48:02.530
do have a long history in South America

48:02.530 --> 48:04.364
and in the Western Hemisphere.

48:04.364 --> 48:09.364
There was the 1994 bombing of
a Jewish Center in Argentina,

48:09.420 --> 48:12.780
and the presence of Hezbollah-affiliated

48:12.780 --> 48:15.830
fundraising activities across the region.

48:15.830 --> 48:18.460
And how would you
characterize their presence

48:18.460 --> 48:22.223
in this hemisphere, and what
are their primary objectives?

48:24.090 --> 48:25.630
- Iran continues to be the number one

48:25.630 --> 48:27.707
state sponsor of terror around the world,

48:27.707 --> 48:32.220
and their long arm of
malfeasance is everywhere,

48:32.220 --> 48:36.530
and we see that recently in
their attacks on tankers.

48:36.530 --> 48:41.530
And they have attributable to at least two

48:41.890 --> 48:44.190
attributable terror attacks
here in this hemisphere,

48:44.190 --> 48:45.300
right here in Washington, D.C.,

48:45.300 --> 48:47.617
where they attempted to
kill the Saudi Ambassador

48:47.617 --> 48:49.800
to the United States within,

48:49.800 --> 48:52.560
you know really within blocks
of where we're sitting,

48:52.560 --> 48:56.420
and their state-sponsored
terror attack in Argentina.

48:56.420 --> 48:59.890
And there are active connections

48:59.890 --> 49:03.140
between Iranian regime
and Lebanese Hezbollah

49:03.140 --> 49:05.593
fundraising activities
throughout the region.

49:06.510 --> 49:08.120
We watch these closely.

49:08.120 --> 49:11.770
There's also a Iranian
sponsorship of Islamic Centers

49:11.770 --> 49:14.070
with very dubious and
questionable purposes

49:14.070 --> 49:17.570
throughout the hemisphere,
that has considerable ties

49:17.570 --> 49:20.253
to known terror activities in Iran.

49:22.022 --> 49:23.197
And we keep our eye on this,

49:23.197 --> 49:26.280
and we work closely with
our capable partners,

49:26.280 --> 49:28.180
such as Brazil and Argentina

49:28.180 --> 49:31.160
to share information about these threats.

49:31.160 --> 49:33.840
And in your estimation then,

49:33.840 --> 49:36.870
these elements that
exist in this hemisphere,

49:36.870 --> 49:40.083
are they capable of
hindering U.S. objectives?

49:41.260 --> 49:44.460
- We've seen what Iran is doing
day in and day out, Senator,

49:44.460 --> 49:49.460
in the Arabian Gulf, in
Yemen, in Saudi Arabia,

49:50.150 --> 49:52.860
in the UAE, what they've
done here in the past,

49:52.860 --> 49:57.350
and so I don't put much stock

49:57.350 --> 49:59.160
in their good intentions going forward,

49:59.160 --> 50:03.010
and so I think we've
got our eye on this one

50:03.010 --> 50:05.350
as best we can with the resources we have.

50:05.350 --> 50:07.230
- Thank you Admiral,
I'll yield back my time,

50:07.230 --> 50:08.233
Senator Peters?

50:10.220 --> 50:11.970
- Thank you, thank you Madam Chair.

50:13.575 --> 50:16.670
I'm gonna pick up on a question
the chair asked you about,

50:16.670 --> 50:18.760
the domains, you've talked
about the space domain,

50:18.760 --> 50:22.510
but the other domain that we
need to be focused on is cyber,

50:22.510 --> 50:25.160
in particular Chinese
activities around the world

50:25.160 --> 50:25.993
in that area.

50:25.993 --> 50:29.060
Would you explain what the
Chinese may or may not be doing

50:29.060 --> 50:32.543
in Latin America to expand
their cyber capabilities?

50:33.640 --> 50:36.560
- Start with the crisis in Venezuela.

50:36.560 --> 50:38.930
So the Maduro made crisis there,

50:38.930 --> 50:43.280
which now pushed out over 4
million migrants, unfortunately,

50:43.280 --> 50:47.600
it's affecting their
region, is being aided,

50:47.600 --> 50:50.640
abetted by Russia, Cuba,
and to a lesser extent,

50:50.640 --> 50:52.880
but a significant one, China.

