American history tv weekend on cspan3. The admiral who heads the u. S. Southern command testified before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee recently about u. S. Military partnerships in latin america, drug interdiction, the humanitarian situation in venezuelan a a number of other issues. This is just over an hour. Okay. The welcome, everybody. The emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee meets today to receive testimony from admiral craig fouler, commander of u. S. Southern command or as we call is south com our focus on the evolving security situation in this theater as well as south coms efforts to implement the National Defense strategy. Welcome for the admiral. Thank you very much for being here, sir. I certainly appreciate it. Todays hearing is a continuation of subcommittee efforts to provide oversight over National Defense strategy implementation. This is an important component of our efforts to ensure our militarys appropriately resourced and equipped and postured to defend the nation against a growing array of threats. While much attention has been countering china and russia ina in their traditional spheres of influence in europe and across the indo pacific region, the subcommittee has been particularly focused on how those nations are increasingly challenging u. S. National security interests, not just within their own geographic boundaries, but elsewhere around the world. Last year, the subcommittee held a hearing with leading experts to discuss chinas expanding presence presence in africa, and interest of us and our partners. It was made clear during the hearing that china is undertaking a longterm approach to bolstering its Global Access and influence. Often times with a goal of undermining the United States of america. The situation in the western hemisphere is no different. Admiral faller you highlighted in testimony earlier this year that china has accelerated expansion of its belt and Road Initiative in the western hemisphere at a pace that may one day overshadow its expansion in Southeast Asia and africa. Chinas Strategic Engagement in the south, region, at the expense of u. S. Security interests and regional stability. Chinas efforts to oppressive government such as the maduro regime in venezuela, and to pump loans into local economies at unpayable interest rates, reveal chinas interest in spurning influence and consolidating power. As a result left latin america has become a passion for chinas ambitions, recognizing economic coercion to grow support for chinese and Foreign Policy objectives including and the exclusion of the u. S. And canada from regional discourse. Trade and economic ties between the United States and latin america are changing with china recently surpassing the United States as the main destination for exports from several latin american countries. China is also deepening military and technological ties in the region. For example, we have seen deep and space related cooperation in brazil, venezuela, and argentina. China has increased arms sales in a manner that violates u. S. And eu restrictions. And hinders our ability to integrate with our strategic learners. Meanwhile, russia is also working to expand its influence in the region. The putin regime seeks to railroad u. S. Influence in the south com area of responsibility and had double down on its efforts to prop a corrupt authoritarian regime in venezuela, cuba, and nicaragua through economic and military assistance. For many years, putin has viewed latin america as a natural link in the chain making up a multipolar world in recent visits by russian missiles any deployment of a longrange bomber to the region highlight russias efforts to strengthen its global reach in an age of Great Power Competition. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago the admiral, one of russias most advanced warships, was docked in havana harbor. Finally, drivers of migration including violence, corruption, and poverty place significant strain on regional governments and can engender regional instability. Impacting not only the southern border of the u. S. , providing additional flashpoints for china and russia to exploit at the expense of american soft power. All of this demonstrates clearly that the western hemisphere should be viewed as an important front in our efforts to compete with china and russia and implement the mds. I look for to your input and candid assessment of the evolving Security Dynamics in this region. Describe how the mds information is important and how you allocate south coms limited resources. As well as identifying any challenges that may impair your ability to accomplish your mission. And thank you again admiral for joining us today and i look forward to the discussion. I will now turn it over to senator peters, our Ranking Member for your Opening Statement. I thank you madam chair and thank you for holding this hearing at a very critical time. Events in latin america are often overshadowed by the crisis in the middle east and asia, but stability and south com ar is clearly critical to our National Security. I want to thank our witness, admiral faller for his service and for appearing here today to testify on the imitation of the National Defense strategy in the Southern Command area of responsibility. It is clear that russia and china have significantly increased their presence and influence in the south com ar. Chinese investment has reached unprecedented levels in beijing. And they have invested billions of dollars in latin america as a part of the belt and load initiative. China often engages in predatory lending practices that create debt traps for small