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Committee will come to order . Uh 

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before we begin , I have one 

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housekeeping matter . As soon as we 

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adjourn the public hearing , uh we will 

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immediately move upstairs for a 

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classified briefing and we'll also be 

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asking questions in reverse order 

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seniority today . Uh Today we begin our 

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fiscal 2025 posture hearings for North 

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com and south com . I wanna 

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thank our witnesses for being here 

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today and for their service to our 

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nation . Uh In eight months , President 

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Z is expected to visit Peru uh 

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inaugurate a brand to , to inaugurate a 

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brand new $3.6 billion mega 

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port . It was financed by China built 

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by Chinese workers and it will be owned 

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and operated by the CCP back company . 

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It will be used to ship South American 

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copper lithium and other critical 

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materials to China to further their 

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military modernization . This is just 

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the latest effort . Uh Latest China of 

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China's efforts to displace American 

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influence and build a strategic 

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footprint in our backyard . 25 of the 

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31 countries in the South com A or are 

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welcomed or have welcomed 

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infrastructure investment from China . 

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22 have formally joined China's Belt 

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and road initiative . China is 

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investing in critical sectors across 

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Latin America including C space 

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telecommunication , critical minerals 

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and energy CCP . BACKED companies 

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currently own or operate mines in 

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Mexico , Argentina , Peru and Venezuela 

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electrical grids in Peru and Chile . 

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Five G wireless systems in Costa Rica 

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and Bolivia Brazil and Mexico 

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Space launch and satellite tracking 

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facilities in Peru . Venezuela , 

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Bolivia Argentina , as well as 40 

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ports across 16 Latin American and 

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Caribbean countries that includes ports 

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on both ends of the Panama canal , one 

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at the tip of South America and one 

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just 100 miles away in the Bahamas . 

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None of the agreements governing these 

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port space and telecommunication 

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projects ban the collection of 

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intelligence by China and none of them 

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banned the PL A from using them for 

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military operations . In fact , many of 

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these countries already share 

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intelligence , host port calls , buy 

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military equipment and receive training 

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from the PL A . Unfortunately , China 

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is not the only Malign influence in the 

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western hemisphere since Putin's 

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illegal invasion of Ukraine Russian 

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propaganda efforts have increased 

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across Latin America . Russia continues 

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to invest heavily in Cuba's communist 

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regime and military and and its 

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military continues to provide training 

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in arms to Venezuela , Cuba , Nicaragua 

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where Russia has over 200 troops 

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operating a satellite tracking station . 

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Recent unrest in South com A or is also 

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very troubling over the weekend . US 

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forces were sent to Haiti to help 

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evacuate non essential embassy 

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personnel . Meanwhile , Venezuela 

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continues to threaten its neighbors by 

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moving the thousands of troops to its 

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borders . We need to do more to 

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encourage stability in this region . 

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This means we must build and enhance 

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partnerships to further our security 

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interest in the region . We also need 

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to focus on real threat , transitional 

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crim uh transnational criminal 

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organizations based in the region and 

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what they pose to our nation . These 

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brutal criminals prey on thousands of 

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vulnerable men , women and Children . 

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They steal their money and endanger 

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their lives with perilous attempts to 

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gain illegal entry at our borders . 

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Last year . CBP encountered nearly 2.5 

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million migrants trying to illegal 

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cross and illegally cross into our 

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Southwest border that set a new record 

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and to make matters worse , that number 

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includes at least 100 and 69 

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individuals on the terrorist watch list . 

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598 known gang members and 100 and 78 

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of which were MS 13 gang members . Keep 

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in mind , these are just the ones that 

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the CBP called CBP . Estimates that 

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another 1.7 million illegal 

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immigrants got away south and central 

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American criminal organizations are 

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also the main source of fentaNYL and 

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other dangerous drugs smuggled across 

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our southern border . In fy 23 a record 

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£27,000 of fentaNYL were 

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seized at the Southwest border enough 

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to kill 6 billion people and that's 

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what was seized . Not what got in . 

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Nearly 3000 military personnel are 

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deployed to the us border the largest 

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us deployment of forces in the western 

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hemisphere . North com and south com 

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are doing their best to try to provide 

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support to civilian authorities to 

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address the border crisis . But the 

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real solution rests with our president . 

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He needs to drop the excuses and secure 

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our border . I look forward to hearing 

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from our witnesses and getting their 

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best military advice on how to overcome 

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the security challenges that we face . 

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And with that , I yield to my uh friend , 

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the ranking member , Mr Panetta for any 

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questions he may or comments he may 

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have . Thank you , Mr Chairman . I 

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appreciate this opportunity to sit in 

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for ranking member Adam Smith , but I'd 

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also like to welcome our witnesses for 

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our hearing today . MS Rebecca 

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Zimmerman performing the duties of 

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Assistant Secretary of Defense for 

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Homeland Defense and Hemispheric 

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Affairs General , Laura Richardson . 

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Welcome back as the again the Commander 

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of us Southern Command and General 

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Gregory Guillo , commander of us 

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Northern Command and Northern North 

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American Aerospace Defense Command in 

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his first appearance before the 

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committee . After taking command in 

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February , it's appropriate for our 

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first posture hearing to be focused on 

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the defense of the United States . What 

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happens here at home and in our 

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neighborhood is of the utmost 

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importance to securing our national 

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interest . I appreciate Miss 

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Zimmerman's focus on the new homeland 

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defense policy guidance in her 

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testimony and look forward to 

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additional detail about the what the 

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department intends to improve in its 

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resilience across dod the interagency 

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and our civil society to ensure that we 

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can deter and if necessary survive and 

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prevail against any adversary who 

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chooses to test our defenses . I also 

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look forward to hearing about the 

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progress of General Glo's initial 

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review upon taking command as well as 

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his and Miss Zimmerman's views on the 

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department's support to civilian 

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authorities at the southern border , 

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unidentified anomalous phenomena and 

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dod and national interests in the high 

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North and North . Calm further . I hope 

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to understand Norad's posture and 

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future requirements with respect to 

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integrated air and missile defense , 

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particularly in regard to increasing 

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our domain aware awareness , regardless 

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of the type of threat or origin . I 

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expect to encourage General Guillo and 

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Miss Zimmerman to speak to the threats 

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to our national security and strategic 

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cyber and traditional domains and 

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across the full geographic breadth of 

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our country . Strategic competitors are 

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active in the South Com region and 

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often engage in activities that 

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undermine the rules based order . 

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Despite other global events that are 

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require our attention , we should not 

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ignore our own hemisphere . The 

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department needs to engage in agile and 

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active ways in the region where 

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resources can be limited in South com 

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in South com . The department continues 

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to pursue security cooper operation 

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activities that enhance our partners 

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ability to address challenges in the 

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region like drug trafficking , migrant 

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flows and the fallout of the 

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humanitarian crisis in Venezuela . Such 

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activities can effectively build the 

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capacity of our partners while also 

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deterring malign activity and 

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aggression in the region . I'm 

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interested in hearing how such 

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activities build capacity and to the 

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extent to which they reinforce human 

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rights . And yes , we are keeping an 

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eye on the situation in Haiti . The 

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department is currently supporting the 

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multinational stability support mission 

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and augmenting security at the US 

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Embassy and I encourage General 

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Richardson to speak about these 

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missions . Finally , I will repeat my 

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conclude concluding question at our to 

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our witnesses from last year . How do 

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we continue to protect the United 

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States continue to build our 

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partnerships with the countries of the 

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western hemisphere and continue to keep 

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an eye on efforts that may undermine 

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the United States interest . I thank 

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the witnesses for being here and I look 

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forward to hearing their testimony . 

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Thank you , Mr Chairman . I yell back . 

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Thank you . Now , I'd like to introduce 

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the witnesses . We have the honorable 

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Rebecca Zimmerman is acting principal 

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Deputy Secretary of Defense for 

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Homeland Defense and hemispheric 

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Affairs . It's a pretty long title , 

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General Law Richardson Commander US 

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United States Southern Command General 

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Gregor Gillow . How do you pronounce 

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that ? Chairman ? It's Guillo Guillo . 

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All right , General G General Gregory 

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Guillo is the commander of the United 

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States Northern Command and Northern 

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Aerospace Defense Command . I welcome 

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the witnesses M Zimmerman . We'll start 

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with you . You're recognized for five 

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minutes . Thank you , Chairman Rogers . 

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Uh ranking member Smith and Congressman 

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Panetta standing in and distinguished 

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members of the committee . Thank you 

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for the opportunity to testify before 

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you today . I'll highlight how we're 

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putting homeland defense and other 

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interests across the hemisphere . Front 

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and center to implement the 2022 

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national defense strategy . But I want 

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to first acknowledge the tragic 

252
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helicopter crash on the Southwest 

253
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border on Friday afternoon uh that 

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killed two New York National Guardsmen , 

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uh Casey Frankowski and John Gracia , 

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uh and also uh us border patrol agent 

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Chris Luna , on behalf of the 

258
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Department of Defense , I extend our 

259
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sincere condolences to the families of 

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those lost the 2022 N Ds states that 

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the department's top priority is 

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defense of the homeland paced to the 

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growing multi domain threat posed by 

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the People's Republic of China per the 

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N DS . The PR C is the pacing challenge 

266
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for dod while Russia remains an acute 

267
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threat . The Pr C in Russia currently 

268
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pose more dangerous challenges to 

269
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safety and security to the US homeland , 

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but the N Ds also ensures vigilance of 

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other persistent threats . North Korea 

272
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is expanding its nuclear and missile 

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capability to threaten the homeland . 

274
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Iran is testing space launch 

275
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technologies and global terrorist 

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groups require continued monitoring . 

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Emerging technologies pose new 

278
00:11:01,549 --> 00:11:03,660
challenges to strategic stability and 

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00:11:03,660 --> 00:11:05,660
demand that we adapt and adjust our 

280
00:11:05,660 --> 00:11:07,716
posture . Deterring adversaries from 

281
00:11:07,716 --> 00:11:09,827
employing advanced threats by denying 

282
00:11:09,827 --> 00:11:11,938
them the benefits of their aggression 

283
00:11:11,938 --> 00:11:13,882
as small un crude aircraft systems 

284
00:11:13,882 --> 00:11:15,827
proliferate in the open market and 

285
00:11:15,827 --> 00:11:17,493
their costs decrease as their 

286
00:11:17,493 --> 00:11:19,549
capabilities rapidly increase . Um , 

287
00:11:19,549 --> 00:11:21,400
the threat of these small UAs is 

288
00:11:21,409 --> 00:11:24,289
becoming more prominent . Our nation 

289
00:11:24,299 --> 00:11:26,521
also continues to face the challenge of 

290
00:11:26,521 --> 00:11:28,855
natural and manmade hazards . Last year , 

291
00:11:28,855 --> 00:11:30,799
the US Homeland endured 100 and 14 

292
00:11:30,799 --> 00:11:34,200
incidents . 24 more than in 2022 caused 

293
00:11:34,210 --> 00:11:36,210
by natural hazards including severe 

294
00:11:36,210 --> 00:11:38,099
storms , tornadoes , hurricanes , 

295
00:11:38,099 --> 00:11:40,929
floods and wildfires . In December of 

296
00:11:40,940 --> 00:11:43,119
2023 Secretary Austin approved a 

297
00:11:43,130 --> 00:11:45,074
classified homeland defense policy 

298
00:11:45,074 --> 00:11:47,130
guidance , updating the department's 

299
00:11:47,130 --> 00:11:49,352
approach to homeland defense to account 

300
00:11:49,352 --> 00:11:51,130
for major changes in the global 

301
00:11:51,130 --> 00:11:53,241
security environment . We have shared 

302
00:11:53,241 --> 00:11:55,130
this classified document with the 

303
00:11:55,130 --> 00:11:56,908
Congress and plan to publish an 

304
00:11:56,908 --> 00:11:59,074
unclassified version later this year . 

305
00:11:59,074 --> 00:11:58,989
The guidance looks to meet the 

306
00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,000
challenges we face today by driving 

307
00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,111
action across the department to deter 

308
00:12:03,111 --> 00:12:05,056
threats of aggression or strategic 

309
00:12:05,056 --> 00:12:07,222
attack to the homeland across multiple 

310
00:12:07,222 --> 00:12:09,389
domains and the spectrum of conflict . 

311
00:12:09,389 --> 00:12:11,111
It identifies initiatives that 

312
00:12:11,111 --> 00:12:13,278
contribute to dod s ability to project 

313
00:12:13,278 --> 00:12:15,444
power , defend the homeland and in the 

314
00:12:15,444 --> 00:12:17,167
event of a conflict , maintain 

315
00:12:17,167 --> 00:12:19,119
continuity of wartime operations , 

316
00:12:19,349 --> 00:12:21,570
those initiatives linked to the 2022 

317
00:12:21,580 --> 00:12:24,369
and and ensure that dod will deter 

318
00:12:24,380 --> 00:12:26,269
aggression against the homeland , 

319
00:12:26,269 --> 00:12:28,460
improve resilience to an attack across 

320
00:12:28,469 --> 00:12:30,869
the spectrum of conflict . Focus on 

321
00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:32,491
defending defense , critical 

322
00:12:32,491 --> 00:12:34,760
infrastructure against attacks , ensure 

323
00:12:34,770 --> 00:12:36,992
continuity of operations and continuity 

324
00:12:36,992 --> 00:12:39,289
of government build resiliency against 

325
00:12:39,299 --> 00:12:41,280
the impacts of climate change and 

326
00:12:41,289 --> 00:12:42,956
ensure resilience in chemical 

327
00:12:42,956 --> 00:12:45,080
biological radiological and nuclear 

328
00:12:45,090 --> 00:12:47,201
response capabilities associated with 

329
00:12:47,201 --> 00:12:49,909
homeland defense missions , defense 

330
00:12:49,919 --> 00:12:52,030
support of civil authorities or dis A 

331
00:12:52,030 --> 00:12:54,252
is an important activity supporting the 

332
00:12:54,252 --> 00:12:56,086
American public and our partners 

333
00:12:56,086 --> 00:12:58,308
responding to disasters , public health 

334
00:12:58,308 --> 00:13:00,475
emergencies and securing our borders . 