50:52.880 --> 50:55.930
And the debt that I mentioned
in my opening statement,

50:55.930 --> 50:58.300
China is also, and I
mentioned this as well,

50:58.300 --> 51:03.300
involved in enabling cyber
for the Maduro regime.

51:05.230 --> 51:07.443
We look broadly beyond that.

51:08.945 --> 51:11.820
The attractiveness of IT infrastructure

51:11.820 --> 51:14.160
and the Safe City, Smart City concept,

51:14.160 --> 51:16.810
where IT infrastructure can provide

51:16.810 --> 51:20.290
surveillance opportunities
for security forces,

51:20.290 --> 51:24.240
is being actively pursued by
a number of important partners

51:24.240 --> 51:25.093
in the region.

51:26.320 --> 51:29.500
We've been very actively involved

51:29.500 --> 51:33.810
with our interagency partners
to explain the risks.

51:33.810 --> 51:36.140
And on a Mil-to-Mil, and
security force level,

51:36.140 --> 51:37.653
the partners, they get it.

51:38.920 --> 51:40.330
And they've been able in some cases

51:40.330 --> 51:42.040
to articulate that to their leadership

51:42.040 --> 51:46.260
to slow or stop some projects.

51:46.260 --> 51:50.850
But they turn to us and say,
"What's our alternative?"

51:50.850 --> 51:54.600
They, just like was
mentioned about the money,

51:54.600 --> 51:57.357
Senator Hirono mentioned, at some point,

51:57.357 --> 51:59.313
you do need resources.

52:00.250 --> 52:02.897
They all say, "Hey, we
need IT infrastructure.

52:02.897 --> 52:04.747
"What's the alternative
that will come forward

52:04.747 --> 52:06.170
"that we can provide."

52:06.170 --> 52:08.350
On a Mil-to-Mil level, we're
working on some important

52:08.350 --> 52:11.863
security cooperation
packages with Cybercom,

52:12.840 --> 52:15.840
some of our first-ever
security cooperation packages

52:15.840 --> 52:17.750
with partners that have asked,

52:17.750 --> 52:20.830
almost everywhere we go,
the partners want to do more

52:20.830 --> 52:21.950
in this area.

52:21.950 --> 52:24.090
And we've made some visits
to do some assessments,

52:24.090 --> 52:26.560
and with support of Congress,
we're gonna come forward

52:26.560 --> 52:30.150
with some 333 packages
that will do training,

52:30.150 --> 52:32.710
education, and cyber infrastructure

52:32.710 --> 52:33.980
in a Mil-to-Mil realm.

52:33.980 --> 52:36.040
It's the first ones ever we're pushing

52:36.040 --> 52:38.130
with a couple of our
very capable partners.

52:38.130 --> 52:40.980
And so that's got to be our response,

52:40.980 --> 52:43.070
and that's another reason why we need to,

52:43.070 --> 52:45.590
when I talk more broadly about being there

52:45.590 --> 52:47.190
and being consistent,
that's one of the areas

52:47.190 --> 52:49.730
we're gonna look moving forward,

52:49.730 --> 52:52.510
and that will help both
of us on cyber defense.

52:52.510 --> 52:56.480
But China is there in a big way, Senator.

52:56.480 --> 53:00.960
- And China uses cyber, not just to deal

53:00.960 --> 53:03.510
with security issues
and surveillance issues

53:03.510 --> 53:05.580
to prevent a crime, but also to keep track

53:05.580 --> 53:08.520
of their population, and
to, some would argue,

53:08.520 --> 53:10.000
to manipulate the population,

53:10.000 --> 53:15.000
and get them more
compliant with the regime.

53:15.630 --> 53:17.480
Do you believe Latin American governments

53:17.480 --> 53:20.090
are also moving in that direction

53:20.090 --> 53:21.840
with the assistance of the Chinese?

53:24.230 --> 53:26.220
- Senator, when I talk to our partners

53:26.220 --> 53:29.420
about U.S. versus China, I
said, "Look, I'm not here

53:30.802 --> 53:33.477
"to bash China, I'm not
here to even ask you

53:33.477 --> 53:34.637
"to make a choice.

