WEBVTT 00:00.240 --> 00:02.710 she was an all America swimmer in high 00:02.710 --> 00:05.640 school . She joined the army after 00:05.640 --> 00:09.290 college . She ah was a helicopter 00:09.290 --> 00:11.810 pilot deployed to Iraq . She commanded 00:11.820 --> 00:14.880 I believe an air assault battalion for 00:14.880 --> 00:17.380 the 101st airborne . She is a 00:17.380 --> 00:20.500 parachutist and if you're wondering 00:20.500 --> 00:23.230 about work life balance , general 00:23.230 --> 00:25.680 Richardson's husband is a lieutenant 00:25.680 --> 00:28.780 general and they were both deployed to 00:28.780 --> 00:31.690 Iraq at the same time as their daughter 00:31.690 --> 00:35.630 was becoming a teenager . So uh she 00:35.630 --> 00:37.630 managed to figure that out on a lot 00:37.630 --> 00:41.540 else . Generalist in um your command 00:41.550 --> 00:44.850 South com uh covering latin America is 00:44.850 --> 00:47.020 in some ways the most overlooked 00:47.030 --> 00:49.180 combatant command I think . And that 00:49.180 --> 00:51.770 reflects a general problem for our 00:51.770 --> 00:54.010 country , which is that we just don't 00:54.010 --> 00:56.066 spend enough time thinking about our 00:56.066 --> 00:58.740 backyard . So I want to ask you to open 00:58.740 --> 01:02.470 our conversation by giving us a basic 01:02.470 --> 01:06.280 south com 101 . What concerns you in 01:06.280 --> 01:09.340 your area of responsibility ? What are 01:09.340 --> 01:11.340 the problems that are on your to do 01:11.340 --> 01:13.610 list ? And how would you define this 01:13.610 --> 01:16.160 part of the world and what matters 01:16.160 --> 01:18.420 there in terms of national security 01:18.420 --> 01:21.070 interests of the country ? Okay well 01:21.070 --> 01:23.400 thank you . It's really good to be here 01:23.400 --> 01:25.560 and see everybody here . So uh and 01:25.560 --> 01:27.449 thank you for being here for this 01:27.449 --> 01:30.610 presentation . I call the I call them 01:30.620 --> 01:34.330 our region uh that uh consists of the 01:34.330 --> 01:36.330 Caribbean south America and central 01:36.330 --> 01:38.497 America . But we tend to look east and 01:38.497 --> 01:42.270 west a lot and not so much south and I 01:42.270 --> 01:45.270 call it south blindness . You know the 01:45.280 --> 01:48.290 we just get wrapped up in east west and 01:48.290 --> 01:50.401 really this is our neighborhood . And 01:50.401 --> 01:52.512 when you really think about what that 01:52.512 --> 01:54.660 means , uh , in a neighborhood , what 01:54.660 --> 01:57.050 does it mean to you ? And it means that 01:57.050 --> 01:59.830 you have friends and neighbors very 01:59.830 --> 02:02.400 close by . You have neighbors that you 02:02.400 --> 02:04.960 rely on . You have neighbors that you 02:04.960 --> 02:07.690 rely on for security for safety of the 02:07.690 --> 02:09.860 neighborhood , right ? You're in it 02:09.860 --> 02:12.730 together . And that's how I look at the 02:12.730 --> 02:15.440 south com area of responsibility and 02:15.440 --> 02:17.990 this very , very important region . I 02:17.990 --> 02:20.101 look at it like the 20 yard line . If 02:20.101 --> 02:22.268 you want to talk about sports and do a 02:22.268 --> 02:24.830 sports analogy , We are on the 20 yard 02:24.830 --> 02:27.110 line to the Homeland and to the United 02:27.110 --> 02:30.430 States and our competitors know that 02:30.570 --> 02:33.570 our adversaries know that this region 02:33.570 --> 02:37.460 is so rich and resources . It's 02:37.470 --> 02:40.890 off the charts rich and they have a 02:40.890 --> 02:44.830 lot to be proud of And our competitors 02:44.830 --> 02:47.310 and adversaries also know how rich in 02:47.310 --> 02:50.050 the resources that this region is , 02:50.540 --> 02:53.510 60% of the world's lithium is in the 02:53.510 --> 02:56.340 region . You have heavy crude , you 02:56.340 --> 02:59.000 have light sweet crude , you have rare 02:59.010 --> 03:02.160 earth elements . You have the amazon , 03:02.180 --> 03:04.458 which is called the lungs of the world . 03:04.740 --> 03:06.950 You have the 31% of the world's fresh 03:06.950 --> 03:09.680 water here in this region . Uh , and 03:09.680 --> 03:11.791 there are adversaries that are taking 03:11.791 --> 03:14.380 advantage of this region every single 03:14.380 --> 03:17.210 day , right in our neighborhood . And I 03:17.210 --> 03:19.099 just look at what happens in this 03:19.099 --> 03:22.240 region in terms of security impacts our 03:22.240 --> 03:25.380 security , our national security in the 03:25.380 --> 03:27.870 homeland and in the United States . And 03:27.870 --> 03:29.648 so we have to be as part of the 03:29.648 --> 03:32.430 neighborhood . We need to strengthen 03:32.430 --> 03:35.970 our partnerships . Uh , and Secretary 03:35.970 --> 03:37.637 Austin talks about this , the 03:37.637 --> 03:39.859 integrated deterrence . And I know it's 03:39.859 --> 03:42.026 been talked about a little bit earlier 03:42.026 --> 03:44.192 today , but I can expound upon that as 03:44.192 --> 03:46.303 well as we go forward because I think 03:46.303 --> 03:48.414 it's really important . And everybody 03:48.414 --> 03:51.260 in this in this room is a part of that . 03:51.640 --> 03:54.060 You're a part of this call to action 03:54.610 --> 03:56.760 that we need to strengthen our 03:56.760 --> 04:00.050 neighborhood and we need to realize how 04:00.060 --> 04:03.030 resource rich this neighborhood is and 04:03.030 --> 04:04.950 how close our competitors and our 04:04.960 --> 04:07.960 adversaries are in the region . 04:08.540 --> 04:12.000 So we may not be focused on our 04:12.000 --> 04:15.670 neighborhood , but another country is 04:15.800 --> 04:19.480 and that's china . I noted 04:19.490 --> 04:23.080 recently that I believe 21 countries in 04:23.080 --> 04:25.820 your A . O . R . Are members of the 04:25.820 --> 04:28.840 belt and road initiative , which is 04:28.840 --> 04:31.590 extraordinary . And I want to ask you 04:31.590 --> 04:33.646 to first to describe what that looks 04:33.646 --> 04:36.010 like um , what you see as you travel 04:36.010 --> 04:38.430 around the region in terms of china's 04:38.430 --> 04:42.110 efforts to expand its influence , uh 04:42.120 --> 04:44.880 make , make friendships , make ties and 04:44.880 --> 04:47.102 then what as south com commander you're 04:47.102 --> 04:50.680 trying to do about it . So I say the 04:50.690 --> 04:54.110 china is playing chess . They have a 04:54.110 --> 04:56.570 long term view . They are setting the 04:56.570 --> 04:58.570 theater , which is what we use as a 04:58.570 --> 05:01.590 doctrinal term or a way I can say it in 05:01.590 --> 05:04.750 layman's terms setting the table When I 05:04.750 --> 05:07.780 show a map of the region and the 21 of 05:07.780 --> 05:10.610 31 countries that have , have signed on 05:10.610 --> 05:12.610 as signatories to the belt and road 05:12.610 --> 05:14.900 initiative . It covers almost the 05:14.900 --> 05:18.900 entire region . 25 of the 21 countries . 05:18.900 --> 05:20.956 There are 25 countries that actually 05:20.956 --> 05:24.530 have projects , uh , uh , inside of 05:24.530 --> 05:27.140 their country , a metro station , a 05:27.140 --> 05:29.270 railway , a highway telling 05:29.270 --> 05:33.260 communications a very 05:33.270 --> 05:36.290 uh , projects under the guise of 05:36.300 --> 05:38.710 economics , right . It looks like 05:38.710 --> 05:40.710 there's investment in this region . 