335
00:13:00,475 --> 00:13:02,697
Per the N DS dod is prepared to support 

336
00:13:02,697 --> 00:13:04,697
dis a activities that do not impair 

337
00:13:04,697 --> 00:13:06,919
warfighting readiness . Today , between 

338
00:13:06,919 --> 00:13:09,599
2500 and 3000 military personnel are 

339
00:13:09,609 --> 00:13:11,442
deployed to the southwest border 

340
00:13:11,442 --> 00:13:13,387
supporting us , customs and border 

341
00:13:13,387 --> 00:13:15,609
protection activities dod has supported 

342
00:13:15,609 --> 00:13:17,869
DH S's border security mission for 18 

343
00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,760
of the last 21 years . The United 

344
00:13:20,770 --> 00:13:22,881
States derives immense benefit from a 

345
00:13:22,881 --> 00:13:25,048
stable peaceful and democratic Western 

346
00:13:25,048 --> 00:13:26,881
hemisphere that reduces security 

347
00:13:26,881 --> 00:13:29,103
threats to our nation . We're deepening 

348
00:13:29,103 --> 00:13:31,103
partnerships with Canada , Mexico , 

349
00:13:31,103 --> 00:13:33,190
Brazil , Colombia and Chile while 

350
00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,349
reinforcing democratic institutions , 

351
00:13:35,359 --> 00:13:37,510
civilian control of the military and 

352
00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:39,631
respect for human rights and the rule 

353
00:13:39,631 --> 00:13:42,400
of law in February , Secretary Austin 

354
00:13:42,409 --> 00:13:44,353
participated in the North American 

355
00:13:44,353 --> 00:13:45,965
Defense Ministerial with his 

356
00:13:45,965 --> 00:13:48,469
counterparts from Mexico and Canada Dod 

357
00:13:48,479 --> 00:13:50,590
is working to fulfill and sustain the 

358
00:13:50,590 --> 00:13:52,812
department's supporting role in Central 

359
00:13:52,812 --> 00:13:55,035
America and the Caribbean institutional 

360
00:13:55,035 --> 00:13:56,979
capacity building and humanitarian 

361
00:13:56,979 --> 00:13:59,090
assistance and disaster response . In 

362
00:13:59,090 --> 00:14:00,701
addition , the department is 

363
00:14:00,701 --> 00:14:02,868
participating in us government efforts 

364
00:14:02,868 --> 00:14:04,757
to support a un backed multi high 

365
00:14:04,757 --> 00:14:06,812
national security support mission in 

366
00:14:06,812 --> 00:14:08,868
Haiti to assist the Haitian National 

367
00:14:08,868 --> 00:14:10,757
Police . Our relationships in the 

368
00:14:10,757 --> 00:14:12,868
hemisphere help ensure we can conduct 

369
00:14:12,868 --> 00:14:14,923
humanitarian assistance and disaster 

370
00:14:14,923 --> 00:14:16,812
relief . Bolster cyber defenses , 

371
00:14:16,812 --> 00:14:18,979
promote climate resilience and conduct 

372
00:14:18,979 --> 00:14:20,868
pandemic response to conclude the 

373
00:14:20,868 --> 00:14:22,923
department is committed to defending 

374
00:14:22,923 --> 00:14:25,090
the homeland and pursuing us interests 

375
00:14:25,090 --> 00:14:26,979
in the Western hemisphere and the 

376
00:14:26,979 --> 00:14:29,035
Arctic Thank you for your support of 

377
00:14:29,035 --> 00:14:28,695
the Department of Defense and I look 

378
00:14:28,705 --> 00:14:31,400
forward to your questions . Thank you , 

379
00:14:31,409 --> 00:14:33,520
Miss Zimmerman , General Richardson . 

380
00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,539
You recognized Chairman Rogers , 

381
00:14:35,549 --> 00:14:37,160
ranking member , Panetta and 

382
00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:39,438
distinguished members of the committee . 

383
00:14:39,438 --> 00:14:41,660
Thank you for the opportunity to appear 

384
00:14:41,660 --> 00:14:43,660
before you with assistant Secretary 

385
00:14:43,660 --> 00:14:46,080
Zimmerman and General Guillo . I am 

386
00:14:46,090 --> 00:14:48,257
honored to represent the dedicated men 

387
00:14:48,257 --> 00:14:50,330
and women of us Southern Command to 

388
00:14:50,340 --> 00:14:52,396
discuss the challenges we share with 

389
00:14:52,396 --> 00:14:54,562
our neighbors in Latin America and the 

390
00:14:54,562 --> 00:14:56,451
Caribbean . Our national security 

391
00:14:56,451 --> 00:14:58,451
strategy recognizes the direct link 

392
00:14:58,451 --> 00:15:00,618
between this region's security and our 

393
00:15:00,618 --> 00:15:02,869
own security . We are harnessing the 

394
00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,450
power of partnership from team USA in 

395
00:15:05,460 --> 00:15:08,309
support of team democracy by leveraging 

396
00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:10,340
all instruments of national power , 

397
00:15:10,349 --> 00:15:13,429
diplomacy , information , military and 

398
00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,010
economics to expeditiously assist 

399
00:15:16,020 --> 00:15:18,330
partner nations in addressing the 

400
00:15:18,340 --> 00:15:20,950
challenges that impact our collective 

401
00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:24,229
security . This region which is our 

402
00:15:24,239 --> 00:15:26,489
shared neighborhood remains under 

403
00:15:26,500 --> 00:15:28,556
assault from a host of cross cutting 

404
00:15:28,556 --> 00:15:30,778
trans boundary challenges that directly 

405
00:15:30,780 --> 00:15:33,270
threaten our homeland . I have seen 

406
00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:35,447
these challenges intensify since I met 

407
00:15:35,447 --> 00:15:37,558
with you last year and this remains a 

408
00:15:37,558 --> 00:15:40,289
call to action in almost 2.5 years in 

409
00:15:40,299 --> 00:15:42,410
command . I've made it my priority to 

410
00:15:42,410 --> 00:15:44,632
meet our partners where they are and to 

411
00:15:44,632 --> 00:15:46,688
listen and understand the challenges 

412
00:15:46,688 --> 00:15:48,910
that affect us . All the world is at an 

413
00:15:48,910 --> 00:15:51,077
inflection point . Our partners in the 

414
00:15:51,077 --> 00:15:53,077
western hemisphere with whom we are 

415
00:15:53,077 --> 00:15:54,989
bonded by trade , share values , 

416
00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,950
democratic traditions , family ties and 

417
00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:01,780
increasingly impacted , impacted by 

418
00:16:01,789 --> 00:16:05,090
interference and coercion . I've 

419
00:16:05,099 --> 00:16:07,159
learned that our presence absolutely 

420
00:16:07,169 --> 00:16:09,690
matters . The People's Republic of 

421
00:16:09,700 --> 00:16:11,533
China has exploited the trust of 

422
00:16:11,533 --> 00:16:14,070
democracies in this hemisphere using 

423
00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,549
that trust to steal national secrets , 

424
00:16:16,559 --> 00:16:19,150
intellectual property and research 

425
00:16:19,159 --> 00:16:21,390
related to academia , agriculture and 

426
00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,919
health care . The scope and scale of 

427
00:16:23,929 --> 00:16:26,750
this espionage is unprecedented through 

428
00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:28,982
the Belt and Road initiative . The PR C 

429
00:16:28,982 --> 00:16:31,380
aims to amass power and influence at 

430
00:16:31,390 --> 00:16:33,789
the expense of the world's democracies . 

431
00:16:34,099 --> 00:16:36,266
Here in the western hemisphere , Latin 

432
00:16:36,266 --> 00:16:38,210
America and the Caribbean have the 

433
00:16:38,210 --> 00:16:40,377
potential to feed and fuel the world . 

434
00:16:40,377 --> 00:16:42,320
Understanding this , the PR C is 

435
00:16:42,330 --> 00:16:44,750
already busy extracting and exploiting 

436
00:16:45,590 --> 00:16:47,539
predatory investment practices , 

437
00:16:47,549 --> 00:16:49,771
construction of mega ports and dual use 

438
00:16:49,771 --> 00:16:51,771
space facilities and criminal cyber 

439
00:16:51,780 --> 00:16:53,947
activities are just a few of the Pr CS 

440
00:16:53,947 --> 00:16:56,150
Malign activities that jeopardize the 

441
00:16:56,159 --> 00:16:58,326
sovereignty and safety of the region . 

442
00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:00,704
Russia remains an acute threat and 

443
00:17:00,704 --> 00:17:02,840
seeks to increase its foothold by 

444
00:17:02,849 --> 00:17:04,849
bolstering authoritarian regimes in 

445
00:17:04,849 --> 00:17:08,010
Cuba , Nicaragua and Venezuela . In the 

446
00:17:08,020 --> 00:17:10,020
last year , China , Russia and Iran 

447
00:17:10,020 --> 00:17:11,687
have increased their presence 

448
00:17:11,687 --> 00:17:13,742
diplomatically economically and even 

449
00:17:13,742 --> 00:17:15,839
militarily in the region . These 

450
00:17:15,849 --> 00:17:18,140
activities undermine democracies and 

451
00:17:18,150 --> 00:17:20,729
challenge their credibility . Both 

452
00:17:20,739 --> 00:17:22,850
China and Russia exploit the presence 

453
00:17:22,850 --> 00:17:25,072
of transnational criminal organizations 

454
00:17:25,072 --> 00:17:27,295
and amplify their destabilizing impacts 

455
00:17:27,295 --> 00:17:30,119
on democratic governments , TC OS 

456
00:17:30,130 --> 00:17:32,463
traffic weapons , drugs , people , gold , 

457
00:17:32,463 --> 00:17:34,420
lithium , rare earth minerals , 

458
00:17:34,430 --> 00:17:36,910
commodities and counterfeit goods while 

459
00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:39,031
contributing to the surge of fentaNYL 

460
00:17:39,031 --> 00:17:41,449
related dusts . Here at home . The good 

461
00:17:41,459 --> 00:17:43,570
news is working with our very willing 

462
00:17:43,570 --> 00:17:46,229
partners leads to the best defense we 

463
00:17:46,239 --> 00:17:48,630
must use all available lovers to 

464
00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:50,862
strengthen our partnerships with the 28 

465
00:17:50,862 --> 00:17:52,640
like minded democracies in this 

466
00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:55,150
hemisphere , who understand the pur the 

467
00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,069
power of working together to counter 

468
00:17:58,079 --> 00:18:00,589
these shared threats . The United 

469
00:18:00,599 --> 00:18:02,829
States remains the pre preferred and 

470
00:18:02,839 --> 00:18:05,180
most trusted security partner in the 

471
00:18:05,189 --> 00:18:07,380
region . We build trust through 

472
00:18:07,390 --> 00:18:09,446
investment and security co-operation 

473
00:18:09,446 --> 00:18:11,334
programs that train and equip our 

474
00:18:11,334 --> 00:18:13,770
partner militaries and security forces . 

475
00:18:13,780 --> 00:18:16,329
A robust joint exercise program to 

476
00:18:16,339 --> 00:18:18,780
build interoperability and the 

477
00:18:18,790 --> 00:18:20,957
development and employment of emerging 

478
00:18:20,957 --> 00:18:23,520
technologies . Moreover , we maximize 

479
00:18:23,530 --> 00:18:25,252
the resources allocated by the 

480
00:18:25,252 --> 00:18:27,252
Department of State's International 

481
00:18:27,252 --> 00:18:29,520
Military Education and Training program 

482
00:18:29,530 --> 00:18:32,280
or ime foreign military financing , 

483
00:18:32,290 --> 00:18:34,068
foreign military sales to build 

484
00:18:34,068 --> 00:18:36,290
interoperability and counterbalance the 

485
00:18:36,290 --> 00:18:39,099
PR CS military engagements and 

486
00:18:39,109 --> 00:18:41,819
investments . As the national defense 

487
00:18:41,829 --> 00:18:44,030
strategy states , the US derives 

488
00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,599
immense benefit from a stable peaceful 

489
00:18:46,609 --> 00:18:49,209
and democratic Western hemisphere that 

490
00:18:49,219 --> 00:18:50,997
reduces security threats to the 

491
00:18:50,997 --> 00:18:53,729
homeland US south com continues to 

492
00:18:53,739 --> 00:18:55,961
innovate and adapt , putting integrated 

493
00:18:55,961 --> 00:18:59,000
deterrents into action every day . We 

494
00:18:59,010 --> 00:19:01,177
remain committed to working across all 

495
00:19:01,177 --> 00:19:03,121
domains with allies and partners . 

496
00:19:03,121 --> 00:19:05,359
Combatant commands the joint force , 

497
00:19:05,369 --> 00:19:07,380
the US interagency , nonfederal 

498
00:19:07,390 --> 00:19:09,920
entities and the United States Congress 

499
00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:13,579
to Guaran to guarantee safety security 

500
00:19:13,589 --> 00:19:16,079
and prosperity throughout the western 

501
00:19:16,089 --> 00:19:18,829
hemisphere . This work and promise of 

502
00:19:18,839 --> 00:19:21,839
Us South com as a part of team USA in 

503
00:19:21,849 --> 00:19:25,229
support of team democracy is our pledge . 

504
00:19:25,430 --> 00:19:27,319
Thank you for your assistance and 

505
00:19:27,319 --> 00:19:30,219
resourcing this team . Uh I I look 

506
00:19:30,229 --> 00:19:32,451
forward to your questions . Thank you . 

507
00:19:33,050 --> 00:19:34,883
Thank you , General Richardson , 

508
00:19:34,883 --> 00:19:36,772
General Gle , you recognized five 

509
00:19:36,772 --> 00:19:38,661
minutes Chairman Rogers , ranking 

510
00:19:38,661 --> 00:19:40,606
member , Panetta and distinguished 

511
00:19:40,606 --> 00:19:42,661
members of the committee . Thank you 

512
00:19:42,661 --> 00:19:44,717
for the opportunity to appear before 

513
00:19:44,717 --> 00:19:46,772
you today . It's a profound honor to 

514
00:19:46,772 --> 00:19:48,994
command and represent the men and women 

515
00:19:48,994 --> 00:19:50,994
of North American Aerospace Defense 

516
00:19:50,994 --> 00:19:50,560
Command and United States Northern 

517
00:19:50,569 --> 00:19:52,736
Command . And I thank MS Zimmerman for 

518
00:19:52,736 --> 00:19:54,680
acknowledging the sacrifice of two 

519
00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,902
soldiers and a border patrol agent . As 

520
00:19:56,902 --> 00:19:59,125
well as remembering the injured soldier 

521
00:19:59,125 --> 00:20:01,347
from last week's helicopter crash along 

522
00:20:01,347 --> 00:20:03,347
the southwest border in Texas as we 

523
00:20:03,347 --> 00:20:05,236
speak this morning , American and 

524
00:20:05,236 --> 00:20:06,958
Canadian military and civilian 

525
00:20:06,958 --> 00:20:08,791
personnel from both commands are 

526
00:20:08,791 --> 00:20:10,625
actively defending our homelands 

527
00:20:10,625 --> 00:20:12,791
against significant persistent threats 

528
00:20:12,791 --> 00:20:14,958
from multiple vectors in all domains . 

