By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Wimbish

U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs

The commander of U.S. Southern Command testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee March 13, saying that there is a low likelihood for military conflict in Latin America and the Caribbean while warning of possible emerging security challenges.

Navy Adm. James Stavridis’ testimony, alongside the commanders of U.S. European Command and the future U.S. Africa Command, was his second in a week.  On March 6, he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee as part of the command’s annual posture statement to Congress.

Stavridis discussed the recent tensions between Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, sparked by Colombia’s attack of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels in Ecuador March 1.  He said the peaceful resolution, which also involved leaders from other surrounding nations, displayed the region’s aptitude for solving such problems.

“The region came together to solve that problem, and that´s very encouraging,” Stavridis said.

Stavridis also offered the SOUTHCOM take on Venezuela’s recent military weapons and equipment purchases, which have included more than 20 high-performance fighter jets, 50 new attack helicopters, over 100,000 AK-103 automatic rifles, military transports, and advanced diesel submarines.

“I personally have difficulty understanding why that level of weapons would be needed by the Venezuelan state because, as we´ve just seen, this is a region that is not prone to going to war, but has the capacity to solve, peacefully, disputes,” stated Stavridis.

As he has said before, Stavridis stated that the historically good military-to-military relations between the U.S. and Venezuela have recently dissolved.  However, he said the command hopes “we can work our way into a better relationship.”

The admiral also stressed the importance of continued U.S. support to Colombia as the nation pushes on with its security plan aimed at narco-terrorists groups, pointing to the plunging homicide, terrorist attack and kidnapping rates during this decade.  Stavridis also said the number of FARC members has dropped from more than 17,000 to “somewhere around 8,000 or 9,000.”

“By every objective measure, there has been enormous progress in Colombia,” he said.

Since 2002, the U.S. military has provided training, logistical and intelligence support to their Colombian counterparts as they combat narco-terrorist groups who have waged a bloody war against the nation’s democratic institutions for more than four decades.

Stavridis was also asked about the security impact of a possible U.S. free trade agreement with Colombia, which is currently pending Congressional approval.

“As your national security advisor in that region, I will tell you that it is very important that the free trade agreement be passed from a national security perspective,” said Stavridis.  “And, I hear that not just from senior people in Colombia, but from my interlocutors in the region.  They’re watching very closely to see what happens to a nation that stands with the United States for a decade or more.”

In addition to narco-terrorist groups in the region, Stavridis said the emergence of Islamic radical terrorist groups is a “less immediate force in the region, but it has the potential to become of greater concern to us.”

“At the moment, I would say, at an unclassified level, [their efforts are] largely centered in proselytizing, recruiting, money laundering. It is hooked somewhat into the narcotics trade and, above all, it is a means of generation of revenue, largely for the Hezbollah Islamic radical organization. Monies are garnered here in Latin America and go back to Hezbollah,” said Stavridis.

The admiral also said the command is “concerned about linkage between the Iranian state and nascent Islamic radical terrorism in this region.”

In response to questions about next year’s expiration of the 10-year lease for the U.S. Forward Operating Location in Manta, Stavridis said he expects the operation there will have to move elsewhere. SOUTHCOM currently operates the Forward Operating Location located within the Ecuadorian Eloy Alfaro Air ‎Force Base in Manta, where military E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft fly missions to detect ships or aircraft carrying drugs as part of a regional counter drug effort.  Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has said the nation will not renew the agreement.

“We have not at this time, to my knowledge, been formally asked to leave at the end of that lease.  And the negotiation to attempt to stay – we’d like to stay – is being conducted by our ambassador with the government of Ecuador,” said Stavridis.  “I would say that based on the public statements of the president of Ecuador, which have been clear, it seems unlikely to me that we will be permitted to extend that lease.” 

Stavridis also briefly addressed Cuba, saying that he sees no impending political changes there.

“I think of Cuba not as a military threat, but as a threat to democracy and that they are the last remaining nation in this region that does not follow the rule of democracy.  And, I think that’s deeply unfortunate,” said Stavridis.

In addition to security challenges, the admiral also spent a good deal of his testimony discussing military-to-military partnering efforts with the region, specifically hailing the contributions of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). 

The institute, which is located at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, is the Defense Department´s principal Spanish-language training facility for Latin American military and law-enforcement personnel and others. The school’s curriculum helps foster relationships and promotes democratic values, respect for human rights, and knowledge and understanding of United States customs and traditions.

“WHINSEC is our premier opportunity for high-volume, high-quality training for military officers and senior enlisted from the entirety of Latin America,” said Stavridis. “That human-to-human dimension that occurs… it creates an absolutely indelible bond that then pays off in the sense that, if you think that what we’re doing in the U.S. military is right, generally… I think you should feel good that we’re attempting to transfer some of that value system into our partners and neighbors. 

“And also, I have to say, we learn a lot from them. We learn an enormous amount about the region from having students from 18, 20, 25 countries come through that course,” he said.