countries and allow beijing to yield outsized influence in these countries. The projects are often economically unsustainable. And many countries throughout the world have found themselves billions of dollars in debt, with no way to repay beijing. Russias economic influence in latin america is much smaller than chinas but its intentions are much more pernicious. Russias Propaganda Machine has been active in latin america with efforts to raise doubts about the democratic process and so discord in the region. Russias statecontrolled spanishlanguage television stations and spreads misinformation throughout the region and seeks to undermine u. S. Influence in the region. Russia has also used Cyber Attacks to attack democratic institutions. The center for strategic and International Studies reported, for example, there have been 50,000 Cyber Attacks against colombias National Voter registry during the 2018 legislative elections. Weve also seen russia covertly deploy kremlin linked military groups to latin america. Repeating the pattern of using these forces to advance their strategic influences abroad without having to admit they have deployed any military personnel to a specific country. Rushs intervention in venezuela has propped up the disastrous maduro regime and allowed the power to the current president. This fits the pattern of currently aggressive seeking russians to use all the tools in the playbook to undermine the appeal of the democratic process and keep russias regime in power. And while the russian and chinese influence in america i think its also important to spend a moment on the most pressing threat to democracy in the western hemisphere and that is corruption. Corruption is the root cause of mass migration, instability, and impunity in Central America and the trafficking of illicit narcotics into our country. Unless our strategy focuses on solving the root causes, no amount of Security Assistance dollars to latin American Partners will be effective. That is why i am quite concerned that the Trump Administration has recently decided to cut off all nondefense u. S. Id and state assistance to guatemala, honduras, and el salvador while allowing defense assistance to these countries to continue. The stated rationale is to punish these countries for the migrant crisis is ill considered. And totally counterproductive to reducing forced migration numbers. Alternately, it undermines our National Security in the region. Unless we support Civil Societies in these countries and help improve the economic conditions, we will level never get a handle on the illicit drugs that flow through these tribal countries and into the United States. One final note, and i think it is critical for us to discuss is that corruption in central and south america not only destabilizes the region, but also provides china and russia with a foothold into these countries as well. Corrupt governments are more likely to take loans from china that allow them to skim billions off the top and leave their treasuries empty. Russia is able to sell arms to corrupt governments that oppress their civilian populations and violate their human rights. The more we focus on combating corruption, the more successful we will be in implementing the National Defense strategy in the region. And i think for a thank the chair again for holding this hearing and i look forward to the discussion. Thank you Ranking Member peters. Admiral faller we will start with your Opening Statement and then move into questioning. Thank you. Chairman, thank you member peters, centers. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today and for the steadfast support you provide the men and women of the sub seller commanded day in and day out. I like to introduce my eyes and ears here with me today. He is also on the lever from the great state of iowa. As i mentioned in my statement, my written statement i have been in command of south com for seven months. In that time i have traveled extensively throughout south america and the caribbean to get a firsthand view of the opportunities and challenges that you both eliminated. These opportunities and challenges directly impact the security of this hemisphere. Our neighborhood. Criminal organizations, narco trafficking, illegal immigration, violent premise and corruption, all enabled by week elements our principal among those challenges. Most disturbing insight, the aha for me has been the degree the external state actors china, russia and iran have expanded their access and influence right here in our neighborhood or as a general miller put it, inside our interior lines. And the Defense Strategy makes clear, Great Power Competition has reemerged as the number one security challenge facing our nation. China, russia and others want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian models. They are blurring the lines of what constitutes a military threat through economic coercion, systematic stealing of technology, influence campaigns, and malicious cyber activity. They are contesting our military advantage in all legitimate traditional domains we fight around the globe. Land, air, sea, space, cyber and information. Plus one more very important domain values like democracy, sovereignty, and the role of rights. Cognition is happening globally and right here in our neighborhood, the western hemisphere. We see this most acutely in venezuela. Where the security crisis created by maduro is compounded every single security crisis we face in this hemisphere. Russia, in their own words is protecting their loyal friend, to quote, by propping up the corrupt, element intimate maduro regime with technical and military support. For