53:34.637 --> 53:36.847
"I'm here to talk about
what's important to you

53:36.847 --> 53:37.807
"and what's important to us,

53:37.807 --> 53:39.857
"and I think I know where you come from,

53:39.857 --> 53:43.107
"where you honor and respect democracy,

53:43.107 --> 53:46.170
"rule of law, human
rights, and sovereignty."

53:46.170 --> 53:48.980
I just, I look at those
sort of four representative

53:48.980 --> 53:51.960
variables, and I say, and
I look at the competition

53:51.960 --> 53:54.423
that you might want to do business with,

53:55.610 --> 53:57.040
there's other external state actors,

53:57.040 --> 53:58.830
and I know where we stand.

53:58.830 --> 54:01.000
We're not perfect people,
but we work really hard

54:01.000 --> 54:02.560
at being good in this country,

54:02.560 --> 54:04.740
particularly in our military.

54:04.740 --> 54:07.570
We make mistakes, but
they're usually stakes

54:07.570 --> 54:10.800
of, you know honest mistakes.

54:10.800 --> 54:13.240
I know where we stand
on those four variables.

54:13.240 --> 54:15.100
I also know where the competition stands

54:15.100 --> 54:16.010
on those four variables.

54:16.010 --> 54:18.840
So when you buy into a product,

54:18.840 --> 54:21.260
are you prepared to buy in what might come

54:21.260 --> 54:23.820
with what kind of rule of law,

54:23.820 --> 54:25.730
what kind of respect for human rights.

54:25.730 --> 54:29.010
I don't see currently an indication

54:30.171 --> 54:33.010
that people are buying into that in a way

54:33.010 --> 54:35.550
that's corrupting them
or causing them to stray

54:35.550 --> 54:37.410
from their commitment to us,

54:37.410 --> 54:38.800
and their commitment to professionalism,

54:38.800 --> 54:40.020
on a Mil-to-Mil level, I don't.

54:40.020 --> 54:42.950
But it concerns me when
you look long-term,

54:42.950 --> 54:46.330
when you leverage yourself
and you look down that list,

54:46.330 --> 54:48.203
democracy, human rights, rule of law.

54:49.490 --> 54:50.433
- Thank you, Admiral.

54:51.640 --> 54:52.910
- [Joni] Senator Shaheen.

54:52.910 --> 54:53.743
- Thank you.

54:55.160 --> 54:56.250
Admiral, as I'm sure you're aware,

54:56.250 --> 54:58.710
in 2017, President Trump signed into law

54:58.710 --> 55:00.720
the Women, Peace, and Security Act,

55:00.720 --> 55:04.640
which mandates that we
prioritize the inclusion of women

55:04.640 --> 55:07.760
in conflict negotiations,
and security structures,

55:07.760 --> 55:10.310
and in peace negotiations.

55:10.310 --> 55:14.350
Can you talk about how SOUTHCOM
is implementing that law,

55:14.350 --> 55:18.183
and how you see it helping you
to accomplish your mission?

55:20.132 --> 55:23.823
- Master Chief Stacy Arin
Arin is my gender advisor,

55:24.840 --> 55:28.030
sort of the alter-ego to the
Command Sergeant Major here.

55:28.030 --> 55:30.020
She was at our full Senate hearing.

55:30.020 --> 55:34.390
She's out actually on a
field trip working on this.

55:34.390 --> 55:36.640
So when we look at professionalism,

55:36.640 --> 55:38.030
what it takes to be a professional force,

55:38.030 --> 55:41.340
and I think that's principally
why people want to partner

55:41.340 --> 55:42.173
is we're professional.

55:42.173 --> 55:44.340
Professional forces are legitimate.

55:44.340 --> 55:47.960
Professional forces respect
human rights, rule of law.

55:47.960 --> 55:52.960
They also respect talent and
allowing equal opportunity

55:54.400 --> 55:58.150
to come in and compete,
irrespective of who you are,

55:58.150 --> 56:00.450
what you do, and whether
you are a female or a male.

56:00.450 --> 56:02.330
And so that's what our approach is

56:02.330 --> 56:03.280
and how we talk about it.