05:41.020 --> 05:43.850 These countries are starving for 05:43.850 --> 05:47.650 investment . They are starving for 05:47.650 --> 05:49.872 having , uh , and showing that they are 05:49.872 --> 05:53.060 delivering for their people . Covid has 05:53.060 --> 05:56.530 really made a tremendous impact and had 05:56.530 --> 05:59.620 a tremendous impact negatively On this 05:59.620 --> 06:03.120 region . 22 million people into 06:03.120 --> 06:05.760 poverty . As a result , they've 06:05.770 --> 06:09.090 suffered an , um , huge , uh , 06:09.100 --> 06:11.230 proportion of the deaths , the world 06:11.230 --> 06:13.650 Covid deaths . And so these , uh , 06:13.660 --> 06:15.882 these governments are trying to deliver 06:15.882 --> 06:17.993 for their people . People are getting 06:17.993 --> 06:20.216 impatient . And so these projects are , 06:20.216 --> 06:22.382 you know , when they have nothing else 06:22.382 --> 06:24.549 to choose from , you know , their dire 06:24.549 --> 06:26.327 to show some progress for their 06:26.327 --> 06:28.549 countries , then they sign up for these 06:28.549 --> 06:30.660 projects . And as we know , that gets 06:30.660 --> 06:32.827 into a debt trap , loans are taken out 06:32.827 --> 06:34.938 multiple loans in some cases for some 06:34.938 --> 06:38.180 of these projects that eventually they 06:38.180 --> 06:40.800 either have to pay back or other things 06:40.800 --> 06:42.967 they have to give up in terms of their 06:42.967 --> 06:45.910 sovereignty . And so it's , it's just , 06:45.910 --> 06:49.090 it's a spiraling trap that we see a lot 06:49.090 --> 06:51.380 of these nations that get into as a 06:51.380 --> 06:55.200 result of this . And yet that's not how 06:55.200 --> 06:57.760 the countries often described their 06:57.760 --> 07:01.610 relationships with china brazil . 07:01.620 --> 07:04.630 The biggest economy in the region , its 07:04.630 --> 07:07.440 biggest trading partner is china . And 07:07.440 --> 07:10.600 president bolsonaro was asked recently 07:10.600 --> 07:12.822 about china and he said china is a good 07:12.822 --> 07:14.920 partner . We don't see china as a 07:14.920 --> 07:18.890 threat . And I'm I'm curious um what 07:18.900 --> 07:22.490 you see as a combatant commander that 07:22.490 --> 07:24.670 may not be obvious to President 07:24.670 --> 07:26.559 bolsonaro or other leaders in the 07:26.559 --> 07:28.559 region that you'd want to warn them 07:28.559 --> 07:30.770 about ? Specifically talked about the 07:30.780 --> 07:33.113 problem of indebtedness . But what else ? 07:33.840 --> 07:36.510 Well , as I see the investment in the 07:36.510 --> 07:39.360 critical infrastructure in the region , 07:40.140 --> 07:43.420 deep water ports , telecommunications , 07:43.570 --> 07:47.340 space Sigint these infrastructure 07:47.340 --> 07:49.810 projects often under the guise of 07:49.810 --> 07:53.710 economic and for research Countries 07:53.710 --> 07:57.460 giving up 50 year leases to put up a 07:57.460 --> 08:00.810 space facility . Why do we have the 08:00.810 --> 08:02.977 most space facilities from the P . R . 08:02.977 --> 08:04.350 C . In this region ? 08:07.340 --> 08:09.340 In the homeland in china ? What are 08:09.340 --> 08:11.680 they going through right now ? The 08:11.680 --> 08:14.050 largest military build up in history ? 08:14.740 --> 08:17.470 So one should ask themselves why when 08:17.470 --> 08:19.860 they have this very capable military , 08:21.040 --> 08:24.520 are they putting and trying to gain 08:24.520 --> 08:28.100 access to critical infrastructure in 08:28.100 --> 08:31.410 other countries across the planet ? So 08:31.410 --> 08:33.830 just to take this 11 more step and then 08:33.830 --> 08:37.020 we'll turn to other parts of your other 08:37.020 --> 08:39.610 issues in your a r 08:40.290 --> 08:43.690 be interested in your assessment of 08:43.700 --> 08:47.030 what you see China's long term military 08:47.030 --> 08:50.940 ambitions in latin America 08:50.950 --> 08:53.190 for example , should the United States 08:53.190 --> 08:55.246 be worried about the security of the 08:55.246 --> 08:58.500 Panama canal . Uh , in , in in 08:58.510 --> 09:00.454 immediate we gotta get ready for a 09:00.454 --> 09:04.040 challenge terms . I think so . I think 09:04.040 --> 09:06.710 that I was just in Panama about a month 09:06.710 --> 09:10.620 ago , uh , and the flying along 09:10.620 --> 09:13.350 the Panama Canal and looking at all the 09:13.350 --> 09:16.210 state owned enterprises from the PRC on 09:16.210 --> 09:19.190 each side of the Panama Canal , I worry 09:19.190 --> 09:21.301 about the , you know , they look like 09:21.301 --> 09:23.190 civilian companies or state owned 09:23.190 --> 09:25.470 enterprises that could be used for dual 09:25.470 --> 09:29.100 use and could be quickly changed over 09:29.100 --> 09:31.580 to a military capability if they needed 09:31.580 --> 09:34.720 that too . And so as I look at this , 09:34.730 --> 09:38.250 uh , the investment that they make , it 09:38.250 --> 09:40.528 looks like , again , they're investing . 09:40.528 --> 09:43.220 I look at it as extracting and so , uh , 09:43.220 --> 09:45.276 I think we should be concerned . But 09:45.276 --> 09:47.276 this is a global problem . It's not 09:47.276 --> 09:49.331 just in my region . It's not just in 09:49.331 --> 09:52.410 the end of pacific this is a global 09:52.420 --> 09:54.920 issue . This is the same playbook that 09:54.920 --> 09:57.740 they've used in africa . Asia , europe . 09:57.750 --> 10:00.930 It's not new . We're about 5-10 years 10:00.930 --> 10:04.080 in this region behind Africa . But I 10:04.080 --> 10:06.830 think that again , I talk about , we 10:06.830 --> 10:08.997 know what's going on east west a lot , 10:09.740 --> 10:12.090 But not right in our own neighborhood . 10:12.410 --> 10:16.090 I can fly to 80% of this region From 10:16.090 --> 10:19.330 Miami in 2 to 3 hours . That's pretty 10:19.330 --> 10:22.570 close . That's really close . If you 10:22.570 --> 10:25.090 really think about that same time zone , 10:25.100 --> 10:28.860 give or take maybe an hour . It 10:28.870 --> 10:31.190 it is . You know , if we just think 10:31.190 --> 10:33.357 about all the things that we've talked 10:33.357 --> 10:35.760 about , it's very concerning and then 10:35.760 --> 10:38.420 you just ask yourself why when you talk 10:38.420 --> 10:40.420 about the rules based international 10:40.420 --> 10:43.480 order , I think the uh the PRC china 10:43.480 --> 10:45.702 would like to replace the United States 10:45.702 --> 10:48.130 that is our goal and they're well on 10:48.130 --> 10:50.440 their way to try to do that . But I'll 10:50.440 --> 10:52.551 tell you the power of partnerships in 10:52.551 --> 10:54.930 this region . When I travel and I meet 10:54.930 --> 10:57.097 with these leaders , I look at them in 10:57.097 --> 10:59.490 their eyes . I try to understand their 10:59.490 --> 11:02.600 challenges through their lens . How do 11:02.600 --> 11:04.767 they see it ? Because I know how I see 11:04.767 --> 11:06.933 it and we know how we see things . But 11:06.933 --> 11:09.100 if you're really gonna get after their 11:09.100 --> 11:11.320 challenges and help them , you have to 11:11.320 --> 11:13.520 look , you have to look at it and 11:13.530 --> 11:16.720 understand their perspective . I went 11:16.720 --> 11:19.840 in um one of the Ministers of Defense 11:19.850 --> 11:22.810 that I was meeting with and um he had a 11:22.810 --> 11:25.990 map on the wall , a big map , a lot of 11:25.990 --> 11:28.046 us in the military have maps all the 11:28.046 --> 11:30.157 time that we that we showcase and put 11:30.157 --> 11:32.379 him nice pretty frames and everything . 