529
00:20:14,958 --> 00:20:17,013
Although I've only been in command a 

530
00:20:17,013 --> 00:20:19,125
few weeks , it is readily clear to me 

531
00:20:19,125 --> 00:20:21,347
that the United States , Canada and our 

532
00:20:21,347 --> 00:20:23,236
expansive network of partners are 

533
00:20:23,236 --> 00:20:25,125
facing an extraordinarily complex 

534
00:20:25,125 --> 00:20:27,125
strategic environment . Competitors 

535
00:20:27,125 --> 00:20:29,180
seeking to diminish our military and 

536
00:20:29,180 --> 00:20:30,958
economic advantage have fielded 

537
00:20:30,958 --> 00:20:33,013
advanced kinetic systems designed to 

538
00:20:33,013 --> 00:20:34,625
strike military and civilian 

539
00:20:34,625 --> 00:20:36,791
infrastructure in North America , both 

540
00:20:36,791 --> 00:20:39,013
above and below the nuclear threshold . 

541
00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:41,619
Meanwhile , competitors have rapidly 

542
00:20:41,630 --> 00:20:44,560
advanced and routinely use non kinetic 

543
00:20:44,569 --> 00:20:46,680
capabilities , targeting our critical 

544
00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:48,902
infrastructure and essential networks . 

545
00:20:48,902 --> 00:20:51,069
Threats to the homeland are present in 

546
00:20:51,069 --> 00:20:53,819
all domains along all avenues approach 

547
00:20:53,829 --> 00:20:56,290
to include the Arctic region . As 

548
00:20:56,300 --> 00:20:58,633
stated in the national defense strategy , 

549
00:20:58,633 --> 00:21:00,800
the People's Republic of China remains 

550
00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:02,856
our pacing challenge as the People's 

551
00:21:02,856 --> 00:21:05,078
Liberation Army modernizes and grows at 

552
00:21:05,078 --> 00:21:07,079
a rapid pace . The Pr CS expanding 

553
00:21:07,089 --> 00:21:09,930
nuclear capability and capacity along 

554
00:21:09,939 --> 00:21:11,661
with its development of modern 

555
00:21:11,661 --> 00:21:13,717
submarines , missiles and hypersonic 

556
00:21:13,717 --> 00:21:15,650
weapons all present significant 

557
00:21:15,660 --> 00:21:18,770
challenges for homeland defense . While 

558
00:21:18,780 --> 00:21:20,724
the Pr CS capabilities are growing 

559
00:21:20,724 --> 00:21:22,780
quickly , Russia remains a threat to 

560
00:21:22,780 --> 00:21:24,947
the homeland today and is an immediate 

561
00:21:24,947 --> 00:21:27,670
nation state concern . Russia retains 

562
00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:29,513
the world's largest stockpile of 

563
00:21:29,513 --> 00:21:31,458
strategic and nonstrategic nuclear 

564
00:21:31,458 --> 00:21:33,680
weapons along with significant capacity 

565
00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:35,902
to strike inside North America with its 

566
00:21:35,902 --> 00:21:37,513
air and sea launch precision 

567
00:21:37,513 --> 00:21:39,939
conventional weapons despite heavy 

568
00:21:39,949 --> 00:21:42,227
losses to its ground forces in Ukraine , 

569
00:21:42,260 --> 00:21:44,427
Russia has invested heavily in systems 

570
00:21:44,427 --> 00:21:46,427
that can threaten the United States 

571
00:21:46,427 --> 00:21:48,371
such as advanced guided missiles , 

572
00:21:48,371 --> 00:21:50,729
submarines , hypersonic light vehicles , 

573
00:21:50,739 --> 00:21:53,739
ICBM S as well as significant cyber and 

574
00:21:53,750 --> 00:21:56,069
undersea capabilities and developmental 

575
00:21:56,079 --> 00:21:58,849
systems such as a nuclear torpedo and a 

576
00:21:58,859 --> 00:22:00,692
nuclear powered cruise missile . 

577
00:22:01,819 --> 00:22:03,930
Meanwhile , North Korea continues its 

578
00:22:03,930 --> 00:22:06,189
bellicose rhetoric rhetoric while test 

579
00:22:06,199 --> 00:22:08,255
launching increasingly advanced long 

580
00:22:08,255 --> 00:22:10,366
range missiles and expanding its ties 

581
00:22:10,366 --> 00:22:12,910
with China and Russia . While Iran 

582
00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:14,809
currently lacks the capability to 

583
00:22:14,809 --> 00:22:16,864
strike North America with long range 

584
00:22:16,864 --> 00:22:18,976
missiles , it is investing heavily in 

585
00:22:18,976 --> 00:22:21,031
that capability . Iran also supports 

586
00:22:21,031 --> 00:22:23,142
violent militant groups in the Middle 

587
00:22:23,142 --> 00:22:25,309
East and maintains a worldwide network 

588
00:22:25,309 --> 00:22:27,920
of operational surrogates . And the 

589
00:22:27,930 --> 00:22:29,874
most prevalent and growing threats 

590
00:22:29,874 --> 00:22:32,097
include cyber and small unmanned aerial 

591
00:22:32,097 --> 00:22:34,263
systems that are being employed inside 

592
00:22:34,263 --> 00:22:36,430
the US and Canada against civilian and 

593
00:22:36,430 --> 00:22:38,486
military infrastructure in ways that 

594
00:22:38,486 --> 00:22:40,597
were not possible . A few years ago . 

595
00:22:40,750 --> 00:22:42,972
With those risks firmly in mind , NORAD 

596
00:22:42,979 --> 00:22:45,146
and North com strive to begin homeland 

597
00:22:45,146 --> 00:22:47,930
defense well beyond North America to do 

598
00:22:47,939 --> 00:22:50,161
so . Both commands are working with the 

599
00:22:50,161 --> 00:22:52,383
services and Congress to improve domain 

600
00:22:52,383 --> 00:22:55,239
awareness in order to detect track and 

601
00:22:55,250 --> 00:22:57,459
defeat threats ranging from long range 

602
00:22:57,469 --> 00:22:59,770
ballistic missiles to small unmanned 

603
00:22:59,780 --> 00:23:02,550
aerial systems . The defense of North 

604
00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:04,504
America is an active endeavor that 

605
00:23:04,510 --> 00:23:06,732
requires Nora and North Com to campaign 

606
00:23:06,732 --> 00:23:08,900
against all threats in all domains 

607
00:23:08,910 --> 00:23:11,260
along all approaches . That effort 

608
00:23:11,270 --> 00:23:12,937
requires seamless exchange of 

609
00:23:12,937 --> 00:23:15,048
information with combatant commands , 

610
00:23:15,048 --> 00:23:17,048
conventional and special operations 

611
00:23:17,048 --> 00:23:19,159
forces and the intelligence community 

612
00:23:19,159 --> 00:23:21,159
and the spectrum of interagency and 

613
00:23:21,159 --> 00:23:23,381
international partners . The importance 

614
00:23:23,381 --> 00:23:25,159
of collecting and disseminating 

615
00:23:25,159 --> 00:23:26,826
information quickly cannot be 

616
00:23:26,826 --> 00:23:28,826
overstated . I strongly support the 

617
00:23:28,826 --> 00:23:30,659
department's work to advance the 

618
00:23:30,659 --> 00:23:32,770
combined joint all domain command and 

619
00:23:32,770 --> 00:23:34,826
control concept as we seek to detect 

620
00:23:34,826 --> 00:23:36,937
and track potential threats and share 

621
00:23:36,937 --> 00:23:39,159
information as quickly as possible with 

622
00:23:39,159 --> 00:23:41,048
analysts , operators and decision 

623
00:23:41,048 --> 00:23:43,849
makers around the world . Finally , 

624
00:23:43,859 --> 00:23:46,026
upon taking command , I began a 90 day 

625
00:23:46,026 --> 00:23:48,137
assessment to inform the department , 

626
00:23:48,137 --> 00:23:50,520
the Joint Force and Congress on Nor AD 

627
00:23:50,530 --> 00:23:52,474
and North Com's ability to execute 

628
00:23:52,474 --> 00:23:54,641
assigned task and make recommendations 

629
00:23:54,641 --> 00:23:56,863
on where the command could or should do 

630
00:23:56,863 --> 00:23:58,974
more . Once complete . I look forward 

631
00:23:58,974 --> 00:24:00,919
to sharing my findings and updated 

632
00:24:00,919 --> 00:24:02,919
vision for how NOR AD and North Com 

633
00:24:02,919 --> 00:24:05,086
will best execute the noble mission of 

634
00:24:05,086 --> 00:24:07,339
homeland defense . The challenges 

635
00:24:07,349 --> 00:24:09,589
facing our homelands are real but there 

636
00:24:09,599 --> 00:24:11,543
should be no doubt about NORAD and 

637
00:24:11,543 --> 00:24:13,766
North Com's resolve to deter aggression 

638
00:24:13,766 --> 00:24:16,400
and if necessary defeat threats to our 

639
00:24:16,410 --> 00:24:18,660
nations and our citizens . Again . 

640
00:24:18,670 --> 00:24:20,892
Thank you for the opportunity to appear 

641
00:24:20,892 --> 00:24:22,726
this morning . I look forward to 

642
00:24:22,726 --> 00:24:24,670
working with the committee and I'm 

643
00:24:24,670 --> 00:24:26,837
happy to take your questions . Great . 

644
00:24:26,837 --> 00:24:28,837
Thank you all . And I now recognize 

645
00:24:28,837 --> 00:24:30,559
myself for questions , General 

646
00:24:30,559 --> 00:24:32,781
Richardson and Guillo . Uh You heard me 

647
00:24:32,781 --> 00:24:34,670
outline and y'all talked about uh 

648
00:24:34,670 --> 00:24:36,781
China's infrastructure investments in 

649
00:24:36,781 --> 00:24:38,948
South and throughout Latin America and 

650
00:24:38,948 --> 00:24:40,948
the Caribbean . Are y'all concerned 

651
00:24:40,948 --> 00:24:43,430
about them taking those infrastructure 

652
00:24:43,439 --> 00:24:45,661
investments and using them for military 

653
00:24:45,661 --> 00:24:49,660
purposes ? Uh Chairman , yes . Uh we 

654
00:24:49,670 --> 00:24:51,650
are worried about that . Uh and uh 

655
00:24:51,660 --> 00:24:54,199
being able to flip uh the , the 

656
00:24:54,209 --> 00:24:56,930
state-owned enterprise uh critical 

657
00:24:56,939 --> 00:24:58,829
infrastructure , what looks to be 

658
00:24:58,839 --> 00:25:01,300
investment in the region . Deepwater 

659
00:25:01,310 --> 00:25:04,810
ports , five G clean energy , uh the 

660
00:25:04,819 --> 00:25:07,160
safe city , smart city , technology and 

661
00:25:07,170 --> 00:25:09,589
space , uh enabling infrastructure . 

662
00:25:10,250 --> 00:25:14,219
General chairman , 

663
00:25:14,229 --> 00:25:16,939
I completely agree with General 

664
00:25:16,949 --> 00:25:19,660
Richardson uh from the north C north 

665
00:25:19,699 --> 00:25:21,810
com homeland defense uh perspective . 

666
00:25:21,910 --> 00:25:23,910
Uh It's something that I'm watching 

667
00:25:23,910 --> 00:25:25,577
very closely in the uh 90 day 

668
00:25:25,577 --> 00:25:27,410
assessment and I look forward to 

669
00:25:27,410 --> 00:25:29,839
sharing what I uh what I learned as far 

670
00:25:29,849 --> 00:25:33,079
as the specifics of uh what we can do 

671
00:25:33,089 --> 00:25:34,910
to uh address that threat more 

672
00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,569
completely . Well , obviously , I , I'm 

673
00:25:37,579 --> 00:25:39,412
concerned about it and I'm , I'm 

674
00:25:39,412 --> 00:25:41,357
particularly interested in both of 

675
00:25:41,357 --> 00:25:43,301
y'all . What would you like to see 

676
00:25:43,301 --> 00:25:45,412
Congress do to help you counter those 

677
00:25:45,412 --> 00:25:47,523
malign influences in uh the Caribbean 

678
00:25:47,523 --> 00:25:51,060
and Latin America . So chairman , I 

679
00:25:51,069 --> 00:25:53,180
would say that we've got to be on the 

680
00:25:53,180 --> 00:25:55,402
field competing for the tenders and the 

681
00:25:55,402 --> 00:25:57,625
contracts that come out from the , from 

682
00:25:57,625 --> 00:25:59,847
the countries . And so uh the countries 

683
00:25:59,847 --> 00:26:03,689
put out the tenders and our uh team usa 

684
00:26:03,739 --> 00:26:05,890
us companies have got to be competing 

685
00:26:05,900 --> 00:26:08,180
on that critical infrastructure . And 

686
00:26:08,189 --> 00:26:10,300
so I've been uh over this past year , 

687
00:26:10,300 --> 00:26:12,300
I've been partnering uh us Southern 

688
00:26:12,300 --> 00:26:14,411
Command with uh more closely with the 

689
00:26:14,411 --> 00:26:16,356
inter agency to try and break down 

690
00:26:16,356 --> 00:26:18,300
those barriers that are there also 

691
00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:20,467
through the Inter American Development 

692
00:26:20,467 --> 00:26:22,133
Bank , Development of Finance 

693
00:26:22,133 --> 00:26:24,245
Corporation and all of the all of the 

694
00:26:24,245 --> 00:26:26,133
projects that come out of there . 

695
00:26:26,133 --> 00:26:28,133
That's those are big money projects 

696
00:26:28,133 --> 00:26:29,967
that can compete uh with Western 

697
00:26:29,967 --> 00:26:31,856
Solutions team , usa solutions in 

698
00:26:31,856 --> 00:26:33,745
support of the countries and be a 

699
00:26:33,745 --> 00:26:36,694
counter and an alternative uh to the 

700
00:26:36,704 --> 00:26:38,482
Chinese companies , state owned 

701
00:26:38,482 --> 00:26:40,704
enterprises that are competing on these 

702
00:26:40,704 --> 00:26:42,760
contracts in the countries ? General 

703
00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:44,815
Gill is there anything that you need 

704
00:26:44,815 --> 00:26:47,037
from Congress to help you counter those 

705
00:26:47,037 --> 00:26:49,204
influences ? Chairman ? Thank you . Uh 

706
00:26:49,204 --> 00:26:51,315
First , we'll continue to cooper with 

707
00:26:51,315 --> 00:26:53,426
General Richardson and her command uh 

708
00:26:53,426 --> 00:26:55,800
as the seams between uh South com and 

709
00:26:55,810 --> 00:26:58,500
North Com are seas that cannot be uh we 

710
00:26:58,510 --> 00:27:00,232
need to make sure it cannot be 

711
00:27:00,232 --> 00:27:02,209
exploited . Uh Our approach to uh 

712
00:27:02,219 --> 00:27:05,729
partnering with Mexico is um primarily 

713
00:27:05,739 --> 00:27:07,906
through the mill to mill arrangement . 