56:03.280 --> 56:06.200
So my commanders conferences that I have,

56:06.200 --> 56:08.810
we have a big one coming up in August

56:08.810 --> 56:11.130
in Brazil for all the
South American countries,

56:11.130 --> 56:14.950
that'll be a focus point of the discussion

56:14.950 --> 56:16.560
with our counterparts.

56:16.560 --> 56:20.050
And how they work that,
and how we work with them,

56:20.050 --> 56:23.830
and we've actually had requests
from some of our partners

56:23.830 --> 56:26.450
to say, how did you, United States,

56:26.450 --> 56:30.350
work through the integration,
putting women on the team

56:30.350 --> 56:32.060
on combat ships at sea?

56:32.060 --> 56:34.070
And so that's one of the
projects we're taking on

56:34.070 --> 56:35.680
with one of our partner nations right now.

56:35.680 --> 56:37.440
So they're receptive to it.

56:37.440 --> 56:40.020
We appreciate the Act,
because it came with resources

56:40.020 --> 56:43.210
that help us to sponsor training courses.

56:43.210 --> 56:46.570
We hosted the first course where
we're training the trainer,

56:46.570 --> 56:50.000
so we had all the combatant
commands at SOUTHCOM,

56:50.000 --> 56:52.080
and I kicked the course off, so my,

56:52.080 --> 56:54.873
it was the afternoon of my
first day in command actually,

56:55.754 --> 56:57.740
and we're looking how to move this forward

56:57.740 --> 57:00.230
in practical ways that
deliver combat capability,

57:00.230 --> 57:03.190
and I actually think it
does, I know it does,

57:03.190 --> 57:04.540
delivers combat capability.

57:05.570 --> 57:07.420
- Well, I think it's also
important to point out

57:07.420 --> 57:10.440
that there is a growing body of evidence

57:10.440 --> 57:12.030
that shows what a difference it makes

57:12.030 --> 57:16.300
to have women at the table
in conflict resolution

57:16.300 --> 57:18.600
and in peace negotiations, where we know

57:18.600 --> 57:21.270
if women are part of those negotiations,

57:21.270 --> 57:24.730
they are 30%, more than 30% likely

57:24.730 --> 57:27.290
to last for longer than 15 years.

57:27.290 --> 57:30.320
And so I think for all kinds of reasons,

57:30.320 --> 57:31.860
including the ones that you cite,

57:31.860 --> 57:34.970
it's very important for us
to see this law implemented.

57:34.970 --> 57:37.060
Thank you very much,
thank you Madam Chair.

57:37.060 --> 57:38.850
- Senator Hirono.

57:38.850 --> 57:39.683
- Thank You.

57:40.636 --> 57:43.920
Admiral, the Joint
Interagency Task Force South

57:43.920 --> 57:46.900
helps detect, monitor,
and stop drug trafficking,

57:46.900 --> 57:50.330
and last year only 6%
of known drug movements

57:50.330 --> 57:51.600
were interdicted.

57:51.600 --> 57:54.650
Can you clarify for me, you
mentioned in your response

57:54.650 --> 57:57.540
to one of the questions,
that 40% of interdictions

57:57.540 --> 57:59.260
are by our partner countries.

57:59.260 --> 58:03.540
So that's 40% of the 6% of the
drugs that are interdicted?

58:03.540 --> 58:06.350
So when President Trump
declared a national emergency

58:06.350 --> 58:08.610
to fund his border, while he announced

58:08.610 --> 58:12.640
he would pull 2.5 billion from
the Department of Defense's

58:12.640 --> 58:15.630
Drug Interdiction Program,
that's the program

58:15.630 --> 58:17.240
that we're talking about.

58:17.240 --> 58:22.240
So how are the funds in this
drug interdiction program

58:23.810 --> 58:26.040
used to address drug trafficking,

58:26.040 --> 58:28.380
and if these funds are diverted

58:28.380 --> 58:31.370
to build a border wall,
how would this impact

58:31.370 --> 58:36.370
your ability to complete your
drug interdiction efforts?

