The Commander of the U.S. Southern Command, General Laura J. Richardson, spoke at length on security across the Americas. Speaking at the ‘Commanders Series’ for Atlantic Council, the General discussed various strategic threats that America faces today in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Candidly putting forth her views on countries and entities posing varying degrees of danger to the United States in the Western Hemisphere, she said, “We are very much in strategic competition in the Western Hemisphere and with People’s Republic of China, Russia…” General Richardson also touched on the third threat in the region – that of organized, transnational crime syndicates that thrive and operate from here.
Referring to the Western Hemisphere as “our neighborhood,” she touched upon the multidisciplinary cooperation needed to ensure peace and stability in the region. Mentioning some of the various organizations, academia, and military departments engaged in the efforts, the General spoke of how it helps to “counter malign activity” and “expose” such entities in the Western Hemisphere. Their combined efforts acted as “integrated deterrence” to maintain internal peace and thwart transnational criminal activities. She observed that safeguarding American interests often translated to promoting democracy and stability in the region, referring to their combined efforts as those of “Team Democracy.”
The U.S. Southern Command consists of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The 31 countries and twelve dependencies account for eight percent of the world’s population.
General Richardson cited the need to “leverage” existing relationships and build stronger ties with countries in the region. She flagged China’s growing “encroachment” and “tentacles” in the Western Hemisphere as a matter of “much concern.”
Twenty-one of the thirty-one countries in the region has signed on to President Xi Jinping’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. Twenty-five countries in America’s “neighborhood” have infrastructural projects being built by China. That includes deepwater ports in seventeen countries. Besides transportation infrastructure, the Chinese have invested heavily in telecommunications, bringing even 5G to some countries, mainly using Huawei.
The dual-purpose infrastructural facilities being built by state-owned Chinese companies may be used for military purposes, the General noted. Acknowledging that the recipient nations are largely aware of the pitfalls of the BRI schemes, she recognized that some of these nations “might not have a choice” given that about 170,000,000 people in the region live in poverty.
General Richardson stressed the need for America to get more involved in the region. The involvement, in her assessment, went beyond security and defense ties. She cited the need “to be pretty innovative and pretty aggressive and responsive” to the needs of these nations.
The General sees the war in Ukraine as an opportunity for the U.S. and nations in the Western Hemisphere to realign and forge new ties. Many countries enjoyed a close relationship with Russia. Hence, many in the region employ Russian equipment for defense.
The General briefly touched on the administration’s plans to change the tide, saying, “We’re working to replace that Russian equipment with United States equipment if those countries want to donate it to Ukraine.” She indicated that Russia was struggling to resupply and pointed out, “Russia can’t have the ability to provide many of these countries with resupply or new weapons” as it focuses on its invasion of Ukraine.
The Commander of the U.S. Southern Command sees this as an opportunity for these countries to switch to American equipment and move away from Moscow’s sphere of influence. Reducing Russia’s foothold in the region will significantly boost America’s efforts to forge stronger ties within the region.
Only the second woman to reach the rank of General and the first woman to hold the post of commander of U.S. Southern Command, General Laura J. Richardson believes that “team building and bringing folks together” are crucial to securing America’s “neighborhood.”
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Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