714
00:27:07,906 --> 00:27:10,072
And with that , our special operations 

715
00:27:10,072 --> 00:27:12,239
command uh which we call so North work 

716
00:27:12,250 --> 00:27:15,150
side by side with uh Mexican military 

717
00:27:15,319 --> 00:27:18,109
uh to build capacity capability and 

718
00:27:18,119 --> 00:27:20,175
eventually interoperability . What I 

719
00:27:20,175 --> 00:27:22,286
would appreciate is continued support 

720
00:27:22,286 --> 00:27:24,508
for those efforts as we strengthen that 

721
00:27:24,508 --> 00:27:26,563
relationship uh on the south side of 

722
00:27:26,563 --> 00:27:29,270
our border are those mill to mill um 

723
00:27:29,310 --> 00:27:31,143
authorizations that you have the 

724
00:27:31,143 --> 00:27:33,239
funding levels adequate at present 

725
00:27:34,420 --> 00:27:36,531
chairman , at the present time , they 

726
00:27:36,531 --> 00:27:38,753
are sufficient . General Richardson are 

727
00:27:38,753 --> 00:27:41,119
yours . So on the security 

728
00:27:41,130 --> 00:27:44,369
co-operation . Uh , not , not just yet . 

729
00:27:44,380 --> 00:27:46,436
And the , uh , with the , uh , the , 

730
00:27:46,436 --> 00:27:48,269
the , the bill , uh defense bill 

731
00:27:48,269 --> 00:27:51,140
that'll be coming out for 24 we hope to 

732
00:27:51,150 --> 00:27:53,317
receive what we did last year and that 

733
00:27:53,317 --> 00:27:55,428
would , uh , that would go a long way 

734
00:27:55,428 --> 00:27:57,539
to meeting our requirement if we were 

735
00:27:57,539 --> 00:27:59,706
to receive the same thing as uh we did 

736
00:27:59,706 --> 00:28:01,599
in the previous year . Well , I 

737
00:28:01,609 --> 00:28:03,331
appreciate your loyalty to the 

738
00:28:03,331 --> 00:28:05,589
administration , but both of you are 

739
00:28:05,599 --> 00:28:07,877
undercutting how much I think you need . 

740
00:28:07,877 --> 00:28:09,932
I think the amount you received last 

741
00:28:09,932 --> 00:28:11,988
year should be doubled at least this 

742
00:28:11,988 --> 00:28:14,210
next year . Uh With that , I will yield 

743
00:28:14,210 --> 00:28:16,321
to uh Mr Panetta for any questions he 

744
00:28:16,321 --> 00:28:19,310
may have . Thank you , Mr Chairman . I 

745
00:28:19,349 --> 00:28:21,300
think obviously Russia has been 

746
00:28:21,310 --> 00:28:23,859
occupied recently . However , they're 

747
00:28:23,869 --> 00:28:26,520
still pretty active in the Arctic and 

748
00:28:26,530 --> 00:28:28,530
General Guillo . I want to focus on 

749
00:28:28,530 --> 00:28:30,363
that area , obviously , with the 

750
00:28:30,363 --> 00:28:32,252
expansion of NATO , creating more 

751
00:28:32,252 --> 00:28:34,308
opportunities to secure the Arctic , 

752
00:28:34,459 --> 00:28:36,459
it's becoming more critical that we 

753
00:28:36,459 --> 00:28:38,626
leverage our Special Operations forces 

754
00:28:38,626 --> 00:28:40,459
capabilities and ensure that our 

755
00:28:40,459 --> 00:28:42,739
personnel are trained , readied and 

756
00:28:42,750 --> 00:28:45,680
equipped to project power . However , 

757
00:28:45,689 --> 00:28:47,911
I've had some discussions recently with 

758
00:28:47,911 --> 00:28:50,133
some Special Operations Forces officers 

759
00:28:50,133 --> 00:28:52,300
who talked about the difficulties that 

760
00:28:52,300 --> 00:28:55,199
they've had be it in resources that 

761
00:28:55,209 --> 00:28:58,949
they have to operate in that area and 

762
00:28:58,959 --> 00:29:00,959
the extremes that they have to deal 

763
00:29:00,959 --> 00:29:03,070
with . But also that they're training 

764
00:29:03,070 --> 00:29:04,903
in Montana and Colorado , no way 

765
00:29:04,903 --> 00:29:07,109
compared to the actual environment of 

766
00:29:07,119 --> 00:29:09,550
being in the Arctic . So , and we can't 

767
00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:11,782
address the tactical level difficulties 

768
00:29:11,782 --> 00:29:13,727
without appropriately defining our 

769
00:29:13,727 --> 00:29:15,671
mission in the Arctic . It remains 

770
00:29:15,671 --> 00:29:18,060
unclear to many of our personnel , what 

771
00:29:18,069 --> 00:29:20,060
we mean when we say Arctic , which 

772
00:29:20,069 --> 00:29:22,530
differs significantly by season and 

773
00:29:22,540 --> 00:29:25,599
what ARCTIC readiness is versus Arctic 

774
00:29:25,609 --> 00:29:27,930
capable and how we should operate in an 

775
00:29:27,939 --> 00:29:29,939
austere environment defined by both 

776
00:29:29,939 --> 00:29:32,050
economic and military interests . So 

777
00:29:32,060 --> 00:29:34,719
general , can you describe what our 

778
00:29:34,729 --> 00:29:37,290
Arctic mission is and the department's 

779
00:29:37,300 --> 00:29:39,356
efforts to better align that mission 

780
00:29:39,356 --> 00:29:43,109
across services , Congressman Panetta . 

781
00:29:43,119 --> 00:29:46,290
Uh our approach to the uh Arctic . 

782
00:29:46,300 --> 00:29:48,467
Could you pull the microphone a little 

783
00:29:48,467 --> 00:29:50,800
bit closer , please ? Thank you . Sorry , 

784
00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,160
Chairman Congressman . Our approach to 

785
00:29:53,170 --> 00:29:55,459
the Arctic is , is vital to our overall 

786
00:29:55,469 --> 00:29:57,469
homeland defense because the Arctic 

787
00:29:57,469 --> 00:30:00,729
comprises about 52% of the entire area 

788
00:30:00,739 --> 00:30:04,260
of operation for uh uh NORAD and North 

789
00:30:04,270 --> 00:30:07,300
coms uh areas . And uh although we 

790
00:30:07,310 --> 00:30:09,310
frequently talk about the Arctic in 

791
00:30:09,310 --> 00:30:11,421
terms of Alaska , it's important to , 

792
00:30:11,421 --> 00:30:13,643
to note that the uh high north and then 

793
00:30:13,643 --> 00:30:15,810
also the northeast uh approach , which 

794
00:30:15,810 --> 00:30:17,977
we call the two o'clock uh position is 

795
00:30:17,977 --> 00:30:19,866
extremely important . What you uh 

796
00:30:19,866 --> 00:30:21,866
mentioned about the training of the 

797
00:30:21,866 --> 00:30:24,069
forces uh is exactly right . We have 

798
00:30:24,079 --> 00:30:26,412
well trained forces , but unfortunately , 

799
00:30:26,412 --> 00:30:28,523
they train often in the United States 

800
00:30:28,523 --> 00:30:30,746
and not up in , in , in the Arctic , in 

801
00:30:30,746 --> 00:30:32,746
Alaska . And therefore they need to 

802
00:30:32,746 --> 00:30:35,599
have specific equipment uh gear and kit 

803
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:37,640
to make sure that it can operate in 

804
00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:39,696
that harsh environment as we speak . 

805
00:30:39,696 --> 00:30:41,862
Our special operations command is , is 

806
00:30:41,862 --> 00:30:44,800
conducting two operations in uh Alaska 

807
00:30:44,810 --> 00:30:48,319
Arctic Edge and is X both of which are 

808
00:30:48,329 --> 00:30:50,819
identifying the unique capabilities 

809
00:30:50,829 --> 00:30:52,996
that we need to equip our forces to be 

810
00:30:52,996 --> 00:30:55,107
able to fight there and on the same . 

811
00:30:55,107 --> 00:30:57,051
And uh you pointed out the special 

812
00:30:57,051 --> 00:30:59,051
operations on the other side , even 

813
00:30:59,051 --> 00:31:00,996
with our air forces and , and army 

814
00:31:00,996 --> 00:31:03,760
forces that operate very well in Alaska 

815
00:31:03,770 --> 00:31:06,609
right now and are equipped for that if 

816
00:31:06,619 --> 00:31:09,250
uh uh conflict in the Pacific would 

817
00:31:09,260 --> 00:31:11,093
cause them to push forward . I'm 

818
00:31:11,093 --> 00:31:13,093
concerned that the forces back that 

819
00:31:13,093 --> 00:31:14,927
would backfill there may be well 

820
00:31:14,927 --> 00:31:17,510
trained but not specifically uh in 

821
00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:19,910
Arctic uh techniques and then also with 

822
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:21,750
the gear necessary . So that is 

823
00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:23,871
something that I will address uh with 

824
00:31:23,871 --> 00:31:25,871
the services to ensure that we have 

825
00:31:25,871 --> 00:31:28,334
depth in our Arctic capability . Great . 

826
00:31:28,344 --> 00:31:30,964
And , and you know , as you know , well , 

827
00:31:31,104 --> 00:31:33,285
uh with the expansion of NATO , 

828
00:31:33,295 --> 00:31:36,425
including Sweden and Finland , uh how 

829
00:31:36,435 --> 00:31:39,805
will using them as reliable partners ? 

830
00:31:39,814 --> 00:31:42,405
How do you think that's going to help 

831
00:31:42,415 --> 00:31:44,193
us in our mission in the Arctic 

832
00:31:45,589 --> 00:31:48,089
Congressman ? I think the , the , the 

833
00:31:48,099 --> 00:31:49,770
uh immediate benefit will be 

834
00:31:49,780 --> 00:31:52,002
strengthening that two o'clock approach 

835
00:31:52,002 --> 00:31:54,169
that I just mentioned . If I could use 

836
00:31:54,169 --> 00:31:56,280
a quick example for last week , uh we 

837
00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:58,113
had two times where Russian bear 

838
00:31:58,113 --> 00:32:01,349
bombers flew along that uh avenue for 

839
00:32:01,359 --> 00:32:03,581
the first time in over two years . II I 

840
00:32:03,581 --> 00:32:06,625
should add uh approaching the Canadian 

841
00:32:06,635 --> 00:32:08,302
and United States air defense 

842
00:32:08,302 --> 00:32:10,468
identification zones off the northeast 

843
00:32:10,468 --> 00:32:13,084
United States as they approached our uh 

844
00:32:13,094 --> 00:32:16,035
ability to share intelligence and radar 

845
00:32:16,045 --> 00:32:18,156
picture with NATO partners to include 

846
00:32:18,156 --> 00:32:20,212
Norway were vital for us to have the 

847
00:32:20,212 --> 00:32:22,454
situation awareness as those bombers 

848
00:32:22,464 --> 00:32:25,204
approached our area . Great General 

849
00:32:25,395 --> 00:32:27,562
Guillo . Thank you for highlighting an 

850
00:32:27,562 --> 00:32:29,784
area that I think we have to focus on a 

851
00:32:29,784 --> 00:32:31,951
little bit more . I appreciate that Mr 

852
00:32:31,951 --> 00:32:34,062
Chairman , I yield back . Thank you , 

853
00:32:34,062 --> 00:32:36,117
gentlemen . We will now yield to the 

854
00:32:36,117 --> 00:32:38,339
gentleman from Georgia , Mr mccormick . 

855
00:32:38,339 --> 00:32:40,451
Thank you , Mr Chair and thank you to 

856
00:32:40,451 --> 00:32:42,506
the witnesses and also thank you for 

857
00:32:42,506 --> 00:32:42,329
the two sergeant majors in the Marine 

858
00:32:42,339 --> 00:32:45,170
Corps because we know that uh four star 

859
00:32:45,420 --> 00:32:47,540
generals and admirals are nowhere 

860
00:32:47,550 --> 00:32:51,459
without their sergeant majors . Um I 

861
00:32:51,469 --> 00:32:53,636
want to address the fact that our four 

862
00:32:53,636 --> 00:32:55,747
deployed military performs a critical 

863
00:32:55,747 --> 00:32:57,802
task in defending us in this western 

864
00:32:57,802 --> 00:32:59,913
hemisphere , which is often neglected 

865
00:32:59,913 --> 00:33:02,819
in this conversation . I think uh we 

866
00:33:02,829 --> 00:33:04,551
cannot take this for granted , 

867
00:33:04,551 --> 00:33:06,551
especially the People's Republic of 

868
00:33:06,551 --> 00:33:08,607
China and this pa ST straight threat 

869
00:33:08,607 --> 00:33:10,662
that we have increases its influence 

870
00:33:10,662 --> 00:33:13,180
over Latin America . Honduras recently 

871
00:33:13,189 --> 00:33:15,411
joined the Belt and Road initiative and 

872
00:33:15,411 --> 00:33:17,467
Peru announced the construction of a 

873
00:33:17,467 --> 00:33:19,745
massive Chinese finance deepwater port . 

874
00:33:19,745 --> 00:33:21,967
Now by my estimates , I think China has 

875
00:33:21,967 --> 00:33:24,189
over 50 deep water ports like this . We 

876
00:33:24,189 --> 00:33:26,133
have about two but this tremendous 

877
00:33:26,133 --> 00:33:28,356
disadvantage in what's growing over the 

878
00:33:28,356 --> 00:33:30,522
past 10 years , China has replaced the 

879
00:33:30,522 --> 00:33:32,522
US as Latin's top trading partner . 

880
00:33:33,250 --> 00:33:35,250
This means that they basically have 

881
00:33:35,250 --> 00:33:37,083
greater influence in the western 

882
00:33:37,083 --> 00:33:39,306
hemisphere in some of the most populous 

883
00:33:39,306 --> 00:33:41,650
areas in this region to include Brazil , 

884
00:33:41,660 --> 00:33:45,469
Peru , Colombia , Panama , Venezuela , 

885
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:49,729
Cuba , Honduras . The list keeps on 

886
00:33:49,739 --> 00:33:52,810
growing . Uh my concern is that as 

887
00:33:52,819 --> 00:33:54,875
their influence continues to grow in 

888
00:33:54,875 --> 00:33:57,140
Latin America , how has it impacted 

889
00:33:57,150 --> 00:33:59,270
South Com's mission ? How do we 

890
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:03,170
reestablished ourselves as good friends 

891
00:34:03,180 --> 00:34:06,050
and the choice between two nations ? 