china, as venezuela longest single state creditors saddled the venezuelan people with more than 60 billion in debt and, is exporting Surveillance Technology used to monitor and oppress the venezuelan people. They have started direct flights and reinvigorated diplomatic ties. Along with cuba, these actors engage in activities that are profoundly unhealthy to democracy and regional stability and counter to u. S. Interests. How do we counter the threats and see the opportunities in this hemisphere . How do we counter the threats posted by actors across the region . The best way to outcompete is by focusing our strengths, the strong enduring ties would have with our neighbors and from a defense perspective the strong relations are grounded in sheer professionalism. We work with each other from a foundation of mutual respect, human rights and shared interest in Regional Cooperation and interoperability. Reinforce and build on this to train, educate, intelligence and information sharing and exercises. Security cooperation is our best tool to continue building the strong partnerships and turn the challenges our hemisphere into opportunities working together, training and exercising shoulder to shoulder with American Military professionals is our Competitive Edge and no one can match our system. We also need the right, focused, and consistent military did present day in and day out to go with this education. We cannot achieve positive results and influence outcomes without being on the playing field. I will point to two examples with a positive impact of our president presents, this happening as we speak. Our f16 Fighter Aircraft from the succulent International Guard are trained with a very capable Colombian Air force. This mission takes place in conjunction with the hundredth anniversary of columbias air force and built interoperability and readiness for the United States and for our very capable colombian partners while also demonstrating that our shared resolve in the face of regional and global challenges nearby, the United States naval ship, comfort, is in lima, peru to help our neighbors impacted by the manmade crisis in venezuela. Comfort shows the very best of United States of america. And the strong partnerships we have in the world. It is a part of our enduring promise to our neighbors to be a steadfast, reliable, and trusted partner. We appreciate the continued support of congress, this committee in helping us fulfill that promise, the south com team on military and civilian members and our families appreciate the support of congress and will continue to honor the trust you place in us and our fellow citizens have placed in us. I look for to your questions, thank you. Thank you very much admiral. What we will do, i will go ahead and start with just a couple of questions and we will go back and forth and in order of arrival and with that, we will go ahead and get started. Feel free to take as much time as necessary admiral to discuss the challenges and opportunities that you have in south com. Just to start, the National Defense strategy clearly identifies Great Power Competition between the United States and, of course china and russia as the most pressing threat to National Security. Given their expanding presence in your ao. The ndf has particular relevance to your area of responsibility. If you could explain what is the role of a u. S. Military as we are competing with china and russia in the western hemisphere, what more can we be doing . Our focus is to build strong partnerships with very capable, 27 of 31 nations are democracies. We focus on partnerships. And, that is the best way to outcompete china. Our partners want to work with us, they wanted the advantage of United States education, training, exercises and military equipment, it is the best in the world. So it is up to us to deliver that in a way that is relative and also provides a return on investment for american taxpayers to that is our focus. Columbia and brazil are two very good examples where we spent a lot of time, we have traveled to columbia on multiple occasions, we have been to brazil. Their chiefs have been to see us. It begins with intelligence sharing and education frankly. At a persontoperson level. We enhance each others situational awareness, strengthen our understanding of the opportunities and challenges. And work on education, both in their schools and ours. Ive had the opportunity to go down and speak at their institutions. So, that is the foundation. That counters are russia and china best because frankly they cannot compete with our system. They are trying to, or in the area, everywhere i go, the chief defense says the chinese have come, they have offered us free education, unlimited travel, opportunity to go to their schools. They have taken and replicated our model. They set up spanish training in beijing. And, the message i get from our capable partners is we do not want to train with them we want to continue. The best way is to be consistent and offer the level of service and demanded that the partners can meet. We have to operate at their speed and also ensure there is something that we give back. When you meet a new chief of defense, for example the new chief of defense in el salvador and the minister of defense in el salvador, both graduates of u. S. Schools, in fact, the chief defense i think has been to five u. S. Schools and and mr. Defense graduated from the college in newport. They are committed to working with us, not with others and that is the way we move forward in a really meaningful way. Thank you very much. Just to go a little bit further with that. I do firmly believe in those mill to mill oppor