11:32.379 --> 11:34.379 And he had this map of the southern 11:34.379 --> 11:37.460 cone in Antarctica and he flipped it 11:37.460 --> 11:40.080 around . It was upside down the way how 11:40.080 --> 11:42.160 we normally look at the globe and 11:42.160 --> 11:44.390 articles at the bottom , right ? It was 11:44.390 --> 11:47.210 at the top and the southern cone came 11:47.210 --> 11:50.710 up in a , in a point and that's how he 11:50.710 --> 11:53.720 looks at the region . So if we really 11:53.720 --> 11:55.776 want to understand our partners , we 11:55.776 --> 11:57.998 gotta understand their challenges . But 11:57.998 --> 12:00.164 they want to partner with us , make no 12:00.164 --> 12:02.270 mistake , they are hungry to partner 12:02.270 --> 12:04.210 with us . And when you talk about 12:04.210 --> 12:06.154 integrated deterrence and you talk 12:06.154 --> 12:08.930 about everybody here , it is not just 12:08.930 --> 12:11.152 Department of defense , it is the inter 12:11.152 --> 12:13.480 agency , it is academia , it is 12:13.490 --> 12:16.130 industry , it is non governmental 12:16.130 --> 12:18.660 organizations . And I meet with all of 12:18.660 --> 12:21.940 them and I try to put all of the , I 12:21.940 --> 12:25.460 use them and look at them as levers . 12:25.840 --> 12:27.896 You know , what levers do we have to 12:27.896 --> 12:31.310 succeed and put this all together ? one 12:31.310 --> 12:33.640 minister told me , um , you know , 12:33.640 --> 12:37.060 saying alone we're we're strong 12:38.240 --> 12:41.050 but together we are invincible and he's 12:41.050 --> 12:43.990 exactly right . But just like what we 12:43.990 --> 12:45.990 have and we've seen the strength of 12:45.990 --> 12:49.020 what of NATO as a result of what's 12:49.020 --> 12:51.350 going on in Ukraine and we see that 12:51.360 --> 12:53.860 power . But I'll tell you that our 12:53.860 --> 12:56.082 neighborhood and what I've described so 12:56.082 --> 12:58.240 far is we really have to be careful 12:58.240 --> 13:00.350 about our adversaries and our 13:00.350 --> 13:02.790 competitors creating that same type of 13:02.790 --> 13:05.970 situation right in our neighborhood and 13:05.970 --> 13:08.580 very close to our homeland . So let's 13:08.580 --> 13:10.490 talk about the feelings of our 13:10.490 --> 13:13.200 neighbors about the United States 13:13.200 --> 13:15.970 because they're complicated to put it 13:15.970 --> 13:19.840 mildly and that was evident most 13:19.840 --> 13:22.060 recently in june when President biden 13:22.060 --> 13:25.320 hosted the summit of the Americas and 13:25.330 --> 13:28.800 Mexico a dominant power in the region , 13:28.810 --> 13:32.220 significant player was absent along 13:32.220 --> 13:35.420 with some other key countries because 13:35.420 --> 13:38.300 they were upset that cuba Venezuela and 13:38.300 --> 13:40.760 others hadn't been invited , but it 13:40.760 --> 13:44.730 surfaced this longstanding decades 13:44.730 --> 13:48.230 old century old , um , tension 13:48.240 --> 13:51.660 between the United States , this big 13:51.670 --> 13:54.380 power to the north and , and our , and 13:54.380 --> 13:57.040 our neighbors . And I'm curious about 13:57.040 --> 13:59.420 how you deal with that , um , 13:59.430 --> 14:02.140 underlying tension , sometimes 14:02.140 --> 14:04.450 resentment , uh , and how you think we 14:04.450 --> 14:07.050 can begin to , to , to make that better . 14:08.940 --> 14:11.780 So I'll give you Richardson's for 14:11.790 --> 14:14.660 perspective . And as I travel around 14:14.660 --> 14:17.760 and I meet with , meet with leaders and 14:18.440 --> 14:22.270 one , I'm very , um , respectful 14:22.280 --> 14:23.891 when I go in their country , 14:24.130 --> 14:27.310 sovereignty is extremely important for 14:27.310 --> 14:29.540 our latin America friends and our 14:29.550 --> 14:32.820 friends in the caribbean , I respect 14:32.820 --> 14:36.150 their positions , I approach my visit 14:36.150 --> 14:38.150 and my meetings with them from that 14:38.150 --> 14:41.670 perspective . I've had a couple of 14:41.680 --> 14:44.690 countries that I've visited and as 14:44.690 --> 14:46.857 we've had meetings through the day and 14:46.857 --> 14:48.857 then we might have a reception that 14:48.857 --> 14:51.650 evening or some sort of social 14:51.650 --> 14:54.530 gathering . I've had a Chief of Defense 14:54.530 --> 14:57.980 say , wow , you're really nice 14:58.540 --> 15:01.450 sir . And I was like , hmm , 15:02.540 --> 15:04.596 okay , you should tell him you're an 15:04.596 --> 15:07.860 all american swimmer too . So it makes 15:07.860 --> 15:10.770 me think , what did he expect , what 15:10.770 --> 15:13.100 did he expect ? I was gonna do and and 15:13.100 --> 15:15.500 how I was gonna be like , I want to be 15:15.500 --> 15:17.500 there , you know , I wanna be there 15:17.500 --> 15:19.722 partner . I want to partner with them . 15:19.722 --> 15:21.889 They want to partner with us . I don't 15:21.889 --> 15:24.111 know what he , you know , expected that 15:24.111 --> 15:26.222 I was gonna be um , you know , like I 15:26.222 --> 15:28.111 was a big brother coming from the 15:28.111 --> 15:31.360 United States that you know , uh , yeah , 15:31.940 --> 15:33.940 again it's a partnership . It's our 15:33.940 --> 15:35.996 neighborhood . You don't expect that 15:35.996 --> 15:38.218 from a neighbor , right ? You expect an 15:38.218 --> 15:40.940 understanding , you expect to work with 15:40.940 --> 15:42.996 them , understand their challenges . 15:42.996 --> 15:45.162 And so I think when you talk about the 15:45.162 --> 15:47.410 tension , uh , and how you have to 15:47.410 --> 15:49.700 approach things , it's not that that we 15:49.700 --> 15:51.780 are a big brother . We're a partner 15:53.330 --> 15:56.610 and we have respect for them and we 15:56.610 --> 15:58.700 need to show that . And I think that 15:58.710 --> 16:01.590 just as a premise . Um , and then 16:01.590 --> 16:03.812 that's how you build the relationship . 16:03.812 --> 16:06.040 I think that our visits and our key 16:06.040 --> 16:08.990 leader engagements as I call them are 16:08.990 --> 16:11.180 really important . And when we have 16:11.180 --> 16:13.402 visitors that come to Washington , they 16:13.402 --> 16:15.530 come all the time . Then we need to 16:15.530 --> 16:17.697 meet with them and we need to have the 16:17.697 --> 16:19.641 right leaders meet with them . Our 16:19.641 --> 16:21.808 competitors are picking up the phone , 16:21.808 --> 16:24.030 she Jinping is picking up the phone and 16:24.030 --> 16:26.197 calling these leaders and meeting with 16:26.197 --> 16:28.252 them and corresponding with them all 16:28.252 --> 16:31.910 the time . And we need to do the same 16:31.910 --> 16:33.966 and I think we can do better in that 16:33.966 --> 16:36.280 respect . So to , to ask a heretical 16:36.290 --> 16:39.900 question of the south com commander . 16:39.910 --> 16:42.800 Um , should we try to learn a little 16:42.800 --> 16:46.610 bit from china , you're commanding a 16:46.620 --> 16:49.630 substantial military presence in effect 16:49.640 --> 16:52.920 this great fleet backed by aircraft . 16:52.920 --> 16:55.510 All these amazing military assets and 16:55.510 --> 16:58.280 the chinese are out investing . It may 16:58.280 --> 17:00.850 be a Pake , it may have dangers . But 17:00.850 --> 17:03.500 as you say , they're engaged in the 17:03.500 --> 17:07.030 process of economic development , uh , 17:07.040 --> 17:10.220 in a way that arguably we could do a 17:10.220 --> 17:12.331 lot better . I'm just curious because 17:12.331 --> 17:14.442 you see this region in a way that few 17:14.442 --> 17:16.553 us officials do . What do you think ? 