892
00:34:06,060 --> 00:34:08,116
One that I believe is very nefarious 

893
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:10,949
versus one that should be friendly as a 

894
00:34:10,959 --> 00:34:12,848
global leader , especially in the 

895
00:34:12,848 --> 00:34:14,737
western hemisphere and general uh 

896
00:34:14,737 --> 00:34:16,792
Richardson , if you'd address this , 

897
00:34:16,792 --> 00:34:18,903
please . Thank you , Congressman . So 

898
00:34:18,903 --> 00:34:21,126
in my opening , I said , you know , the 

899
00:34:21,126 --> 00:34:23,348
28 like minded democracies that we have 

900
00:34:23,348 --> 00:34:23,209
in the region , we've got a partner 

901
00:34:23,219 --> 00:34:26,520
better with them . And um and uh close 

902
00:34:26,530 --> 00:34:28,810
to 15 to 20 years , receiving less than 

903
00:34:28,820 --> 00:34:31,429
uh 50% of my security cooper operation 

904
00:34:31,439 --> 00:34:33,540
requirement . As I mentioned last 

905
00:34:33,550 --> 00:34:36,520
year's funding that we got in the 88068 

906
00:34:36,530 --> 00:34:38,989
section was very , very helpful , but 

907
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:40,989
we , we can't just get one year of 

908
00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:42,722
additional funding to meet the 

909
00:34:42,722 --> 00:34:44,889
requirement . And I would say that our 

910
00:34:44,889 --> 00:34:47,000
presence absolutely matters . And our 

911
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:49,222
security Cooper operation program is my 

912
00:34:49,222 --> 00:34:51,389
number one lever uh in the South com A 

913
00:34:51,389 --> 00:34:53,500
or to partner with our militaries and 

914
00:34:53,500 --> 00:34:55,389
the public security forces in the 

915
00:34:55,389 --> 00:34:57,100
region and to provide uh the 

916
00:34:57,110 --> 00:34:59,939
counterbalance to uh what the PR C is 

917
00:34:59,949 --> 00:35:02,229
doing And so our , as I said , our 

918
00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:04,699
presence absolutely matters . But when 

919
00:35:04,709 --> 00:35:06,487
we're not there . And with this 

920
00:35:06,487 --> 00:35:08,598
additional funding last year , in the 

921
00:35:08,598 --> 00:35:10,653
8068 appropriation , we were able to 

922
00:35:10,653 --> 00:35:12,876
get further into the Southern Cone . So 

923
00:35:12,876 --> 00:35:14,840
the countries of uh of Chile , 

924
00:35:14,850 --> 00:35:18,080
Argentina , Paraguay , Uruguay uh with 

925
00:35:18,090 --> 00:35:20,620
exercises and more engagement . Other 

926
00:35:20,629 --> 00:35:23,580
than just a visit every once in a year , 

927
00:35:23,820 --> 00:35:26,219
uh has really made a huge difference in 

928
00:35:26,229 --> 00:35:28,340
terms of the partnering , but we have 

929
00:35:28,340 --> 00:35:30,285
to be there . We have to have good 

930
00:35:30,285 --> 00:35:32,507
security cooperations . We have to have 

931
00:35:32,507 --> 00:35:34,225
flexible authorities that as 

932
00:35:34,235 --> 00:35:36,475
opportunities open because they're only 

933
00:35:36,485 --> 00:35:38,784
open for a short period of time to 

934
00:35:38,794 --> 00:35:41,495
allow team usa to , to be able to be 

935
00:35:41,504 --> 00:35:43,560
responsive to our partners . And I'd 

936
00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:45,726
say we probably also have a neglect in 

937
00:35:45,726 --> 00:35:47,837
africom too for the same reasons . Uh 

938
00:35:47,837 --> 00:35:49,726
We just seem to look in different 

939
00:35:49,726 --> 00:35:51,726
regions . We forget the places that 

940
00:35:51,726 --> 00:35:53,893
we've in the past been very dominant . 

941
00:35:53,893 --> 00:35:55,615
Now , we're losing ground . Uh 

942
00:35:55,615 --> 00:35:57,560
Secretary Zimmerman , according to 

943
00:35:57,560 --> 00:35:59,782
customs and border patrol . So far this 

944
00:35:59,782 --> 00:35:59,625
year , we have encountered almost 

945
00:35:59,635 --> 00:36:03,590
19,000 Chinese nationals at the US 

946
00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:06,479
Mexican border . A more than 50 fold 

947
00:36:06,489 --> 00:36:09,199
increase since 2021 . I might add , we 

948
00:36:09,209 --> 00:36:11,098
have a record number crossing the 

949
00:36:11,098 --> 00:36:12,931
northern border from the Chinese 

950
00:36:12,931 --> 00:36:15,098
nationals as well . We acknowledge the 

951
00:36:15,098 --> 00:36:17,153
threat from the People's Republic of 

952
00:36:17,153 --> 00:36:19,376
China and it seems our poorest southern 

953
00:36:19,376 --> 00:36:19,330
border is in crisis already which we've 

954
00:36:19,350 --> 00:36:21,406
acknowledged the American people are 

955
00:36:21,406 --> 00:36:23,350
absolutely concerned is one of the 

956
00:36:23,350 --> 00:36:26,409
number one issues in America . We know 

957
00:36:26,419 --> 00:36:29,300
this is potential devastation to what 

958
00:36:29,310 --> 00:36:31,088
could be terrorist activities , 

959
00:36:31,088 --> 00:36:33,421
stealing information , smuggling things . 

960
00:36:33,421 --> 00:36:35,421
And we have almost 2 million people 

961
00:36:35,421 --> 00:36:37,477
that got , we wouldn't even know who 

962
00:36:37,477 --> 00:36:37,379
they are . We don't know how many of 

963
00:36:37,389 --> 00:36:39,611
them are Chinese nationalists as well . 

964
00:36:39,611 --> 00:36:41,939
On top of that 258 individuals on the 

965
00:36:41,949 --> 00:36:43,727
terrorist list have crossed the 

966
00:36:43,727 --> 00:36:46,300
southern border since the start of 2021 . 

967
00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:48,687
And oh , by the way , we have a record 

968
00:36:48,687 --> 00:36:50,742
number of Chinese coming in from all 

969
00:36:50,742 --> 00:36:52,853
over the world , whether it be by air 

970
00:36:52,853 --> 00:36:55,149
or by sea or by , across the borders . 

971
00:36:55,350 --> 00:36:57,461
Uh Would you agree that the suspected 

972
00:36:57,461 --> 00:36:59,461
terrorists and their potential pr c 

973
00:36:59,461 --> 00:37:01,628
spies crossing the southern border are 

974
00:37:01,628 --> 00:37:05,469
a national security threat ? Uh 

975
00:37:05,580 --> 00:37:09,290
Congressman , um uh you , you 

976
00:37:09,300 --> 00:37:11,522
speak of a very important challenge , I 

977
00:37:11,522 --> 00:37:13,929
think um uh the crisis at the border 

978
00:37:13,939 --> 00:37:15,883
includes a number of dimensions to 

979
00:37:15,883 --> 00:37:18,050
include what we call extra hemispheric 

980
00:37:18,050 --> 00:37:20,840
information . Uh uh immigration . Um I , 

981
00:37:20,850 --> 00:37:24,370
I think that any time we talk about um 

982
00:37:24,379 --> 00:37:27,600
uh those actors that would be the uh 

983
00:37:27,610 --> 00:37:30,610
terrorists , um be they . Uh I hate to 

984
00:37:30,620 --> 00:37:32,787
cut you off . I'm almost out of time . 

985
00:37:32,787 --> 00:37:35,009
I just gonna make my point . I know you 

986
00:37:35,009 --> 00:37:37,231
agree . It's , it's a , it's a threat . 

987
00:37:37,231 --> 00:37:37,100
Uh I just want to point out that when 

988
00:37:37,110 --> 00:37:39,166
we talk about the difference between 

989
00:37:39,166 --> 00:37:41,332
undocumented versus documented expired 

990
00:37:41,332 --> 00:37:43,499
chair and I recognize you from Texas . 

991
00:37:43,499 --> 00:37:45,610
Mr Bey . Uh thank you , Mr Chairman . 

992
00:37:45,610 --> 00:37:47,554
Um And thank , I want to thank the 

993
00:37:47,554 --> 00:37:50,179
panel for being here today . And one of 

994
00:37:50,189 --> 00:37:52,939
the things that is surprising to me uh 

995
00:37:52,969 --> 00:37:55,600
around the uh issue that we're having 

996
00:37:55,610 --> 00:37:57,989
at the border right now is people talk 

997
00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:00,222
about it as if it's something that is , 

998
00:38:00,222 --> 00:38:02,110
you know , brand , brand new or 

999
00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:04,580
something that just happened . Uh But 

1000
00:38:04,590 --> 00:38:06,701
General Richard , so I wanted to , to 

1001
00:38:06,701 --> 00:38:08,923
ask you , I'm sure that , that you have 

1002
00:38:08,923 --> 00:38:11,146
studied the history . And remember when 

1003
00:38:11,146 --> 00:38:11,070
the Cali cartels and the Medellin 

1004
00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:13,629
cartels and Colombia was having issues 

1005
00:38:13,639 --> 00:38:16,229
dealing with far left uh paramilitary 

1006
00:38:16,239 --> 00:38:18,461
organizations in that country created a 

1007
00:38:18,461 --> 00:38:22,239
great deal of instability . Um um From 

1008
00:38:22,250 --> 00:38:24,361
estimates that I've seen depending on 

1009
00:38:24,361 --> 00:38:26,306
who you talk to , whether it's the 

1010
00:38:26,306 --> 00:38:28,306
Colombia government or from outside 

1011
00:38:28,306 --> 00:38:30,739
sources between 1985 and uh 2002 , 

1012
00:38:30,750 --> 00:38:33,689
perhaps uh anywhere from one to almost 

1013
00:38:33,699 --> 00:38:35,699
3 million Colombians were displaced 

1014
00:38:35,699 --> 00:38:38,250
some internally but uh some uh sought 

1015
00:38:38,260 --> 00:38:42,100
refuge uh outside of Colombia . Um And 

1016
00:38:42,110 --> 00:38:44,332
one of the things that I wanted to talk 

1017
00:38:44,332 --> 00:38:46,443
with you about was planned Colombia . 

1018
00:38:46,443 --> 00:38:49,320
Uh that proved to be very effective uh 

1019
00:38:49,330 --> 00:38:52,030
in helping uh deal with a lot of that 

1020
00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:55,189
uh regional uh uh uh destabilization 

1021
00:38:55,199 --> 00:38:56,977
that happened a lot of the mass 

1022
00:38:56,977 --> 00:38:59,032
migration that happened by , in , by 

1023
00:38:59,032 --> 00:39:01,810
sec by improving security measures , uh 

1024
00:39:01,820 --> 00:39:04,929
economic development , uh and other uh 

1025
00:39:04,939 --> 00:39:07,239
areas that really helped to finally 

1026
00:39:07,250 --> 00:39:10,379
bring and rein in some of the uh issues 

1027
00:39:10,389 --> 00:39:12,611
from the Wild West days under those two 

1028
00:39:12,611 --> 00:39:14,611
cartels . And I was hoping that you 

1029
00:39:14,611 --> 00:39:16,722
could perhaps tell us what additional 

1030
00:39:16,722 --> 00:39:18,833
steps do you think the US can take uh 

1031
00:39:18,833 --> 00:39:21,320
including its military forces to assist 

1032
00:39:21,550 --> 00:39:24,520
uh other unstable countries in the 

1033
00:39:24,530 --> 00:39:27,600
hemisphere in managing migration flows ? 

1034
00:39:27,610 --> 00:39:30,139
Uh And uh but I , I'll let you answer 

1035
00:39:30,149 --> 00:39:32,260
that one first and then have a follow 

1036
00:39:32,260 --> 00:39:34,520
up to that . So there's a lot to impact 

1037
00:39:34,530 --> 00:39:37,189
their congressmen because the uh uh the 

1038
00:39:37,199 --> 00:39:40,500
effects of Venezuela and uh the 7.5 

1039
00:39:40,510 --> 00:39:43,260
million uh migrants that have uh have 

1040
00:39:43,270 --> 00:39:45,969
poured out of uh Venezuela as a result 

1041
00:39:45,979 --> 00:39:48,540
of the conditions there and then coming 

1042
00:39:48,550 --> 00:39:50,699
into the region that is already 

1043
00:39:50,709 --> 00:39:53,560
economically impact for I impacted from 

1044
00:39:53,570 --> 00:39:55,626
COVID and still trying to dig out of 

1045
00:39:55,626 --> 00:39:59,189
the hole . And so uh as you uh as some 

1046
00:39:59,199 --> 00:40:01,370
will , will go through the Southern 

1047
00:40:01,379 --> 00:40:03,550
Cone all the way down from , to the 

1048
00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:06,350
Southern cone and back up uh to only go 

1049
00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:08,249
through the very dangerous Darien 

1050
00:40:08,249 --> 00:40:11,429
Jungle . Uh and make that trek . And so , 

1051
00:40:11,439 --> 00:40:13,889
uh as we see the insecurity and the 

1052
00:40:13,899 --> 00:40:16,135
instability families are on the move at 

1053
00:40:16,145 --> 00:40:18,256
unprecedented numbers . There used to 

1054
00:40:18,256 --> 00:40:20,485
be a lot of single movers . Uh But now 

1055
00:40:20,495 --> 00:40:22,662
there are families with young Children 

1056
00:40:22,662 --> 00:40:24,844
trying to find a better life . And so 

1057
00:40:24,854 --> 00:40:26,798
in my opening , I talked about the 

1058
00:40:26,798 --> 00:40:28,965
potential of this region a lot of talk 

1059
00:40:28,965 --> 00:40:31,132
about it 10 years ago to feed and fuel 

1060
00:40:31,132 --> 00:40:33,132
the world . That's the potential of 

1061
00:40:33,132 --> 00:40:35,604
this region . And uh and uh if we can 

1062
00:40:35,614 --> 00:40:38,524
help this region uh realize that 

1063
00:40:38,614 --> 00:40:41,949
potential uh to slow down the 

1064
00:40:41,959 --> 00:40:44,830
migration to have families feel secure 

1065
00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:47,007
and stable . But there's a lot of work 

1066
00:40:47,007 --> 00:40:49,340
to be done uh in , in order to do that 

1067
00:40:49,439 --> 00:40:51,620
ever since last April prior to the 

1068
00:40:51,629 --> 00:40:54,370
title 42 expiration , uh The United 

1069
00:40:54,379 --> 00:40:56,435
States signed a trilateral agreement 

1070
00:40:56,435 --> 00:40:58,590
with Colombia and Panama . That 

1071
00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:00,600
investment that you referenced plan 

