Committee what this is just under two hours. [inaudible] good morning. Testimony from commander north American Aerospace temp command and richardson. Evtesential personnel. This involves both of your commands to various degrees and resources in support t respond. National security as principal command. Outlined in the National Defense strategy is defending the homelandts posed by the people china. As we see threats from other competitors, unconfident the the defense policy guidance this challenge and when asked for an update and how it will transform the department from of the urgency estimates over the past year with the chinese surveillance balloons and other fied phenomena in this case. These events raise concerns they may have an awareness and it must be secured to protect citizens technologies to provide protection. Id be no caps and what additional tools and resources are needed to ove1 rcome them. The u. S. Law enforcement for cartels engaged Human Trafficking success Security Cooperation and the harm he had navy and working supporting the home and security. Turning to Southern Command there russia in latin america. The political and economic instability present a situation adversaries are white. China in particular is expanding the structure and 5g expanding network. Im interested in your assessment challenge with your latin america. The outcomes support transnational they are contravening to Overdose Deaths each year. The nations and other in these efforts and resources. You know security throughout his contw migrants. Economic instability among violence and corruption continues to be a majorn the region especially the northern triangle triangle guatemala and el salvador. Id like to know your viewse done to help and prove the situation. Thank you to our witnesses and i look forward to your testimony and as a reminder there will be a closed session following this hearing. Thank you and i want to thank our witnesses for being with us here. She clearly china and russia for these vulnerabilities at home and the western hemisphere in strategy defense is a top priority a year end a half agodministration has not matched that goal. Year after year the Biden Administration declined to punch the request for the radars for proper air defense and they remain against small drones. This presents a clear and significant vulnerability. Wargames to ignore resilience probtential conflict. The Biden Administration is to learn from its mistakes. Last year surveillance chinese blimp labs for last years defenses and a senior at Biden Administration responded congressional oversight ossified informationweek they declined to production this defense value they finally did so with this committee mandating it and presided over distinguished chair. Failure of the most pressing, defense crisis is the one of the southwest border. And the supply texacozasing chinese precursor chemicals and mexicos criminal crisis can only worsen. The cartels are unprecedented in trafficking operation across our open border and it is lucrative charging thousands and it is severe and so is the risk terrorist infiltration. Cnn reported Human Smuggling Network with ties to isis helped more than a dozen individuals enter our country illegally. In october two iranians on the Security Threat list were caught as they cross the border from mexico. General, i recognize agencies responsibility of the southwest is one of them. Explain the contributionse challenges concerns about the chinese but in central and south america the Chinese Communist party using this playbook that threats to influence government. Simultaneously it enhances its military presence and limits access. Its happe here and we cannot ignore it. Two quick examples two underscore making latin america dependent for Communications Technology something tried to do an hour entry incentives economic influence camping. Cw i look forward to hearing how they directly impactof the region the threat they pose during National Security. How important is it . Influences maduro asserted provocative claim sovereignty over a large portion of the neighboring nation of close is struggling troubling is the mismatch the requirements and resources received. We need to find ways to exert influence for example lets explore capital i look forward general assessment of the most pressing resources and immediate to learn what congress can do to note your name rhymes with cuba is that right . We expect both of you to live up to these. Thank you. Distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. It is my honor to represent the men and women of the aerospa command. As we Canadian Military and personnel are dependent against events for multiple doctors and all domains. Only been in command a few weeks weeks, it is clear the United States and canada and network of partners based extraordinarily complex strategic environment. Editors advanced kinetic systems designed for civilian and military infrastructure in north america and threshold. Competitors probably advanced targeting our infrastructure and networks. Threats present in all domains and they include the arctic region. He remains a challenge and modernizes and grows the modern submarine of Hypersonic Weapons presenting challenges for homeland defense. While capabilities are a capability its an immediate nationstate concern. Significant capacityo america with air and sea lost conventional weapons. Despite havingkraine pressing in systems that can threaten the United States and advanced