17:16.553 --> 17:18.553 Is there anything we can learn from 17:18.553 --> 17:20.776 what we're seeing the chinese doing ? I 17:20.776 --> 17:24.700 think the , um , the investment that 17:24.700 --> 17:27.480 they have made , one of the levers that 17:27.480 --> 17:29.890 I use is the , that I found very 17:29.890 --> 17:32.270 helpful is the business executives for 17:32.270 --> 17:34.530 national security that will bring 17:34.530 --> 17:38.160 together Ceos from 17:38.160 --> 17:41.430 companies and , uh , put together a 17:41.440 --> 17:44.360 trip into the region . I have one , um , 17:44.370 --> 17:46.790 that I've worked with with Ben's on 17:46.800 --> 17:50.580 going into Guyana and why is Guyana 17:50.580 --> 17:52.469 very important . Well , they just 17:52.469 --> 17:55.180 discovered , uh , light , sweet crude , 17:55.190 --> 17:58.120 um , right off the shores of their 17:58.120 --> 18:01.150 country . And so , you know , that kind 18:01.150 --> 18:03.970 of changes the dynamics for them And 18:03.970 --> 18:06.026 you want to make sure that they have 18:06.026 --> 18:08.248 honest investment . The thing about the 18:08.248 --> 18:10.081 United States is , we don't have 18:10.081 --> 18:12.081 strings attached to what we do . We 18:12.081 --> 18:14.580 don't have fine print . We don't 18:14.580 --> 18:16.990 require loans . We don't require . If 18:17.000 --> 18:19.167 we'll do this for you . If you do this 18:19.167 --> 18:21.710 for us , we don't require that . We are 18:21.710 --> 18:24.520 trusted partners . And that's why folks 18:24.520 --> 18:26.798 want to partner with the United States . 18:27.240 --> 18:30.140 And so that investment , I think 18:30.150 --> 18:32.483 industry and getting those partnerships , 18:32.483 --> 18:34.560 we've already , we've already had a 18:34.570 --> 18:38.430 another visit in the fall last year to 18:38.430 --> 18:40.780 Panama , you know , to help these 18:40.780 --> 18:42.891 countries understand where they are , 18:42.891 --> 18:45.450 what they need to do its transparency 18:45.540 --> 18:48.200 and being able to advise them with no 18:48.200 --> 18:50.256 fine print and no strings attached . 18:50.256 --> 18:52.790 And I think that um you know , that's 18:52.790 --> 18:55.012 why I say it's a call to action for all 18:55.012 --> 18:57.179 of us in the room because we've got to 18:57.179 --> 19:00.060 bring it together . And again , it's on 19:00.060 --> 19:01.949 the 20 yard line . We are in this 19:01.949 --> 19:04.100 neighborhood together and we got to 19:04.100 --> 19:06.490 have good partners , trusted partners 19:06.500 --> 19:08.730 were already a trusted partner . We 19:08.730 --> 19:10.350 just got to show it more 19:11.940 --> 19:14.960 helpful answer plug for bends 19:15.340 --> 19:19.220 headed by former combatant Commander 19:19.220 --> 19:23.000 joe votel and an organization that does 19:23.010 --> 19:25.850 a lot of good . So something that's on 19:25.850 --> 19:27.961 everybody's mind this week as we read 19:27.961 --> 19:30.890 the news , especially from europe is 19:30.900 --> 19:34.890 global climate change . The news of 19:34.900 --> 19:38.880 record , historic temperature highs 19:38.880 --> 19:42.300 in in Britain . I think God , 19:42.300 --> 19:45.580 everybody's notice , I want to ask you 19:45.580 --> 19:49.220 about your dialogue with leaders 19:49.230 --> 19:53.070 in in your region about the effects 19:53.070 --> 19:55.770 that climate change will have in latin 19:55.770 --> 19:58.100 America in south and central America 19:58.110 --> 20:01.490 are are people beginning to see um 20:01.500 --> 20:04.720 evidence of impact . 20:04.730 --> 20:08.190 Uh , and obviously a huge issue that we 20:08.200 --> 20:12.170 we focus on episodically I'm afraid is 20:12.170 --> 20:15.180 the rainforests in the amazon . 20:16.540 --> 20:20.420 So climate change is 20:20.420 --> 20:22.698 very much alive and well in the region . 20:22.698 --> 20:25.100 Obviously the what impacts the United 20:25.100 --> 20:27.211 States will generally come up through 20:27.211 --> 20:29.770 the caribbean . Uh , and so those 20:30.220 --> 20:32.850 caribbean , I'm used to saying 20:32.850 --> 20:34.990 caribbean before I got this job , but 20:34.990 --> 20:37.180 our partners say caribbean . So I 20:37.180 --> 20:39.236 always , sometimes I have to correct 20:39.236 --> 20:42.310 myself . But uh in the caribbean they 20:42.310 --> 20:45.760 are um worried very , very much 20:45.760 --> 20:48.270 concerned about the storms , what 20:48.280 --> 20:50.169 capabilities that each one of the 20:50.169 --> 20:54.080 nations has to provide . Uh , we had a 20:54.090 --> 20:56.170 uh , caribbean national Security 20:56.170 --> 20:59.690 conference about six months ago and 20:59.700 --> 21:03.580 talked about getting , uh , you know 21:03.580 --> 21:07.020 what each country has to respond last 21:07.020 --> 21:08.964 year in the earthquake , the Haiti 21:08.964 --> 21:10.798 earthquake , there were multiple 21:10.798 --> 21:13.080 countries that had capabilities . They 21:13.080 --> 21:15.136 don't have a lot of capability , but 21:15.136 --> 21:17.358 they have some capability . And again , 21:17.358 --> 21:20.020 uh , you put all that together and then 21:20.020 --> 21:21.780 you have a , you have a strong 21:21.780 --> 21:24.240 capability , nobody has enough to be 21:24.240 --> 21:27.260 able to respond . And Uh , in order to 21:27.260 --> 21:29.204 withstand uh , you know , a strong 21:29.204 --> 21:31.316 storm . I could talk about Eta and ι 21:31.316 --> 21:35.020 in 2020 crushed the south America in 21:35.030 --> 21:38.470 Honduras for example , still 21:38.510 --> 21:40.566 have tarps on the roof . Things like 21:40.566 --> 21:42.788 that . They still haven't recovered for 21:42.788 --> 21:44.899 that . You had Covid on top of that . 21:45.040 --> 21:47.860 You talk about the uh , the drought 21:47.870 --> 21:51.250 corridor that we have that's in Mexico 21:51.250 --> 21:53.680 down through Central America provides , 21:53.690 --> 21:57.580 not provides Causes food insecurity 21:57.580 --> 22:00.120 for about eight million people . So 22:00.120 --> 22:02.342 this is very , very much a part of this 22:02.342 --> 22:04.398 region when you can't get food . You 22:04.398 --> 22:06.570 can't get healthcare . You have , you 22:06.570 --> 22:09.230 don't feel safe , you feel insecure . I 22:09.230 --> 22:11.063 could add transnational criminal 22:11.063 --> 22:13.480 organizations in there that provide 22:13.480 --> 22:15.647 insecurity and instability . It causes 22:15.647 --> 22:18.040 people to move , they're gonna go 22:18.040 --> 22:20.040 somewhere where they can get food , 22:20.040 --> 22:22.207 where they can get health care , where 22:22.207 --> 22:24.373 they can feel safe and live and thrive 22:24.373 --> 22:26.550 with their kids and their family . And 22:26.550 --> 22:28.850 this causes this irregular migration . 22:28.850 --> 22:32.370 So very much a part of what our region 22:32.380 --> 22:35.180 faces and faces every single day . And 22:35.180 --> 22:37.410 we're trying to help them be stronger 22:37.410 --> 22:40.080 encounter that . So as I listen to you 22:40.080 --> 22:43.180 talk about those threats , I'm 22:43.180 --> 22:46.730 wondering if South com and other 22:46.730 --> 22:48.897 combatant commands need to have as one 22:48.897 --> 22:51.860 of their uh mission priorities in terms 22:51.860 --> 22:54.350 of our national security , engaging 22:54.350 --> 22:57.160 these climate change issues on the 22:57.160 --> 22:59.382 ground ? I mean , the thing about about 22:59.382 --> 23:01.620 a cocom is uh you have resources , you 23:01.620 --> 23:03.620 can get places in a hurry , you can 23:03.620 --> 23:06.650 connect um our government as a whole 23:06.650 --> 23:08.890 often isn't as as flexible should 23:08.890 --> 23:11.070 should should we bump climate change 23:11.070 --> 23:13.600 and its impact up on our list of 23:13.660 --> 23:16.180 national security priorities in your in 23:16.180 --> 23:18.124 your region and around the world . 