1072
00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:02,500
Colombia was huge and our , our 

1073
00:41:02,510 --> 00:41:05,429
security relationship continues to be 

1074
00:41:05,439 --> 00:41:08,350
extremely strong with Colombia and uh 

1075
00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:10,590
the operations that both Colombia uh 

1076
00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:12,790
with their military and Panama with 

1077
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:14,744
their public security forces going 

1078
00:41:14,744 --> 00:41:16,967
after the criminal networks that are uh 

1079
00:41:16,967 --> 00:41:19,022
trafficking the humans , but they're 

1080
00:41:19,022 --> 00:41:21,189
not just trafficking the humans , it's 

1081
00:41:21,189 --> 00:41:23,356
drugs and all of the other portfolio , 

1082
00:41:23,356 --> 00:41:25,300
illegal mining , illegal logging , 

1083
00:41:25,300 --> 00:41:27,530
counterfeit goods . And so as we 

1084
00:41:27,540 --> 00:41:30,239
continue with the migration , uh a lot 

1085
00:41:30,250 --> 00:41:33,020
of the countries uh in the uh south com 

1086
00:41:33,030 --> 00:41:36,540
a or have laws that um that migration 

1087
00:41:36,550 --> 00:41:39,229
is a human , right ? And so they don't 

1088
00:41:39,239 --> 00:41:42,010
try to , their laws don't uh allow them 

1089
00:41:42,020 --> 00:41:44,760
to stop migration or slow the flow . So 

1090
00:41:44,770 --> 00:41:46,992
that's why our investment in the region 

1091
00:41:46,992 --> 00:41:49,750
with the safe mobility offices , the 

1092
00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:53,350
legal pathways . Um Administrator Power 

1093
00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:55,360
said at best I think that everybody 

1094
00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:57,193
knows how to get in touch with a 

1095
00:41:57,193 --> 00:41:59,082
smuggler to , to uh get a illegal 

1096
00:41:59,082 --> 00:42:01,649
pathway to the United States . Uh But 

1097
00:42:01,659 --> 00:42:03,548
we have to , we have to have that 

1098
00:42:03,594 --> 00:42:06,925
campaign that folks know how to legally 

1099
00:42:06,935 --> 00:42:09,157
get to the United States , our policies 

1100
00:42:09,157 --> 00:42:11,524
matter in this respect . And uh and 

1101
00:42:11,534 --> 00:42:13,701
again , families are trying to realize 

1102
00:42:13,701 --> 00:42:15,645
the American dream . But how do we 

1103
00:42:15,645 --> 00:42:17,675
realize the American dream in the 

1104
00:42:17,685 --> 00:42:19,907
Americas with the potential to feed and 

1105
00:42:19,907 --> 00:42:22,385
fuel the world ? So I think economic 

1106
00:42:22,395 --> 00:42:24,254
investment as well as security 

1107
00:42:24,264 --> 00:42:26,695
investment is absolutely necessary . 

1108
00:42:27,114 --> 00:42:29,170
Thank you very much , Mr Chairman of 

1109
00:42:29,170 --> 00:42:31,336
you back . Thank you gentlemen , chair 

1110
00:42:31,336 --> 00:42:33,558
and I recognize gentleman from Missouri 

1111
00:42:33,558 --> 00:42:35,725
Mr Alford . Thank you , Mr Chair . I'm 

1112
00:42:35,725 --> 00:42:37,892
honored to represent two distinguished 

1113
00:42:37,892 --> 00:42:40,003
military installations , Whiteman Air 

1114
00:42:40,003 --> 00:42:42,170
Force Base in Fort Leonard Wood in our 

1115
00:42:42,170 --> 00:42:44,225
district . As you know , the Chinese 

1116
00:42:44,225 --> 00:42:44,020
spy balloon that penetrated our 

1117
00:42:44,030 --> 00:42:45,808
airspace last year , flew above 

1118
00:42:45,808 --> 00:42:48,030
Whiteman Air Force Base , the sole home 

1119
00:42:48,030 --> 00:42:50,510
to the B two stealth bomber and soon to 

1120
00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:54,179
be home to the B 21 . Uh General Guillo . 

1121
00:42:54,199 --> 00:42:56,255
I want to start with you the Chinese 

1122
00:42:56,255 --> 00:42:58,143
spy balloon last year highlighted 

1123
00:42:58,143 --> 00:43:00,199
disconcerting gaps in our all domain 

1124
00:43:00,199 --> 00:43:02,421
surveillance and system of sensors that 

1125
00:43:02,421 --> 00:43:05,350
protect our homeland . What steps has 

1126
00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:07,239
North Command and nored taken to 

1127
00:43:07,250 --> 00:43:09,709
eliminate these gaps and mitigate risks . 

1128
00:43:11,419 --> 00:43:13,649
Congressman , I uh outlined three 

1129
00:43:13,870 --> 00:43:16,659
immediate steps that I have shown uh uh 

1130
00:43:16,669 --> 00:43:19,360
promise and uh have been successful in 

1131
00:43:19,370 --> 00:43:21,481
identifying balloons that in the past 

1132
00:43:21,481 --> 00:43:23,537
we probably would not have seen . Uh 

1133
00:43:23,537 --> 00:43:25,814
First and foremost , uh my predecessor , 

1134
00:43:25,814 --> 00:43:27,899
General Van Herk uh directed the uh 

1135
00:43:27,909 --> 00:43:30,100
radar sensitivities to be adjusted 

1136
00:43:30,169 --> 00:43:33,080
which would allow uh better detection 

1137
00:43:33,090 --> 00:43:36,590
of uh low radar cross section , slow 

1138
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:39,939
moving uh and high altitude uh objects . 

1139
00:43:40,080 --> 00:43:42,439
Although it introduces some clutter in 

1140
00:43:42,449 --> 00:43:44,616
the system because it's , uh the , the 

1141
00:43:44,616 --> 00:43:46,899
system is receiving more , uh , it does 

1142
00:43:46,909 --> 00:43:49,250
allow us to detect uh threats . Like 

1143
00:43:49,260 --> 00:43:51,316
the one that you just mentioned . Uh 

1144
00:43:51,316 --> 00:43:53,689
Second , when our operators see 

1145
00:43:53,699 --> 00:43:55,643
intermittent hits that in the past 

1146
00:43:55,643 --> 00:43:57,659
would be passed off to most usually 

1147
00:43:57,669 --> 00:43:59,780
weather or other phenomena that would 

1148
00:43:59,780 --> 00:44:02,149
cause an inconsistent hit . Uh They're 

1149
00:44:02,159 --> 00:44:05,080
now uh continuing to track those uh uh 

1150
00:44:05,090 --> 00:44:07,312
more carefully and more consistently to 

1151
00:44:07,312 --> 00:44:09,423
ensure that it is not uh a balloon or 

1152
00:44:09,423 --> 00:44:11,830
some other phenomena . And third is uh 

1153
00:44:11,840 --> 00:44:15,350
better um domain awareness between the 

1154
00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:17,729
uh other uh combatant commands . As we 

1155
00:44:17,739 --> 00:44:20,649
get uh J A DC two , the all Domain 

1156
00:44:20,659 --> 00:44:22,492
command and control system , the 

1157
00:44:22,492 --> 00:44:24,969
ability to share data from one 

1158
00:44:24,979 --> 00:44:27,290
combatant command to another instead of 

1159
00:44:27,300 --> 00:44:29,600
stopping at a , at a black line on a 

1160
00:44:29,610 --> 00:44:32,310
map that divides the uh regions . Now , 

1161
00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:33,931
we can seamlessly share that 

1162
00:44:33,931 --> 00:44:35,929
information uh electronically to 

1163
00:44:35,939 --> 00:44:37,939
increase our awareness further away 

1164
00:44:37,939 --> 00:44:40,106
from our shores . General Richardson , 

1165
00:44:40,106 --> 00:44:42,272
you've highlighted the attempts by the 

1166
00:44:42,272 --> 00:44:44,161
People's Republic of China in our 

1167
00:44:44,161 --> 00:44:46,217
hemisphere , the investments they've 

1168
00:44:46,217 --> 00:44:48,383
made , what is their end game in these 

1169
00:44:48,383 --> 00:44:50,260
investments ? It's uh to gain a 

1170
00:44:50,270 --> 00:44:52,048
foothold in all of the critical 

1171
00:44:52,048 --> 00:44:54,159
infrastructure . We've seen it . It's 

1172
00:44:54,159 --> 00:44:56,270
not new and uh just South America and 

1173
00:44:56,270 --> 00:44:57,992
uh and Central America and the 

1174
00:44:57,992 --> 00:45:00,600
Caribbean . Uh it's happened in Africa 

1175
00:45:00,610 --> 00:45:02,721
and in Europe as well . So this is an 

1176
00:45:02,721 --> 00:45:05,209
intermediate step . For what end . So I 

1177
00:45:05,219 --> 00:45:07,800
look at it as their way uh in this 

1178
00:45:07,810 --> 00:45:10,409
region , we worry about basing uh for 

1179
00:45:10,419 --> 00:45:13,739
the PL and the as we have seen in other 

1180
00:45:13,750 --> 00:45:15,861
areas . But I look at the state owned 

1181
00:45:15,861 --> 00:45:18,028
enterprises and the ability to be able 

1182
00:45:18,028 --> 00:45:20,028
to flip the use of that to possibly 

1183
00:45:20,028 --> 00:45:22,590
military application , being sort of a 

1184
00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:24,540
basing strategy through critical 

1185
00:45:24,550 --> 00:45:26,661
infrastructure in the region . And if 

1186
00:45:26,661 --> 00:45:28,717
we were to become in a conflict with 

1187
00:45:28,717 --> 00:45:30,939
China , this would be very useful . And 

1188
00:45:30,939 --> 00:45:33,350
that's my concern is exactly that Mr 

1189
00:45:33,419 --> 00:45:35,363
Zimmerman have members of Hamas or 

1190
00:45:35,363 --> 00:45:37,586
Hezbollah crossed our southern border . 

1191
00:45:37,586 --> 00:45:41,120
And if so , how many Congressman , I 

1192
00:45:41,129 --> 00:45:43,459
think I would have to uh take that back 

1193
00:45:43,469 --> 00:45:46,429
to get you rough uh numbers from DH S 

1194
00:45:46,439 --> 00:45:48,661
um since they have the lead on securing 

1195
00:45:48,661 --> 00:45:51,459
our nation's borders . Um but uh I'd be 

1196
00:45:51,469 --> 00:45:53,580
happy to talk to you in general about 

1197
00:45:53,580 --> 00:45:55,413
our , but have they crossed just 

1198
00:45:55,413 --> 00:45:57,580
without a number ? Can you give me any 

1199
00:45:57,580 --> 00:45:59,747
information on that ? I can't speak to 

1200
00:45:59,747 --> 00:46:01,913
that as has been said earlier , I know 

1201
00:46:01,913 --> 00:46:01,550
that there are members of the terrorist 

1202
00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:03,782
watch list who have been detained while 

1203
00:46:03,782 --> 00:46:06,070
crossing the border back to uh General 

1204
00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:08,136
Guillo . What is the current nuclear 

1205
00:46:08,136 --> 00:46:09,691
threat in space from Russia 

1206
00:46:12,360 --> 00:46:14,679
Congressman ? The threat of uh nuclear 

1207
00:46:14,689 --> 00:46:17,040
weapons in , in , in space primarily 

1208
00:46:17,050 --> 00:46:20,379
from Russia is uh is a constant and 

1209
00:46:20,389 --> 00:46:22,699
real concern if I could , I'd like to 

1210
00:46:22,709 --> 00:46:24,598
address the specifics in a closed 

1211
00:46:24,598 --> 00:46:26,876
session . If there is an actual threat . 

1212
00:46:26,876 --> 00:46:28,709
Should Americans know about it ? 

1213
00:46:29,350 --> 00:46:31,128
Congressman ? I think that it's 

1214
00:46:31,128 --> 00:46:33,406
important for all Americans to know of , 

1215
00:46:33,406 --> 00:46:35,517
uh , the wide variety of threats that 

1216
00:46:35,517 --> 00:46:37,461
face the homeland in all domains . 

1217
00:46:37,870 --> 00:46:40,037
Thank you for that . I appreciate your 

1218
00:46:40,037 --> 00:46:42,148
service to our nation . With that . I 

1219
00:46:42,148 --> 00:46:44,481
yield back chair . I recognize Mr Smith . 

1220
00:46:44,481 --> 00:46:46,814
Thank you very much , Mr Chairman first . 

1221
00:46:46,814 --> 00:46:48,870
I apologize for being late late this 

1222
00:46:48,870 --> 00:46:51,092
morning , believe it or not . I , I cut 

1223
00:46:51,092 --> 00:46:53,259
myself shaving and it simply would not 

1224
00:46:53,259 --> 00:46:55,148
stop bleeding . Uh And that's the 

1225
00:46:55,148 --> 00:46:54,570
reason I wasn't here . I wish I had a 

1226
00:46:54,580 --> 00:46:57,500
better story , but that's basically it . 

1227
00:46:57,510 --> 00:47:00,080
Um I don't , I don't wanna cover a lot 

1228
00:47:00,090 --> 00:47:02,312
of ground that's already been covered . 

1229
00:47:02,312 --> 00:47:04,479
Um But I did have an opening statement 

1230
00:47:04,479 --> 00:47:06,646
talking about , I mean , obviously the 

1231
00:47:06,646 --> 00:47:08,812
number one issue that we're facing out 

1232
00:47:08,812 --> 00:47:08,340
of , you know , the both of your 

1233
00:47:08,350 --> 00:47:10,294
regions is the migration challenge 

1234
00:47:10,294 --> 00:47:12,979
coming up um out of Latin America , how 

1235
00:47:12,989 --> 00:47:15,267
that's certainly pressuring our border . 

1236
00:47:15,267 --> 00:47:17,045
But it is also putting a lot of 

1237
00:47:17,045 --> 00:47:19,300
pressure on nations throughout . Um 

1238
00:47:19,310 --> 00:47:21,929
your a or uh I know Colombia , Panama 

1239
00:47:21,939 --> 00:47:24,050
Chile amongst others are , are facing 

1240
00:47:24,050 --> 00:47:26,050
that challenge and just the overall 

1241
00:47:26,050 --> 00:47:27,717
instability and of course now 

1242
00:47:27,717 --> 00:47:30,050
instability coming out of Haiti as well . 

1243
00:47:30,050 --> 00:47:32,161
I think it's crucially important that 

1244
00:47:32,161 --> 00:47:34,272
we try to figure out some way to work 

1245
00:47:34,272 --> 00:47:36,328
with the these countries to increase 

1246
00:47:36,328 --> 00:47:38,272
stability . You know , we can talk 

1247
00:47:38,272 --> 00:47:40,439
about the border and what should we do 

1248
00:47:40,439 --> 00:47:42,717
to secure it ? What law should we pass ? 

