Small Wars Journal

SOUTHCOM Chief: Ship Deployments, More High-Level Exercises Could Help Stabilize Latin America

Wed, 07/10/2019 - 1:05pm

SOUTHCOM Chief: Ship Deployments, More High-Level Exercises Could Help Stabilize Latin America by Meghann Myers - Military Times

When you think “great power competition," you probably think Russia and China in Eastern Europe and the Pacific. But both of those countries are meddling in South America, U.S. Southern Command’s chief told lawmakers on Tuesday.

More funding to SOUTHCOM could not only help with U.S. presence there, but strengthen partner countries against rampant corruption, said Adm. Craig Faller. It was part of his testimony before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing by the subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities, making the case for funding in the next National Defense Authorization Act.

Corruption is the “number one security threat we face in this hemisphere,” he said, adding that those conditions are prime for Russia to undermine Latin Americans’ faith in democracy, while China continues to make predatory loans to those citizens that will never be paid off…

Read on.