23:18.540 --> 23:21.060 Absolutely . And so Climate Defense is 23:21.060 --> 23:23.480 already a program that Department of 23:23.480 --> 23:26.120 Defense has South com has it as a 23:26.120 --> 23:28.850 priority . And uh and working with our 23:28.850 --> 23:31.010 partner nations uh making our own 23:31.010 --> 23:34.240 forces uh stronger and withstand being 23:34.240 --> 23:36.800 able to withstand uh stronger storms . 23:36.800 --> 23:39.400 How do you respond ? Uh and and make 23:39.400 --> 23:41.456 sure you're strong and can withstand 23:41.456 --> 23:43.400 the harsh environment that some of 23:43.400 --> 23:45.810 these storms bring . Um all of those 23:45.810 --> 23:48.010 things . We wrap up in their illegal , 23:48.010 --> 23:50.350 unregulated and unreported fishing , 23:50.350 --> 23:52.630 for example , all of those things that 23:52.630 --> 23:56.460 go into um uh and I find 23:56.460 --> 23:58.682 quite honestly that some of these other 23:58.682 --> 24:00.550 topics really resonate with our 24:00.550 --> 24:03.100 partners because it takes away revenue 24:03.100 --> 24:05.322 that they have , but it's absolutely at 24:05.322 --> 24:07.489 the top of the list . I was very , you 24:07.489 --> 24:09.600 know , I wasn't able to uh Department 24:09.600 --> 24:11.711 of Defense wasn't part of some of the 24:11.711 --> 24:13.720 Americas , but we were able to 24:13.720 --> 24:17.010 participate in a climate climate change 24:17.010 --> 24:19.400 forum the week prior and I got to be 24:19.400 --> 24:22.210 the keynote speaker amongst a lot of 24:22.220 --> 24:25.400 scientists and experts on climate and 24:25.400 --> 24:27.511 these kinds of things . And I was the 24:27.511 --> 24:29.733 only general speaking to this group and 24:29.733 --> 24:31.678 I told him , I said , I bet you're 24:31.678 --> 24:33.567 wondering why there's a four star 24:33.567 --> 24:35.622 general talking to you today . But I 24:35.622 --> 24:37.622 got to share all of the things that 24:37.622 --> 24:37.610 we're doing in South com and the 24:37.610 --> 24:40.870 Department of Defense does to help our 24:40.870 --> 24:43.510 partners withstand all of these things . 24:43.510 --> 24:45.566 And uh it was a great opportunity to 24:45.566 --> 24:47.566 talk about it . But just then , you 24:47.566 --> 24:49.621 know , educate and inform again , it 24:49.621 --> 24:51.843 goes back to all of us working together 24:51.843 --> 24:54.050 as part of the integrated deterrence . 24:54.840 --> 24:57.220 I want to take advantage of general 24:57.220 --> 25:00.290 Richardson's being with us to ask about 25:00.290 --> 25:03.390 a couple of specific countries that 25:03.400 --> 25:06.550 matter . But don't often get discussed 25:06.550 --> 25:09.320 in the foreign policy gatherings that I 25:09.330 --> 25:11.300 attend And I want to start with 25:11.300 --> 25:13.770 Colombia Colombia is a country where 25:13.770 --> 25:15.937 we've had a significant engagement for 25:15.937 --> 25:18.810 a long time . Colombia just elected its 25:18.810 --> 25:22.710 most left wing president in a 25:22.710 --> 25:26.000 long time . I'm going to say decades at 25:26.000 --> 25:29.950 least . Um Gustavo Petro will take 25:29.950 --> 25:32.060 office next month . He's already 25:32.060 --> 25:34.220 talking about improving Colombia's 25:34.220 --> 25:37.430 relations with Venezuela . So I'm 25:37.430 --> 25:40.770 wondering as this new political figure 25:40.780 --> 25:42.880 enters on the horizon , you don't do 25:42.890 --> 25:45.500 policy obviously , but I'm wondering 25:45.500 --> 25:47.667 whether from your perspective as South 25:47.667 --> 25:49.500 com commander , these changes in 25:49.500 --> 25:52.370 Colombia make you look at , at Columbia 25:52.370 --> 25:55.530 and the challenges in a new way . I 25:55.540 --> 25:59.140 think if we're um , in terms of looking 25:59.140 --> 26:01.390 at Colombia , Colombia is a great news 26:01.390 --> 26:04.860 story . Oh my gosh , off the charts , 26:04.860 --> 26:08.240 the capabilities of their military , uh , 26:08.250 --> 26:11.280 they are an exporter of security . They 26:11.280 --> 26:14.040 train other partner nation militaries 26:14.040 --> 26:16.630 to be strong . They run , I mean , I'm 26:16.630 --> 26:18.686 a helicopter pilot . We used to have 26:18.686 --> 26:20.686 the Spanish speaking part of flight 26:20.686 --> 26:22.750 school uh , in the United States at 26:22.750 --> 26:25.240 Fort Rucker Alabama . Um , Columbia 26:25.240 --> 26:28.720 took that on in 2019 . They train all 26:28.720 --> 26:30.720 of our helicopter pilots . That's a 26:30.720 --> 26:34.340 huge great story again , you know , as 26:34.340 --> 26:36.562 we work with our partner nations , it's 26:36.562 --> 26:39.120 about being sincere . We will work with 26:39.120 --> 26:41.620 our partner nations . We have a strong 26:41.620 --> 26:43.860 relationship . We just celebrated the 26:43.860 --> 26:47.220 200th anniversary of Colombia and the 26:47.220 --> 26:50.840 United States as this year . And so you 26:50.840 --> 26:53.270 talk about the ties that that we have , 26:53.270 --> 26:55.810 we fought side by side with them in war 26:55.820 --> 26:58.930 already , this is a huge country , it's 26:58.930 --> 27:01.750 an opportunity , a call to action , a 27:01.750 --> 27:04.720 call to opportunity . And we will be 27:04.720 --> 27:06.887 there to work with this partner nation 27:07.240 --> 27:09.400 regardless of what administration is 27:09.400 --> 27:12.020 there . And so I have , we , I think we 27:12.020 --> 27:14.340 have a lot to offer . And again , it's 27:14.340 --> 27:16.562 with no strings attached , it's with no 27:16.562 --> 27:19.740 fine print and we already have a well 27:19.740 --> 27:22.810 established relationship with them . So 27:22.820 --> 27:26.310 the other key actor in the region , um , 27:26.320 --> 27:29.310 that we worry about from a national 27:29.310 --> 27:32.190 security standpoint is Venezuela . And 27:32.190 --> 27:35.660 I want to ask you about how you assess , 27:36.140 --> 27:38.460 uh , in in strict national security 27:38.460 --> 27:42.450 terms , the danger that Venezuela 27:42.450 --> 27:46.180 poses . Uh , and , and and if 27:46.180 --> 27:49.430 that's a less dramatic danger than 27:49.430 --> 27:51.652 sometimes portrayed , I'd be interested 27:51.652 --> 27:54.230 in hearing that as well . We just had 27:54.240 --> 27:56.610 several months ago decision by the 27:56.620 --> 27:59.510 biden administration to allow encourage 27:59.510 --> 28:03.190 chevron to extend an oil lease um , in 28:03.190 --> 28:05.079 Venezuela , which which made some 28:05.079 --> 28:07.010 people wonder if maybe a slightly 28:07.010 --> 28:09.480 different shape to , to policy might be 28:09.480 --> 28:11.147 ahead . But again , from your 28:11.147 --> 28:13.258 perspective as our , as our combatant 28:13.258 --> 28:15.480 commander , how do you assess Venezuela 28:15.480 --> 28:19.240 right now , I would say the Venezuela 28:19.240 --> 28:21.407 has caused a lot of instability in the 28:21.407 --> 28:24.620 region , it's caused a lot of migration , 28:24.620 --> 28:26.560 It has caused the other countries 28:26.940 --> 28:29.051 around it that our neighbors and some 28:29.051 --> 28:32.170 that aren't even neighbors , Uh , to 28:32.170 --> 28:36.160 have take on the migration issue as a 28:36.160 --> 28:38.160 result