1249
00:47:42,717 --> 00:47:44,883
But at the end of the day , as long as 

1250
00:47:44,883 --> 00:47:47,050
there are millions of people desperate 

1251
00:47:47,050 --> 00:47:49,272
to , to get out of where they're at and 

1252
00:47:49,272 --> 00:47:53,159
come here , you would , there's no 100% 

1253
00:47:53,169 --> 00:47:55,336
fix to the problem in that situation . 

1254
00:47:55,336 --> 00:47:57,336
There just isn't so getting greater 

1255
00:47:57,336 --> 00:47:58,836
stability in that region . 

1256
00:47:58,836 --> 00:48:00,836
Understanding also that many of the 

1257
00:48:00,836 --> 00:48:02,780
migrants come from outside of your 

1258
00:48:02,780 --> 00:48:04,947
region , um get into Latin America and 

1259
00:48:04,947 --> 00:48:07,169
work their way up is number one thing . 

1260
00:48:07,169 --> 00:48:07,090
And also I think Mr Alfred's point 

1261
00:48:07,100 --> 00:48:08,889
about China , the answer to the 

1262
00:48:08,899 --> 00:48:10,955
question of what is their end game ? 

1263
00:48:10,955 --> 00:48:13,288
China wants more influence in the world . 

1264
00:48:13,288 --> 00:48:15,455
And very specifically , they want more 

1265
00:48:15,455 --> 00:48:17,621
influence than us . They want to build 

1266
00:48:17,621 --> 00:48:19,843
partnerships and relationships wherever 

1267
00:48:19,843 --> 00:48:22,379
they can to undermine our ability to 

1268
00:48:22,389 --> 00:48:24,389
have influence in the world and put 

1269
00:48:24,389 --> 00:48:26,389
themselves in a better and stronger 

1270
00:48:26,389 --> 00:48:28,389
position . And we can see what that 

1271
00:48:28,389 --> 00:48:30,278
means that it would put them in a 

1272
00:48:30,278 --> 00:48:32,600
better position to bully their way into 

1273
00:48:32,610 --> 00:48:34,610
gosh , a half dozen countries where 

1274
00:48:34,610 --> 00:48:36,888
they claim territory , the Philippines , 

1275
00:48:36,888 --> 00:48:38,999
Indonesia , India , ironically , even 

1276
00:48:38,999 --> 00:48:41,221
Russia . Um so that's really what we're 

1277
00:48:41,221 --> 00:48:43,332
fighting for is , is influence in the 

1278
00:48:43,332 --> 00:48:45,443
world , um what they wanna do . And I 

1279
00:48:45,443 --> 00:48:47,443
think it's really important that we 

1280
00:48:47,443 --> 00:48:49,277
build our relationships in Latin 

1281
00:48:49,277 --> 00:48:51,388
America to try and prevent that . And 

1282
00:48:51,388 --> 00:48:53,721
then on the North American side , again , 

1283
00:48:53,721 --> 00:48:55,943
I agree with Mr Alford tried to protect 

1284
00:48:55,943 --> 00:48:57,832
our airspace . Um Certainly we've 

1285
00:48:57,832 --> 00:49:00,054
learned of some modern abilities in the 

1286
00:49:00,054 --> 00:49:02,166
last couple of years , I know General 

1287
00:49:02,166 --> 00:49:01,939
Guillo , you have addressed those and I 

1288
00:49:01,949 --> 00:49:04,340
appreciate that . Uh But those are the 

1289
00:49:04,350 --> 00:49:06,760
broad concerns . One question I would 

1290
00:49:06,770 --> 00:49:10,000
have um is , you know , you mentioned 

1291
00:49:10,010 --> 00:49:11,954
the potential that exists in Latin 

1292
00:49:11,954 --> 00:49:15,139
America . I'd like um both uh General 

1293
00:49:15,149 --> 00:49:17,060
Richardson and Miss Zimmerman to 

1294
00:49:17,070 --> 00:49:19,979
address what can we be doing ? What 

1295
00:49:19,989 --> 00:49:22,219
partners can we be working with to 

1296
00:49:22,229 --> 00:49:24,419
better realize that potential and 

1297
00:49:24,429 --> 00:49:27,000
reduce the chaos , reduce the drive 

1298
00:49:27,010 --> 00:49:29,121
that is pushing so many people out of 

1299
00:49:29,121 --> 00:49:31,121
so many countries in enforcing this 

1300
00:49:31,121 --> 00:49:35,090
migration in the summer . 

1301
00:49:35,169 --> 00:49:37,502
And why don't you go ahead and go first ? 

1302
00:49:37,502 --> 00:49:39,939
Um uh Thank you so much , Congressman 

1303
00:49:39,949 --> 00:49:42,250
for that question . I think uh you , 

1304
00:49:42,260 --> 00:49:44,482
you speak to an important set of things 

1305
00:49:44,482 --> 00:49:46,593
which is not simply what can we do uh 

1306
00:49:46,593 --> 00:49:49,620
to respond in , you know , on , on 

1307
00:49:49,629 --> 00:49:51,351
America's worst day if we find 

1308
00:49:51,351 --> 00:49:53,518
ourselves in conflict with China . But 

1309
00:49:53,518 --> 00:49:55,185
how can we actually build the 

1310
00:49:55,185 --> 00:49:57,407
relationships now ? Because that speaks 

1311
00:49:57,407 --> 00:49:57,040
to the values that we share as 

1312
00:49:57,050 --> 00:49:59,989
democracies . Um And the department uh 

1313
00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:01,620
in conjunction with uh other 

1314
00:50:01,629 --> 00:50:03,796
departments and agencies across uh the 

1315
00:50:03,796 --> 00:50:05,740
US government is really working to 

1316
00:50:05,740 --> 00:50:07,907
reinforce those democratic values , is 

1317
00:50:07,907 --> 00:50:09,760
working to build strong defense 

1318
00:50:09,770 --> 00:50:11,939
partnerships . So for example , uh the 

1319
00:50:11,949 --> 00:50:13,959
secretary just attended the North 

1320
00:50:13,969 --> 00:50:16,629
American Defense Ministerial uh which 

1321
00:50:16,639 --> 00:50:18,806
is a trilateral conversation involving 

1322
00:50:18,810 --> 00:50:22,320
Canada and Mexico . Um We have uh the 

1323
00:50:22,330 --> 00:50:24,441
uh Conference of Defense Ministers of 

1324
00:50:24,441 --> 00:50:26,497
the Americas which will be coming up 

1325
00:50:26,497 --> 00:50:28,663
later this year . Um So to ensure that 

1326
00:50:28,663 --> 00:50:30,830
the department represents those values 

1327
00:50:30,830 --> 00:50:32,800
in those forums . Um But I think 

1328
00:50:32,810 --> 00:50:34,760
there's also work that we do uh in 

1329
00:50:34,770 --> 00:50:36,919
building partner capacity and I'll , 

1330
00:50:36,929 --> 00:50:38,985
I'll let General Richardson speak to 

1331
00:50:38,985 --> 00:50:41,151
that . Um But I , but also second , uh 

1332
00:50:41,151 --> 00:50:43,151
what , what General Richardson said 

1333
00:50:43,151 --> 00:50:45,318
earlier , which is that uh some of the 

1334
00:50:45,318 --> 00:50:47,318
development , development , finance 

1335
00:50:47,318 --> 00:50:49,262
corporation efforts , uh our other 

1336
00:50:49,262 --> 00:50:51,207
economic efforts where we can nest 

1337
00:50:51,207 --> 00:50:53,040
those , um where we can nest our 

1338
00:50:53,040 --> 00:50:55,840
activities in those common efforts . I 

1339
00:50:55,850 --> 00:50:58,219
think we can realize a lot of gains 

1340
00:50:58,229 --> 00:51:01,449
that um uh would otherwise working in 

1341
00:51:01,459 --> 00:51:03,909
silos in the government not be possible . 

1342
00:51:04,300 --> 00:51:08,169
Thank you . So , uh Congressman , the 

1343
00:51:08,179 --> 00:51:10,401
uh thank you for that and thank you for 

1344
00:51:10,401 --> 00:51:12,512
the question . Uh Certainly the , the 

1345
00:51:12,512 --> 00:51:14,568
uh funding that I received last year 

1346
00:51:14,568 --> 00:51:17,770
and the 8068 funding uh additional 

1347
00:51:17,780 --> 00:51:20,580
funding on top of what I receive uh 

1348
00:51:20,590 --> 00:51:23,060
really helped and it had flexible 

1349
00:51:23,070 --> 00:51:25,429
authorities to help us be responsive to 

1350
00:51:25,439 --> 00:51:27,810
our partner nations . And as you know , 

1351
00:51:27,820 --> 00:51:29,949
and as I've testified before , uh and 

1352
00:51:29,959 --> 00:51:32,015
working with the dod team , but also 

1353
00:51:32,015 --> 00:51:33,903
Department of State and the inter 

1354
00:51:33,903 --> 00:51:36,070
agencies to speed up our processes and 

1355
00:51:36,070 --> 00:51:38,070
for military sales , access defense 

1356
00:51:38,070 --> 00:51:40,237
articles and not take years to deliver 

1357
00:51:40,237 --> 00:51:42,090
a capability because these , our 

1358
00:51:42,100 --> 00:51:44,489
partner nations are uh these heads of 

1359
00:51:44,500 --> 00:51:46,611
state are in the seat , generally one 

1360
00:51:46,611 --> 00:51:48,778
term of four years and they're working 

1361
00:51:48,778 --> 00:51:50,944
on a stopwatch , not a calendar . They 

1362
00:51:50,944 --> 00:51:52,944
need uh results within months , not 

1363
00:51:52,944 --> 00:51:55,229
years . And so , um that's what has led 

1364
00:51:55,239 --> 00:51:58,090
me to also uh partner with Department 

1365
00:51:58,100 --> 00:52:00,267
of Commerce , Department of Treasury , 

1366
00:52:00,267 --> 00:52:02,267
uh the American Chamber of Commerce 

1367
00:52:02,267 --> 00:52:04,600
because our economic security is really , 

1368
00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:06,767
really important here . So when you're 

1369
00:52:06,767 --> 00:52:09,050
talking about the , the realization of 

1370
00:52:09,060 --> 00:52:11,282
feeding of the fuel in the world , when 

1371
00:52:11,282 --> 00:52:13,379
half the soybean for the globe comes 

1372
00:52:13,389 --> 00:52:16,270
from this region , 30% of the corn and 

1373
00:52:16,280 --> 00:52:18,850
the , and the uh sugar comes from this 

1374
00:52:18,860 --> 00:52:21,179
region for the globe . Uh You've got 

1375
00:52:21,189 --> 00:52:23,739
the Amazon , you've got 30 per , 31% of 

1376
00:52:23,750 --> 00:52:26,083
the world's fresh water . You got light , 

1377
00:52:26,083 --> 00:52:28,250
sweet crude , heavy crude , you've got 

1378
00:52:28,250 --> 00:52:30,361
gold , copper , rare earth elements , 

1379
00:52:30,361 --> 00:52:32,250
the lithium triangle , 60% of the 

1380
00:52:32,250 --> 00:52:34,417
world's lithium is in this region . Uh 

1381
00:52:34,417 --> 00:52:36,540
The potential is there . So how do we 

1382
00:52:36,550 --> 00:52:38,717
help with the economic investment ? We 

1383
00:52:38,717 --> 00:52:40,939
have a lot of foreign direct investment 

1384
00:52:40,939 --> 00:52:43,106
from the United States already but our 

1385
00:52:43,106 --> 00:52:45,780
us companies in the region , uh We need 

1386
00:52:45,790 --> 00:52:48,379
to brand and , and start bragging about 

1387
00:52:48,389 --> 00:52:51,169
what team USA does uh for the countries 

1388
00:52:51,179 --> 00:52:53,123
already . And then we have to help 

1389
00:52:53,123 --> 00:52:56,659
streamline the uh how are uh companies 

1390
00:52:56,669 --> 00:52:58,836
and if there are barriers to competing 

1391
00:52:58,836 --> 00:53:00,391
on the tenders for critical 

1392
00:53:00,391 --> 00:53:02,280
infrastructure in South America , 

1393
00:53:02,280 --> 00:53:04,447
Central America and the Caribbean . Uh 

1394
00:53:04,447 --> 00:53:06,169
and , and that is part of that 

1395
00:53:06,169 --> 00:53:08,058
partnership that we've been doing 

1396
00:53:08,058 --> 00:53:10,225
national security rests on uh economic 

1397
00:53:10,225 --> 00:53:12,729
security . And just one comment , 11 

1398
00:53:12,739 --> 00:53:14,683
final final question . I think the 

1399
00:53:14,683 --> 00:53:16,906
security piece of this is crucial and I 

1400
00:53:16,906 --> 00:53:19,072
know it's something that Congress Writ 

1401
00:53:19,072 --> 00:53:21,295
Large is wrestling with right now . You 

1402
00:53:21,295 --> 00:53:23,350
know , we , we have concerns when we 

1403
00:53:23,350 --> 00:53:25,560
sell arms or security , um , equipment 

1404
00:53:25,570 --> 00:53:27,792
to other nations , what do they do with 

1405
00:53:27,792 --> 00:53:29,459
them ? And those concerns are 

1406
00:53:29,459 --> 00:53:31,292
legitimate . But I hope everyone 

1407
00:53:31,292 --> 00:53:33,540
understands that every nation tries to 

1408
00:53:33,550 --> 00:53:35,494
figure out some way to provide for 

1409
00:53:35,494 --> 00:53:37,606
their own security . Ok . There is no 

1410
00:53:37,606 --> 00:53:39,772
nation out there that simply lays down 

1411
00:53:39,772 --> 00:53:42,050
their arms and hopes for the best . Ok ? 

1412
00:53:42,050 --> 00:53:43,939
They try to maintain security and 

1413
00:53:43,939 --> 00:53:45,939
that's never easy and it's always a 

1414
00:53:45,939 --> 00:53:48,106
very difficult balance , a partnership 

1415
00:53:48,106 --> 00:53:50,328
with these other countries , part of it 

1416
00:53:50,328 --> 00:53:52,550
is helping them provide that security . 