submarines hypersonic vehicles, icbms as well as cyber and undersea capabilities as well as development of systems Nuclear Power cruise missile. Meanwhile north korea continues frederick while test launching longrange expanding ties with china and russia. Currently lack and capable district north america with longrange missiles investing in the capability and iran supports militant groups in the middle east and maintains Worldwide Network of surrogates. The most prevalent growing threats include cyber small Unmanned Aerial Systems emp canada against military infrastructure in ways not possible a few years ago. defense well beyond north america. Both commands are working in congress to improve awareness to detect track and defeat threats ranging small Unmanned Aerial Systems. North america is an endeavor that requires to campaign against threats and all domains among these approaches that requires exchange of information conventional opetions forces and Intelligence Community in interagency and international partners. E importance of this cannot be overstated and a support the departments work to advance the joint command and control concepts as wwe seek to share information as quickly as possible with operators and decisionmakers around the world. A 90 day assessment through the Department Joint force and execute a task and make recommendations on where commands could or should do look forward to sharing findings on how they will best see the mission of, defense. The challenges are real but there should be no doubt about the result to deter aggression and if necessary defeat threats to our citizens. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you this morning and am happy to answer your questions. Distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to be with you today today. Im honored to represent the dedicated men and to discuss the challenges we share with our neighbors in the caribbean. National Security Strategy between this security and our own security. We are harnessing the power of partnership from team usa in support of democracy leveraging all instruments of National Power. The clumsy, information military and economics are partnering nations addressing the challenges that impact our n our shared neighborhood remains in crosscutting and challenges that are homeland. A call to action. In almost two and half years ive made it my priority to meet partners where they are and listen and understand what affects us all. Partners in the western hemisphere with whom we are bonded by trade and valued, democratic traditions and family ties increasingly impacted by coercion. Im learned our presence matters. The peoples republic of china and Democracy National secret intellectual property and Research Related to agriculture the scope and scale is unprecedented. An initiative aimed at pagower and influence at the expense of the world democracies. The potential to fuel the world. Theyve already and is already extracting and eloiting. Predatory investment practices construction of these facilities mer activities for a few of the activities that jeopardize the safety of the region. Russia remains an threat and bolstering regimes and cuba, nicaragua and venezuela china, russia and iran increase their presence diplomatically and militarily in the region and these undermine democracies and challenge their credibility. China and russia exploit the presence of Transnational Criminal Organizations and amplify destabilizing governments. The topic weapons drugs and commodities counterfeit goods judy to the surge of functional related deaths here at home. The good news is working with partners leading to the best defensestrengthen partnership with the 28 likeminded democracies in the hemisphere to und to counter these shared threats. United states remains preferred most trusted Security Partner in the region. We trust investment and Security Cooperation programs to train and equip our partners in military security versus and joint exercise programs to build interoperability and Development Employment o maximize resources allocated by the States International military educa financing and building interoperability and counterbalance military engagement and investment. The National Defense strategy states immense benefits from a stable peaceful and democratic we hemisphere and reduces Security Threats to the homeland. Continuing to innovate and adapt putting deterrence interaction everyday. Committed to working across allies and partners, combatant command, joint force and nonfederal agencies and u. S. Congress. His safety, sec prosperity in the western hemisphere. This is the work promised as part of team and Team Democracy and resourcing this team. And the power of our United States conference i look forward to your question. After all in t record. [applause] let me say we have had unmanned vehicles cost coddeveloped procedures for commanders dealing with these . They could show upould penetrate the space. A system deal with them . Shortly after command i realize the chall o increase something that would drive in command because of a number. The services do have authorities but will remains to be done to ensure resources are equipped and standardize operating procedures to address the threats and what remains to be done to use capability second safely without interfering with our airspace structure. At this there is not a designated role but at the end of the 90 days i will show ways that it could and should play that role. That would