of Venezuela , when you talk 28:38.160 --> 28:40.420 about six million coming out of 28:40.420 --> 28:43.240 Venezuela , and then the countries in 28:43.240 --> 28:46.880 brazil and Colombia , uh in chile and 28:46.880 --> 28:49.080 the other countries in South America 28:49.080 --> 28:51.247 and Central America , taking this on , 28:51.247 --> 28:53.358 that's again , I go back to the covid 28:53.358 --> 28:55.780 impacts already and they're struggling 28:55.780 --> 28:58.460 being able to provide . And so this is 28:58.460 --> 29:02.330 just an added uh , added , um , 29:02.340 --> 29:05.250 you know , but they're doing it and 29:05.250 --> 29:07.472 they're doing it and they know that the 29:07.472 --> 29:09.417 reason that they have to do it and 29:09.417 --> 29:09.370 they're taking , they're trying to take 29:09.370 --> 29:11.426 care of the neighborhood and they're 29:11.426 --> 29:13.537 doing the best they can . But this is 29:13.537 --> 29:15.703 an additional challenge that they have 29:15.703 --> 29:17.759 to take on . And the other countries 29:17.759 --> 29:19.926 are doing a great job of this , having 29:19.926 --> 29:21.537 this resolved peacefully and 29:21.537 --> 29:23.592 democratically is obviously where we 29:23.592 --> 29:26.820 want to go with Venezuela . And um I 29:26.820 --> 29:30.150 meet in Venezuela in uh , in Miami , a 29:30.150 --> 29:33.090 lot of the different diasporas in Miami , 29:33.100 --> 29:36.400 there are a lot of folks from Venezuela 29:36.400 --> 29:38.960 and Miami and a lot of them still have 29:38.960 --> 29:42.610 family in Venezuela . And if 29:42.610 --> 29:44.970 that uh , situation could be resolved 29:44.970 --> 29:47.250 democratically , that's what we would 29:47.250 --> 29:49.620 all strive and hope that actually 29:49.620 --> 29:52.560 happens . But I will tell you that just 29:52.560 --> 29:54.671 on the , you know , again , I go back 29:54.671 --> 29:56.782 to when people don't feel safe , they 29:56.782 --> 29:58.893 can't get healthcare , they can't get 29:58.893 --> 30:00.949 basic needs , they leave the country 30:00.949 --> 30:02.782 and they're on the move . And it 30:02.782 --> 30:05.004 absolutely contributes to their regular 30:05.004 --> 30:06.782 migration , I'm gonna go to the 30:06.782 --> 30:08.838 audience in just a minute or two for 30:08.838 --> 30:11.060 your questions . So be thinking this is 30:11.060 --> 30:13.830 a chance to ask about about a region we 30:13.830 --> 30:15.719 don't get to talk about off often 30:15.719 --> 30:17.886 enough . But before I do that , I want 30:17.886 --> 30:19.910 to piggyback on a question that 30:19.920 --> 30:23.700 Courtney QB asked a few minutes ago of 30:23.700 --> 30:26.750 General Brown uh talking about the 30:26.760 --> 30:28.960 Dobbs decision by the Supreme Court . 30:29.640 --> 30:33.520 And uh General Brown is Air Force 30:33.520 --> 30:36.000 Chief of Staff . You have in a sense of 30:36.010 --> 30:39.460 more direct immediate relationship with 30:39.470 --> 30:41.630 thousands of people who are part of 30:41.640 --> 30:45.590 South common , including some uh women 30:45.600 --> 30:48.430 in service who who may be concerned 30:48.430 --> 30:51.480 about the impact of that decision . Um 30:51.490 --> 30:54.380 South based in in florida , but it's a 30:54.380 --> 30:57.670 raid across the south and then 30:58.040 --> 31:01.580 in your A . O . R what what can you 31:01.580 --> 31:04.290 tell us about the kind of guidance that 31:04.290 --> 31:06.900 you're giving to your colleagues , if 31:06.900 --> 31:10.840 any , about how to deal with this . The 31:10.840 --> 31:13.090 concerns you have going forward about , 31:13.100 --> 31:15.780 about taking care of all of your 31:15.780 --> 31:18.800 personnel , um and and their health 31:18.800 --> 31:22.110 needs . Yeah . So the , taking care of 31:22.110 --> 31:24.360 people obviously in the in the army 31:24.360 --> 31:26.471 anyway , the , you know , we're not , 31:26.471 --> 31:30.320 we're about people , the people in our 31:30.320 --> 31:32.542 service are really our weapons system . 31:32.542 --> 31:34.430 And so taking care of people is 31:34.440 --> 31:37.980 extremely important . Uh , 31:37.990 --> 31:40.570 CQ said the , you know , he's a service 31:40.570 --> 31:43.050 chief and those service chiefs , uh 31:43.060 --> 31:45.360 they train and equip our forces and 31:45.360 --> 31:48.290 then the combat commanders are the are 31:48.290 --> 31:50.512 the customers of the service chiefs and 31:50.512 --> 31:52.830 things like that . And so we have to 31:52.830 --> 31:54.941 just do the best that we can based on 31:54.941 --> 31:56.886 the decisions that are made by our 31:56.886 --> 31:58.941 country to take care of our people . 31:58.941 --> 32:01.390 And bottom line , the services have to 32:01.390 --> 32:03.279 put the policies in place and the 32:03.279 --> 32:06.360 department and then we will follow in 32:06.360 --> 32:10.130 line with that as we receive personnel 32:10.130 --> 32:13.260 in our region and take care of them and 32:13.270 --> 32:16.320 just just take this a step further . 32:16.330 --> 32:19.220 I'm sure you've gotten questions from 32:19.220 --> 32:22.050 your from your staff about this . It's 32:22.050 --> 32:24.106 something the whole country has been 32:24.106 --> 32:26.217 asking about . What do you tell him ? 32:27.940 --> 32:30.730 Well , I think that the we watched the 32:30.730 --> 32:32.780 debates on the news , we see the 32:32.780 --> 32:35.690 different arguments that happen . And 32:35.700 --> 32:38.890 um and I think that the as the decision 32:38.890 --> 32:41.410 is made , uh the policies will put in 32:41.410 --> 32:44.460 place and uh and we've got to trust in 32:44.460 --> 32:46.516 our leaders and the policies for our 32:46.516 --> 32:48.349 Department of Defense as we move 32:48.349 --> 32:50.404 forward and then we take care of our 32:50.404 --> 32:53.360 people . So I hope people have been 32:53.360 --> 32:55.249 thinking about questions and have 32:55.249 --> 32:57.249 somebody see jane harman and let me 32:57.249 --> 33:00.370 start with jane . Well , thank you very 33:00.370 --> 33:02.259 much . That was very interested , 33:02.259 --> 33:04.537 interesting . Glad you made it , David . 33:04.537 --> 33:06.370 1st , I hope you'll tell us what 33:06.370 --> 33:08.592 happened to your teenage daughter , how 33:08.592 --> 33:11.990 she turned out . But um , I'm really 33:11.990 --> 33:14.670 asking about the southern border of the 33:14.670 --> 33:17.170 United States . Uh Secretary Mayorkas 33:17.170 --> 33:19.490 wasn't asked about that much yesterday 33:19.490 --> 33:21.601 when he was questioned . I understand 33:21.601 --> 33:23.657 that's much more of a of of an issue 33:23.657 --> 33:25.990 for the Department of Homeland Security . 33:25.990 --> 33:28.210 But the pictures and the stories are 33:28.210 --> 33:30.432 everywhere . And I have to believe that 33:30.432 --> 33:32.432 people in your A . O . R . Are very 33:32.432 --> 33:35.170 aware of our border policies and some 33:35.170 --> 33:38.170 of the confusion and some of the 33:38.180 --> 33:40.830 uh personal tragedies and the rest . 33:40.830 --> 33:42.830 And I just wonder , what do you say 33:42.830 --> 33:45.480 about that and what activities do you 33:45.480 --> 33:49.290 undertake uh to if if you do to 33:49.300 --> 33:53.210 uh explain our policies to the the 33:53.220 --> 33:56.890 countries that you deal with . So 33:56.900 --> 33:59.960 the in terms of that's um right . 