58:37.620 --> 58:40.190
- Senator, the Joint
Interagency Task Force South,

58:40.190 --> 58:42.160
as you mentioned, currently lead

58:42.160 --> 58:45.370
by a Coast Guard Two-Star
is key to this effort

58:45.370 --> 58:48.990
and they're doing a
great job with about 1.5%

58:48.990 --> 58:51.300
of the overall counter-narcotics funds

58:51.300 --> 58:52.830
for the entire U.S. Government

58:52.830 --> 58:56.490
to get about 80, 90% of all the cocaine.

58:56.490 --> 58:58.773
Still it's not enough, as you cite 6%.

59:01.830 --> 59:05.900
The policy decision on how
the border security is done

59:07.728 --> 59:10.570
is not something that I'm involved in.

59:10.570 --> 59:12.220
We've not had any cut in our funding

59:12.220 --> 59:13.540
for the counter-narcotic fight.

59:13.540 --> 59:15.090
So however that money is flowed,

59:15.090 --> 59:17.340
we have received the
money that we've needed

59:18.853 --> 59:20.730
and do need to fight
the fight that we're in.

59:20.730 --> 59:23.840
We do need more assets,
that does cost money,

59:23.840 --> 59:26.940
but the principal problem that we face

59:26.940 --> 59:29.610
has not been a shortage of
the counter-narcotics money.

59:29.610 --> 59:33.483
We appreciate Congress's
support in that, thank you.

59:35.230 --> 59:38.300
- Clarify for me that this 2.5 billion,

59:38.300 --> 59:40.898
you're not gonna miss it if it goes away?

59:40.898 --> 59:43.230
- If it went away, if we lost the money

59:43.230 --> 59:44.962
from our counter-narcotics, we'd miss it.

59:44.962 --> 59:46.950
- Yes, it was 2.5 billion.
- I guess it was,

59:46.950 --> 59:49.350
a long answer to we've not had a cut

59:49.350 --> 59:51.260
in our counter-narcotics funding.

59:51.260 --> 59:53.770
- Well, it may happen.

59:53.770 --> 59:54.870
The way things are going.

59:54.870 --> 59:58.430
So considering that, you
know since the President

59:58.430 --> 01:00:01.040
is talking about diverting
this money for a wall,

01:00:01.040 --> 01:00:03.140
which, by the way, that's not gonna help,

01:00:03.140 --> 01:00:05.050
in terms of your drug
interdiction efforts,

01:00:05.050 --> 01:00:06.590
because most of your drugs come through

01:00:06.590 --> 01:00:10.190
the regular ports of, points of entry,

01:00:10.190 --> 01:00:13.373
not where a wall will be.

01:00:14.620 --> 01:00:18.440
You noted in your testimony on page two,

01:00:18.440 --> 01:00:21.990
that this area, your AOR,
is the largest source

01:00:21.990 --> 01:00:25.490
of illicit drugs and illegal
migrants to the United States.

01:00:25.490 --> 01:00:27.210
And you note further
on that you're working

01:00:27.210 --> 01:00:29.420
with your partners to
address shared challenges

01:00:29.420 --> 01:00:31.840
and threats in this area,
including weak governance,

01:00:31.840 --> 01:00:34.930
corruption, transnational
criminal organizations,

01:00:34.930 --> 01:00:36.773
and the flow of illicit drugs.

01:00:38.040 --> 01:00:40.710
And you say that you're looking forward

01:00:40.710 --> 01:00:42.880
to discussing the nature
of this activity in detail

01:00:42.880 --> 01:00:44.310
how you're working with the partners

01:00:44.310 --> 01:00:45.930
to address these issues.

01:00:45.930 --> 01:00:47.420
So can you give me an example

01:00:47.420 --> 01:00:51.010
of how you are working with your partners

01:00:51.010 --> 01:00:54.380
to go after all of these,
the weak governance,

01:00:54.380 --> 01:00:57.320
corruption, you know, all the litany

01:00:57.320 --> 01:01:01.320
of bad things.

01:01:01.320 --> 01:01:02.740
- It's a team effort

01:01:02.740 --> 01:01:05.360
and it is a big list,
Senator, as you point out.