involve other agencies such as the department of justice and fbi Homeland Security. Working at the agency level. They have authorities now and we would need to them together so we bring each capability together against these incursion threats. March 10 we sent in the agency and there is the secretary of defense 200 million for security for the common could you give us your sense of the implications the United States and the region . Thank you for the question certainly the u. S. Outcomes have a lot of wide range or whatever is required for the department of defense so over the conducted commissions theyve been widely publicized the actions that would take place for disease across the globe in the situation has been deteriorating so the announcement will in the political initiations the past couple days so the political solution working and hopefully that continues on a positive path but if not contingency plans are ready to respond out mayo by china and russia one of the leading edges of China Economic ports and ge underway there willingness orss to acquire more interest and i understand they passed states to buy the shares. Chinese speed is out without be a problem . That would be a problem in the american prosperity of partnership for Economic Prosperity and where they hosted the heads of state and this would be and invest in Critical Infrastructure for the American Development bank and the finance corporation so to purchase thosesh is been established in 1959 in the region. We dont move, the chinese will. Exactly right. Just say venezuelan president nicholas mindoro established control over contested region in this lien and the region accounts for two thirds of the territory how has this impacted the security of the region and the fact that venezuela has armored carriers . And activities that are taking against this democracy with an unjustified claim. And so our support for guyana were shown t government and through all the instruments of National Power the diplomacy the military and certainly do you have directions from the white house from their superiors in the department as to what we as we work my engagements and what we do with Security Cooperation, we have a very robust plan with guyana and we continued on that on the plan and thats been coordinated with our u. S. Government. Can you briefly describe the plant . It consists of visits by folks within my command and the engagements that we do, the exercises, thejeexchanges. We continue with all of those not trying to exacerbate the but continued on path with our regular engagement that a been scheduled and we have not halted any of that. Is the International Us in that regard . The International Community is very much assisting and i was a our allies, part of a western hemisphere framework that we cited u. S. South with a allies that work in the region, the uk, canada, the netherlands and also france. So as a Work Together to coordinate our activity they also have activities and engagement they do in the region and are doing in guyana of those also coordinated. Thank you very much. Let me switch the gener deployment of National Guard troops on the border. I maybe a lot of americans dont understand how often we do this. But its worsen the program is that the lead agency but it has deployed troops there in in in 18 of the previous 21 years. Theyre called temporary deployments but its beginning to look like permanent. There is difference in the way we do deploy and notify these units, is there not in the sense that if its a temporary deployment thicket 180 days notice in advance. If its a regular employment it is a year and half. So could you us . Is my understanding correct . Unison is correct. The primary difference that we see in north command is we are in sport as you mentioned so, therefore, we wait for the request from the lead agency, in this case customs and Border Protection and request for assistance that is reviewed and then has the department of defense at that point we can start trying to match to the joint staff and the National Guard the Quick Connect to support that based on the needs that are in that request for assistance. As you alluded to would it be helpful if we treated it as a permanent deployment . ec senator i think more than treating it as a permanent deployment would be early notification of the requirements dixons those changed that allows us to tailor the National Guard force to meet the changing requirements of ther Border Protection. Where as if we had a permanent force we might have permanently the wrong type of unit to support. However, to your point what we having a permanent commandandcontrol structure over there so we have continuity and predictability and how we present the for and work with the customs and Border Protection. Do we need to give you different authority in that regard or is it just a matter of the department . Senator im sorry. Senator with the authorities we need come to thing that we would most as you alluded to is time, time to pick and train and prepare the National Guard units that are going to down there and support the cbp. To both of you tell us what you need will try to get it for you. Thank you sir. Hank you very much, senator wicker. Senator king it. Thank you, mr. Chairman. In my notes since you been talking ive written the word gap about five times some going to talk about gaps. General guillot do you have a sensor gap at norad . We learn more from fails do from successes. What did we learn from the balloon incursion a