34:00.340 --> 34:02.650 And some of the things that I described 34:02.650 --> 34:05.190 about their regular migration uh and 34:05.190 --> 34:07.301 certainly when I was in North calm in 34:07.301 --> 34:10.520 my previous job uh and uh being 34:10.530 --> 34:13.310 uh up front close and personal with the 34:13.310 --> 34:15.690 Southwest border uh and seeing the 34:15.690 --> 34:17.840 challenges that we have and then 34:17.840 --> 34:20.410 realizing that a lot of that comes from 34:20.410 --> 34:24.280 now , the South com region uh up to up 34:24.280 --> 34:27.620 to the Southwest border . And so again , 34:27.630 --> 34:29.852 what we try to do in South commons , we 34:29.852 --> 34:32.600 work with our partner nations right as 34:32.600 --> 34:35.510 they handle the migration problem and 34:35.510 --> 34:38.400 they handle insert uh internal security 34:38.400 --> 34:41.320 problems is to make them stronger and 34:41.330 --> 34:43.552 uh to work with them . Talk about human 34:43.552 --> 34:46.230 rights , the rule of law . Uh 34:46.240 --> 34:48.710 everything that we talk about , train 34:48.720 --> 34:50.680 train advise assist the security 34:50.680 --> 34:53.600 cooperation , the exercises that we do 34:53.610 --> 34:55.777 makes them stronger to deal with these 34:55.777 --> 34:58.010 problems , Deal with their borders , 34:58.020 --> 35:01.830 deal with their other neighbors as uh 35:01.840 --> 35:04.400 as the uh as we know , going through 35:04.400 --> 35:06.520 South America if we have migration up 35:06.520 --> 35:09.070 through Colombia into Panama and over 35:09.070 --> 35:11.060 they all have a very 35:11.070 --> 35:15.010 uh good perspective in terms of how 35:15.010 --> 35:17.177 that translates and how it happens and 35:17.177 --> 35:20.320 then how it impacts them specifically 35:20.320 --> 35:22.431 in each one of those countries . It's 35:22.431 --> 35:25.280 different . And um so as I meet with 35:25.280 --> 35:27.930 them , I talk to them about that . But 35:27.930 --> 35:29.763 then we also it's not just about 35:29.763 --> 35:31.763 talking about it . It's about , you 35:31.763 --> 35:33.930 know , how do we make them stronger to 35:33.930 --> 35:36.152 handle their own problems ? So we don't 35:36.152 --> 35:38.208 have to help them even more . And so 35:38.208 --> 35:40.319 that's really what we try to do in uh 35:40.319 --> 35:42.541 in South com . Let's take a couple more 35:42.541 --> 35:44.374 questions before lunch . I saw a 35:44.374 --> 35:46.600 gentleman in the first row . Sorry . So 35:46.610 --> 35:50.160 yes , over by the window . Yeah . 35:53.940 --> 35:56.051 Got to see two of you there first and 35:56.051 --> 35:58.162 then the gentleman behind you . Thank 35:58.162 --> 36:00.273 you Marcus Oliver from the government 36:00.273 --> 36:02.218 accountability office . And I just 36:02.218 --> 36:04.440 wanted to ask General Richardson just I 36:04.440 --> 36:06.551 guess what are some of the challenges 36:06.551 --> 36:08.662 that sort of you face in managing the 36:08.662 --> 36:10.718 sort of Gitmo mission set um sort of 36:10.718 --> 36:12.829 given the sort of lack of maybe clear 36:12.829 --> 36:15.140 direction from the president on that 36:15.140 --> 36:17.307 mission as well as a lack of consensus 36:17.307 --> 36:19.084 on that mission from the hill . 36:21.530 --> 36:23.641 Okay . I think I heard most of that . 36:23.641 --> 36:27.560 But um I think in terms of the uh 36:27.570 --> 36:30.630 JTf Gitmo or the Gitmo question , um , 36:30.640 --> 36:33.090 the thing is , is that our mission is 36:33.090 --> 36:35.146 to provide the safe legal and humane 36:35.146 --> 36:38.060 treatment of the detainees that are 36:38.060 --> 36:40.510 there . And so that's what our mission 36:40.510 --> 36:42.510 revolves around . And all the other 36:42.510 --> 36:44.890 decisions that are policy decisions . 36:44.890 --> 36:47.650 We just execute that mission and we 36:47.650 --> 36:49.890 execute it to the best of our ability 36:49.900 --> 36:52.270 and uh , make sure that it's the safe , 36:52.270 --> 36:55.450 humane and legal treatment of of those 36:55.670 --> 36:57.640 of those detainees and those other 36:57.640 --> 37:01.320 decisions and and discussions 37:01.320 --> 37:04.040 and arguments and things like that . 37:04.430 --> 37:06.950 Uh , that is at the policy level . 37:08.430 --> 37:10.708 And yes , gentleman , right behind you . 37:16.830 --> 37:18.941 Thanks , David . Thanks General kevin 37:18.941 --> 37:21.108 Baron from Defense one . I wanna going 37:21.108 --> 37:22.997 back to the immigration migration 37:22.997 --> 37:25.170 border security question walk us 37:25.170 --> 37:27.030 through some of the myths versus 37:27.030 --> 37:29.197 realities of the security threats that 37:29.197 --> 37:32.270 you see from the entire chain of 37:32.270 --> 37:34.214 migration , as we hear them in the 37:34.214 --> 37:36.326 public discourse versus as a security 37:36.326 --> 37:38.492 professional cocom commander . How you 37:38.492 --> 37:40.492 view them . And when you talk about 37:40.492 --> 37:42.659 also , you talked about a lot today of 37:42.659 --> 37:44.770 the non military ways and investments 37:44.770 --> 37:46.826 that that you can alleviate security 37:46.826 --> 37:48.937 concerns in south in the south . I've 37:48.937 --> 37:51.103 heard that for many years for 20 years 37:51.103 --> 37:53.214 from all of your predecessors in this 37:53.214 --> 37:55.437 that same role , but it doesn't seem to 37:55.437 --> 37:57.603 resonate at least in Congress or maybe 37:57.603 --> 37:59.826 with american people . How do you think 37:59.826 --> 38:01.937 you can maybe move the ball more than 38:01.937 --> 38:03.992 in the past to really push for , you 38:03.992 --> 38:05.881 know , for other kinds of foreign 38:05.881 --> 38:05.700 investment or U . S . Government 38:05.700 --> 38:07.811 investment that's non military to get 38:07.811 --> 38:09.922 to the same goals you're mentioning . 38:09.922 --> 38:11.811 Yeah . So thanks for that . Great 38:11.811 --> 38:15.490 question . And so um I like to uh just 38:15.500 --> 38:17.760 in terms of the , when I talk about the 38:17.760 --> 38:19.871 integrated deterrents , it's really I 38:19.871 --> 38:21.982 look at that as all of the levers out 38:21.982 --> 38:25.310 there , all of the elements of national 38:25.310 --> 38:27.620 power that we have in the United States 38:27.620 --> 38:29.620 to bring to bear . And that when we 38:29.620 --> 38:32.940 talk about um you know how we can help 38:32.950 --> 38:35.680 different countries for example we have 38:35.690 --> 38:38.670 agreements with academia And you're 38:38.670 --> 38:40.781 like Okay what does that mean ? South 38:40.910 --> 38:43.910 has agreements with academia but uh 38:43.920 --> 38:46.142 global fishing watch for example , if I 38:46.142 --> 38:48.210 talk about illegal and regulated on 38:48.210 --> 38:51.040 reported fishing right takes 33 billion 38:51.040 --> 38:52.873 in revenue away from our partner 38:52.873 --> 38:55.270 nations . So if we have if we're able 38:55.270 --> 38:57.790 to see something from the domain 38:57.790 --> 39:00.030 awareness that we do have as a co com 39:00.220 --> 39:02.780 and working with our academia and 39:02.780 --> 39:05.130 working with Global Fishing watch . So 39:05.130 --> 39:07.074 we have the in the academia part , 39:07.074 --> 39:08.852 University of Miami and florida 39:08.852 --> 39:10.963 International University of Agreement 39:10.963 --> 39:13.740 and we can expose this malign activity 39:13.750 --> 39:15.972 right ? Because people don't like to be 39:15.972 --> 39:17.861 exposed when they're when they're 39:17.861 --> 39:19.972 behaving in ways they're not supposed 39:19.972 --> 39:22.110 to right ? I don't we don't need the 39:22.110 --> 39:23.888 credit in South Com but we will 39:23.888 --> 39:26.054 certainly give that information either 39:26.054 --> 39:28.110 to our partner nations or to ngos or 39:28.110 --> 39:30.570 through our academia uh to get that 39:30.570 --> 39:33.130 message out there when you talk about 39:33.140 --> 39:35.350 insecurity and instability , right , 39:35.360 --> 39:38.750 $310 billion dollar revenue 39:38.750 --> 39:42.190 business a year . It's off the charts . 