01:01:05.360 --> 01:01:07.640
Our principal partner within
the Department of Defense

01:01:07.640 --> 01:01:10.510
are NORTHCOM, and so General O'Shaughnessy

01:01:10.510 --> 01:01:12.940
and I are in constant communication

01:01:12.940 --> 01:01:14.930
about how we ensure there's no seam

01:01:14.930 --> 01:01:17.970
between the Guatemalan Mexican border,

01:01:17.970 --> 01:01:21.750
and how we view and
track these challenges.

01:01:21.750 --> 01:01:26.710
So at its heart, these are
intelligence-driven challenges,

01:01:26.710 --> 01:01:30.420
so what are the drivers of the migration,

01:01:30.420 --> 01:01:35.420
what are the key criminal organizations

01:01:35.610 --> 01:01:37.600
that are involved in
the illicit trafficking,

01:01:37.600 --> 01:01:40.820
whether it's people, arms, drugs,

01:01:40.820 --> 01:01:42.710
that prey on the weak governance.

01:01:42.710 --> 01:01:45.240
And so sharing intelligence
with our partners,

01:01:45.240 --> 01:01:46.550
building their capacity

01:01:46.550 --> 01:01:48.380
to understand their own environment,

01:01:48.380 --> 01:01:50.800
and then taking that intelligence

01:01:50.800 --> 01:01:52.320
and building it into packages

01:01:52.320 --> 01:01:54.850
that we pass to partner
nation law enforcement,

01:01:54.850 --> 01:01:56.350
and our own law enforcement is key,

01:01:56.350 --> 01:01:58.020
because most of these challenges

01:01:58.020 --> 01:02:01.560
involve action by other
government entities.

01:02:01.560 --> 01:02:03.620
Working very closely
with Homeland Security

01:02:03.620 --> 01:02:06.240
to pass information that we know it,

01:02:06.240 --> 01:02:09.410
when we know it, about migrant caravans

01:02:09.410 --> 01:02:13.390
or illicit drugs.
- And really, Admiral,

01:02:13.390 --> 01:02:17.120
to make an impact you have to
have a long-term commitment

01:02:17.120 --> 01:02:20.671
to addressing these issues, corruption,

01:02:20.671 --> 01:02:22.720
as I said the entire litany,

01:02:22.720 --> 01:02:25.220
and it doesn't help when
you have 450 million

01:02:25.220 --> 01:02:28.120
that's taken away from, particularly,

01:02:28.120 --> 01:02:29.490
the Northern Triangle countries.

01:02:29.490 --> 01:02:30.340
It does not help.

01:02:30.340 --> 01:02:32.650
I think you have to kind
of acknowledge that.

01:02:32.650 --> 01:02:33.983
Thank you, Madam Chair.

01:02:35.700 --> 01:02:36.560
- Thank you.

01:02:36.560 --> 01:02:39.100
I appreciate the
subcommittee's participation

01:02:39.100 --> 01:02:40.710
in today's activities.

01:02:40.710 --> 01:02:42.270
Admiral Faller, thank you very much

01:02:42.270 --> 01:02:45.580
for being here and
representing our men and women

01:02:45.580 --> 01:02:47.140
of SOUTHCOM so aptly.

01:02:47.140 --> 01:02:50.460
We truly do appreciate
your service to our nation.

01:02:50.460 --> 01:02:51.730
Thank you Sergeant Major Zickefoose

01:02:51.730 --> 01:02:53.200
for being here as well.

01:02:53.200 --> 01:02:54.640
To you and your team,

01:02:54.640 --> 01:02:56.940
we appreciate the great
input that you have provided

01:02:56.940 --> 01:02:58.190
for all of us.

01:02:58.190 --> 01:03:00.790
And with that, (gavel bangs)
this hearing is closed.

01:03:03.110 --> 01:03:04.585
- [Woman] Gain a little history about U.S.

01:03:04.585 --> 01:03:06.985
and military intervention
in North America.

01:03:06.985 --> 01:03:08.380
- [Woman] True.

01:03:08.380 --> 01:03:11.044
- [Woman] About democracy,
foreign democracy,

01:03:11.044 --> 01:03:12.772
overthrown by enemy.

01:03:12.772 --> 01:03:15.274
- [Woman] There's a coups in Honduras.