39:42.190 --> 39:44.301 It's not just counternarcotics , it's 39:44.301 --> 39:46.134 human trafficking , it's illegal 39:46.134 --> 39:49.340 logging , illegal mining , uh you you 39:49.340 --> 39:52.640 fishing uh it is a whole host of things . 39:53.110 --> 39:57.060 And so um this is uh in my mind , 39:57.060 --> 39:59.171 it creates the wedge , the insecurity 39:59.171 --> 40:01.227 and the instability that our partner 40:01.227 --> 40:03.338 nations , not our partner nations but 40:03.338 --> 40:06.410 our adversaries capitalize upon and um 40:06.410 --> 40:09.680 and then they flourish right ? And make 40:09.680 --> 40:12.080 that even a bigger wedge for them to be 40:12.080 --> 40:15.560 able to undermine us objectives , 40:15.570 --> 40:18.420 undermine our relationships , undermine 40:18.430 --> 40:20.830 uh the objectives that we have in the 40:20.830 --> 40:22.886 region . You know , I talked earlier 40:22.886 --> 40:25.070 about the PRC is playing chess while 40:25.070 --> 40:27.630 Russia is playing checkers , right ? 40:27.640 --> 40:30.150 And they have short term goals in terms 40:30.150 --> 40:33.210 of undermining our democracy Uh causing 40:33.210 --> 40:36.350 destabilization through the information 40:36.350 --> 40:38.630 environment . Off the charts in this 40:38.630 --> 40:41.090 region , over 30 million followers in 40:41.090 --> 40:44.630 social media , Sputnik mundo Russia 40:44.630 --> 40:48.570 today espanol very very 40:48.570 --> 40:50.681 prevalent . We are not in competition 40:50.681 --> 40:52.792 in that space . We are in conflict in 40:52.792 --> 40:54.959 the information environment . And when 40:54.959 --> 40:56.903 I bring this up some , most of the 40:56.903 --> 40:59.560 countries are very , very aware of this 40:59.570 --> 41:02.140 but making them stronger in order to be 41:02.140 --> 41:04.370 able to counter this . When I bring up 41:04.380 --> 41:06.547 disinformation , they'll say , oh fake 41:06.547 --> 41:09.030 news and I'm like yeah , you could say 41:09.030 --> 41:11.141 that , but the , you know , how do we 41:11.141 --> 41:14.340 band together in terms of all domains 41:14.350 --> 41:16.560 um with our partner nations being 41:16.560 --> 41:18.510 stronger . It's not just in the 41:18.510 --> 41:20.940 information space , it's not just in 41:20.940 --> 41:23.940 the air domain or the C domain . In 41:23.940 --> 41:26.140 terms of counter narcotics . I mean it 41:26.140 --> 41:28.084 is the whole gamut is cyber , it's 41:28.084 --> 41:31.560 space . It's we have a lot of things to 41:31.560 --> 41:33.970 get after and we have to work together 41:33.970 --> 41:37.880 as a team for our neighborhood um to 41:37.880 --> 41:39.850 take away from me . We are not in 41:39.860 --> 41:42.800 competition . We are in conflict in the 41:42.800 --> 41:45.220 information space . I've been signaled 41:45.220 --> 41:46.942 that we've run out of time . I 41:46.942 --> 41:49.109 recognized a woman who was standing in 41:49.109 --> 41:51.220 the back next to the pillar . Can you 41:51.220 --> 41:53.164 ask a brief question and we'll ask 41:53.164 --> 41:55.109 General Richardson to give a brief 41:55.109 --> 41:57.109 answer . And then it's lunch time . 41:57.109 --> 41:59.220 Thank you . Thanks for your awareness 41:59.220 --> 42:01.387 and your your so informative , general 42:01.800 --> 42:04.000 and good questions , David . But my 42:04.000 --> 42:06.170 question is , is there a way to get a 42:06.170 --> 42:08.710 general honore kind of guy in latin 42:08.710 --> 42:12.500 America Central America where we can 42:12.500 --> 42:14.850 give more security ? And there was a 42:14.850 --> 42:17.620 time american business . Got tax 42:17.620 --> 42:20.640 deductions to go to china . Well , is 42:20.640 --> 42:23.000 there a way to work something out like 42:23.000 --> 42:25.500 that and we can be less dependent on 42:25.500 --> 42:29.230 china last word . 42:30.400 --> 42:32.622 Can you raise your hand where you are ? 42:32.622 --> 42:34.622 There we go . Okay . I thought that 42:34.622 --> 42:37.420 might be you . Okay . Uh so in terms of 42:37.420 --> 42:39.700 working with the inter agency , I would 42:39.700 --> 42:42.870 like to just um let you know that we're 42:42.880 --> 42:44.824 we are very much involved with the 42:44.824 --> 42:46.936 inter agency , I think that we can do 42:46.936 --> 42:48.936 better , but we have to continue to 42:48.936 --> 42:51.158 provide forums where we can collaborate 42:51.500 --> 42:54.350 and so in May at South com we hosted 42:54.350 --> 42:56.461 the all of the Chiefs of Mission from 42:56.461 --> 43:00.310 this region Uh at South Com . So we had 43:00.310 --> 43:03.010 the ambassadors and the charges . Oh by 43:03.010 --> 43:05.121 the way , we have 12 ambassadors that 43:05.121 --> 43:07.177 still need to get in the seat . So I 43:07.177 --> 43:09.010 would appreciate your integrated 43:09.010 --> 43:11.232 deterrence and helping to reinforce the 43:11.232 --> 43:13.399 priority of getting our ambassadors in 43:13.399 --> 43:15.566 their seats . It's kind of like me not 43:15.566 --> 43:17.732 being here for South com and having an 43:17.732 --> 43:20.970 acting or a deputy that's in my seat . 43:20.980 --> 43:23.640 Very , very important . But go back to 43:23.640 --> 43:25.862 the interagency . We host , we had over 43:25.862 --> 43:28.030 60 inter asian inter agency that were 43:28.030 --> 43:30.450 there at this , at this conference that 43:30.450 --> 43:34.270 we held and we had commerce , we had 43:34.270 --> 43:37.810 Treasury , we had justice , um and we 43:37.810 --> 43:40.032 hold a law enforcement working group as 43:40.032 --> 43:42.330 well . I have , I think about 15 43:42.330 --> 43:44.552 interagency . Ellen knows that work out 43:44.552 --> 43:46.774 of the South com headquarters already . 43:46.774 --> 43:48.960 And but when you're talking about the 43:48.960 --> 43:52.010 uh village illegitimate or the 43:52.700 --> 43:55.330 Uh money laundering , um that takes 43:55.330 --> 43:57.441 place in our region as well . If I go 43:57.441 --> 43:59.219 back to the $310 billion dollar 43:59.219 --> 44:01.441 business and money laundering and those 44:01.441 --> 44:04.020 kinds of really complex challenges . We 44:04.020 --> 44:05.490 have to continue to work 44:05.500 --> 44:08.310 collaboratively with the interagency to 44:08.310 --> 44:10.310 move the ball down the field . So I 44:10.310 --> 44:13.340 appreciate your question . Um , and uh , 44:13.340 --> 44:15.562 and we'll continue to work all of those 44:15.562 --> 44:19.220 angles and issues . So it is 44:19.220 --> 44:21.610 lunchtime thanks to General Laura 44:21.610 --> 44:23.777 Richardson , for a wonderful chance to 44:23.777 --> 44:25.777 talk about what we don't talk about 44:25.777 --> 44:25.220 enough . 49:52.170 --> 49:52.700 Okay . 50:01.060 --> 50:04.100 Yeah . Yeah . 50:13.460 --> 50:14.460 Right . 50:17.260 --> 50:20.670 Yeah . 50:21.060 --> 50:22.280 Yeah . 51:08.960 --> 51:09.960 Okay . 51:12.960 --> 51:13.960 Thanks . 51:18.760 --> 51:19.760 Yeah . 51:24.760 --> 51:25.760 Yeah . 51:32.660 --> 51:33.660 Yeah . 51:39.260 --> 51:39.970 Yeah . 51:48.460 --> 51:49.460 You sure ? 51:58.060 --> 51:58.390 Okay .