1417
00:53:52,550 --> 00:53:54,661
And our slow walking of arms sales is 

1418
00:53:54,661 --> 00:53:56,328
undermining our relationships 

1419
00:53:56,328 --> 00:53:58,383
throughout the world and opening the 

1420
00:53:58,383 --> 00:54:00,929
door wide for China and Russia . It is 

1421
00:54:00,939 --> 00:54:03,161
not like these nations are not going to 

1422
00:54:03,161 --> 00:54:05,272
get weapons . If we stop selling them 

1423
00:54:05,272 --> 00:54:07,383
to them , they're just going to build 

1424
00:54:07,383 --> 00:54:07,310
different relationships . We've 

1425
00:54:07,320 --> 00:54:09,487
certainly seen that in the Middle East 

1426
00:54:09,487 --> 00:54:11,598
and I hope we're mindful of the trade 

1427
00:54:11,598 --> 00:54:13,153
off . Final question is our 

1428
00:54:13,153 --> 00:54:15,209
relationships in Latin America . You 

1429
00:54:15,209 --> 00:54:17,431
know , one of the big things Russia and 

1430
00:54:17,431 --> 00:54:19,431
China have an incredibly aggressive 

1431
00:54:19,431 --> 00:54:21,598
messaging machine . They are out there 

1432
00:54:21,598 --> 00:54:23,598
24 7 , denigrating us . Basically , 

1433
00:54:23,600 --> 00:54:26,330
it's a , it's a massive worldwide 

1434
00:54:26,340 --> 00:54:29,050
negative campaign um that people here 

1435
00:54:29,060 --> 00:54:31,229
domestically pick up for a variety of 

1436
00:54:31,239 --> 00:54:33,183
different reasons . And one of the 

1437
00:54:33,183 --> 00:54:35,295
things they play off of is historical 

1438
00:54:35,295 --> 00:54:37,461
concerns about what the US has done in 

1439
00:54:37,461 --> 00:54:39,683
a bunch of places , but particularly in 

1440
00:54:39,683 --> 00:54:41,850
Latin America . So when you're working 

1441
00:54:41,850 --> 00:54:43,961
with Brazil and Argentina and Chile , 

1442
00:54:43,961 --> 00:54:46,040
how do you push back against that 

1443
00:54:46,050 --> 00:54:48,050
negative campaign ? Because it does 

1444
00:54:48,050 --> 00:54:50,219
seem to be having an effect ? I mean , 

1445
00:54:50,229 --> 00:54:52,451
you can correct me if I'm wrong on that 

1446
00:54:52,451 --> 00:54:54,673
point , but I think it is , it has hurt 

1447
00:54:54,673 --> 00:54:56,618
our relationships with a number of 

1448
00:54:56,618 --> 00:54:58,840
countries in Latin America . The battle 

1449
00:54:58,840 --> 00:55:01,062
with Cuba , the battle with Nicaragua . 

1450
00:55:01,062 --> 00:55:00,979
What's going on with Venezuela ? How 

1451
00:55:00,989 --> 00:55:04,100
can we better burnish our own image so 

1452
00:55:04,110 --> 00:55:06,784
that we can have a chance at building 

1453
00:55:06,794 --> 00:55:08,794
the partnerships we need to build ? 

1454
00:55:08,794 --> 00:55:10,405
Well , I would , I would say 

1455
00:55:10,405 --> 00:55:12,238
Congressman , thank you for that 

1456
00:55:12,238 --> 00:55:14,461
question because the uh we've got to be 

1457
00:55:14,461 --> 00:55:16,627
trusted partners and uh we have a , we 

1458
00:55:16,627 --> 00:55:19,094
have uh the uh American Partnership for 

1459
00:55:19,104 --> 00:55:21,625
Economic Prosperity A PP , which is a 

1460
00:55:21,635 --> 00:55:23,524
uh program from the summit of the 

1461
00:55:23,524 --> 00:55:26,814
Americas and A PP hosted uh at the 

1462
00:55:26,824 --> 00:55:29,695
White House in early November uh 11 , 

1463
00:55:29,705 --> 00:55:32,145
Latin America , uh Latin American heads 

1464
00:55:32,155 --> 00:55:34,760
of state that came and for a week uh 

1465
00:55:34,770 --> 00:55:37,040
they uh discussed the challenges in the 

1466
00:55:37,050 --> 00:55:39,689
region but then also uh rolled out the 

1467
00:55:39,699 --> 00:55:42,959
programs of economic help in terms of 

1468
00:55:42,969 --> 00:55:44,949
in modern ports , clean energy and 

1469
00:55:44,959 --> 00:55:47,520
digital technology and billions of 

1470
00:55:47,530 --> 00:55:50,149
dollars of programs and efforts of 

1471
00:55:50,159 --> 00:55:52,879
infuse of economic investment into the 

1472
00:55:52,889 --> 00:55:54,778
region through the Inter American 

1473
00:55:54,778 --> 00:55:56,833
Development Bank and also through uh 

1474
00:55:56,833 --> 00:55:59,330
Developmental Finance Corporation . And 

1475
00:55:59,340 --> 00:56:01,284
so , uh with that , there are some 

1476
00:56:01,284 --> 00:56:03,340
shares 75 million in shares that are 

1477
00:56:03,340 --> 00:56:05,396
coming up for vote this month that I 

1478
00:56:05,396 --> 00:56:08,000
would recommend that as we had this a 

1479
00:56:08,010 --> 00:56:10,280
pep in November and , and hosted these 

1480
00:56:10,290 --> 00:56:12,649
leaders at the White House that we have 

1481
00:56:12,659 --> 00:56:15,770
got to . Uh we've got to um recommend 

1482
00:56:15,780 --> 00:56:17,947
that we purchase those shares from the 

1483
00:56:17,947 --> 00:56:20,080
United States . So we don't give our 

1484
00:56:20,090 --> 00:56:22,257
adversaries an opportunity to purchase 

1485
00:56:22,257 --> 00:56:24,989
them uh as part of the investment that 

1486
00:56:25,000 --> 00:56:27,419
we rolled out in the November time 

1487
00:56:27,429 --> 00:56:29,762
frame . Thank you very much . Thank you , 

1488
00:56:29,762 --> 00:56:31,762
Mr Chairman . You're not recognized 

1489
00:56:31,762 --> 00:56:34,040
Gent lady from Virginia , Miss Higgins . 

1490
00:56:34,560 --> 00:56:36,671
Thank you , Mr Chair and thank you uh 

1491
00:56:36,671 --> 00:56:38,949
for our guests for being with us today . 

1492
00:56:38,949 --> 00:56:41,060
Just to comment about uh the security 

1493
00:56:41,060 --> 00:56:43,209
potential that we have in Central and 

1494
00:56:43,219 --> 00:56:45,052
South America . And I think just 

1495
00:56:45,052 --> 00:56:47,275
prioritizing our funding so that we can 

1496
00:56:47,275 --> 00:56:49,441
put our money where our mouth is , the 

1497
00:56:49,441 --> 00:56:51,663
defense budget is always inadequate and 

1498
00:56:51,663 --> 00:56:53,663
uh and just making sure that we are 

1499
00:56:53,663 --> 00:56:55,886
again prioritizing that funding because 

1500
00:56:55,886 --> 00:56:58,052
it is so important . I wanted to speak 

1501
00:56:58,052 --> 00:57:00,163
and ask a little bit about Cuba in my 

1502
00:57:00,163 --> 00:57:02,052
district . I represent Virginia's 

1503
00:57:02,052 --> 00:57:01,739
second congressional district . So we 

1504
00:57:01,750 --> 00:57:03,972
have Naval Air Station Oceana there and 

1505
00:57:03,972 --> 00:57:05,972
they've recently moved their strike 

1506
00:57:05,972 --> 00:57:08,083
fighter Advanced Readiness program or 

1507
00:57:08,083 --> 00:57:10,139
SARP exercises back home to Virginia 

1508
00:57:10,139 --> 00:57:12,361
Beach uh because they are worried about 

1509
00:57:12,361 --> 00:57:15,409
activity in Cuba from the Chinese . And 

1510
00:57:15,419 --> 00:57:17,475
so could you speak a little bit just 

1511
00:57:17,475 --> 00:57:19,419
about what concerns you have about 

1512
00:57:19,419 --> 00:57:21,308
Chinese activity in Cuba and what 

1513
00:57:21,308 --> 00:57:23,475
approaches we're taking to fortify the 

1514
00:57:23,475 --> 00:57:25,586
security encounter of our adversaries 

1515
00:57:25,586 --> 00:57:27,475
in this region . So , thank you , 

1516
00:57:27,475 --> 00:57:29,697
Congresswoman and the uh certainly that 

1517
00:57:29,697 --> 00:57:31,863
concern being so close to the homeland 

1518
00:57:31,863 --> 00:57:34,320
uh is , is very concerning . Uh the US 

1519
00:57:34,500 --> 00:57:36,719
agency is working very hard to uh 

1520
00:57:36,729 --> 00:57:39,129
counter that effort . And um and I can 

1521
00:57:39,139 --> 00:57:41,361
talk to more about that in the , in the 

1522
00:57:41,361 --> 00:57:44,270
classified session afterwards . Great . 

1523
00:57:44,320 --> 00:57:46,320
Thank you . And then I also want to 

1524
00:57:46,320 --> 00:57:48,264
talk about Haiti a little bit just 

1525
00:57:48,264 --> 00:57:50,320
because of the unrest and maybe Miss 

1526
00:57:50,320 --> 00:57:49,850
Emer Men , you can answer the question 

1527
00:57:49,860 --> 00:57:51,929
just with the recent news about the 

1528
00:57:51,939 --> 00:57:53,772
Prime Minister stepping down and 

1529
00:57:53,772 --> 00:57:55,939
understanding that we've increased our 

1530
00:57:55,939 --> 00:57:58,989
uh our a $300 million in addition to 33 

1531
00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:00,944
million in humanitarian assistance 

1532
00:58:00,944 --> 00:58:03,189
going to that region . And uh and then 

1533
00:58:03,199 --> 00:58:05,750
talks of sending perhaps military as 

1534
00:58:05,760 --> 00:58:08,449
well . So uh can you just speak to what 

1535
00:58:08,459 --> 00:58:10,181
is going on there ? Is there a 

1536
00:58:10,181 --> 00:58:12,403
possibility of us sending our troops to 

1537
00:58:12,403 --> 00:58:14,626
that region ? Um Absolutely , I'm , I'm 

1538
00:58:14,626 --> 00:58:16,792
happy to speak to that congresswoman . 

1539
00:58:16,792 --> 00:58:18,848
Um So the situation in Haiti remains 

1540
00:58:18,848 --> 00:58:21,330
obviously very tense . Um And the US is 

1541
00:58:21,340 --> 00:58:25,139
participating in uh both um uh uh 

1542
00:58:25,149 --> 00:58:28,270
its own efforts and also uh efforts in 

1543
00:58:28,280 --> 00:58:31,389
support of uh cara com and other allies 

1544
00:58:31,399 --> 00:58:34,070
um with , with respect to Haiti . So uh 

1545
00:58:34,199 --> 00:58:36,379
in terms of a troop commitment of us 

1546
00:58:36,389 --> 00:58:39,100
troops , um we are talking there only 

1547
00:58:39,110 --> 00:58:41,209
about security augmentation for our 

1548
00:58:41,219 --> 00:58:43,780
embassy in Port Au Prince . Um there 

1549
00:58:43,790 --> 00:58:46,280
isn't discussion of uh sending in our 

1550
00:58:46,385 --> 00:58:50,354
military . Um But we are in support of 

1551
00:58:50,364 --> 00:58:53,504
uh the MS S the multinational security 

1552
00:58:53,514 --> 00:58:55,965
support mission for Haiti . Uh This is 

1553
00:58:55,975 --> 00:58:59,324
the Kenyan led mission uh to train and 

1554
00:58:59,334 --> 00:59:01,445
support the Haitian National Police . 

1555
00:59:01,665 --> 00:59:04,165
Uh So there , the department has 

1556
00:59:04,175 --> 00:59:06,342
increased its funding from 100 million 

1557
00:59:06,342 --> 00:59:08,395
to 200 million in order to better 

1558
00:59:08,405 --> 00:59:11,274
support um uh the logistics and 

1559
00:59:11,284 --> 00:59:13,814
sustainment aspects of that mission in 

1560
00:59:13,824 --> 00:59:15,824
order to get the mission fielded as 

1561
00:59:15,824 --> 00:59:18,399
soon as we can . Thank you . And then 

1562
00:59:18,409 --> 00:59:21,560
also briefly , we see China adopting 

1563
00:59:21,570 --> 00:59:23,540
some of our tactics that we've 

1564
00:59:23,550 --> 00:59:25,550
developed , that we used to develop 

1565
00:59:25,550 --> 00:59:27,383
alliances with exercise military 

1566
00:59:27,383 --> 00:59:29,606
exercises specifically with , with some 

1567
00:59:29,606 --> 00:59:31,661
of those 28 democracy countries that 

1568
00:59:31,661 --> 00:59:33,883
that you mentioned . And that's kind of 

1569
00:59:33,883 --> 00:59:35,606
been how the United States has 

1570
00:59:35,606 --> 00:59:37,772
developed our , our friendships and we 

1571
00:59:37,772 --> 00:59:39,883
have done military exercises together 

1572
00:59:39,883 --> 00:59:41,994
uh so that we understand each other's 

1573
00:59:41,994 --> 00:59:41,979
capabilities that we're there for each 

1574
00:59:41,989 --> 00:59:44,520
other if needed . So we see China kind 

1575
00:59:44,530 --> 00:59:47,590
of adopting that and uh and now doing 

1576
00:59:47,600 --> 00:59:49,656
their own types of exercises , can , 

1577
00:59:49,656 --> 00:59:51,378
can you speak to where that is 

1578
00:59:51,378 --> 00:59:53,544
happening ? Are those 28 democracies ? 

1579
00:59:53,544 --> 00:59:55,100
Are they steadfast in their 

1580
00:59:55,100 --> 00:59:56,933
relationship with us or are they 

1581
00:59:56,933 --> 00:59:59,044
turning around and then participating 

1582
00:59:59,044 --> 01:00:01,267
in exercises with potential adversaries 

1583
01:00:01,267 --> 01:00:03,544
of ours ? I would uh say congresswoman , 

1584
01:00:03,544 --> 01:00:05,600
the uh in terms of you're absolutely 

1585
01:00:05,600 --> 01:00:07,378
right . The , the , the PR C is 

1586
01:00:07,378 --> 01:00:10,149
utilizing our playbook um as well and 

1587
01:00:10,159 --> 01:00:12,159
not just in exercises but key later 

1588
01:00:12,159 --> 01:00:14,270
engagements and things like that . So 

1589
01:00:14,270 --> 01:00:16,326
they're upping the ranks of the pl A 

1590
01:00:16,326 --> 01:00:18,492
that are now showing up to the , uh to 

1591
01:00:18,492 --> 01:00:21,439
the exercises and the marines . Uh And , 

1592
01:00:21,449 --> 01:00:24,429
um , and I would say that uh the way to , 

1593
01:00:24,439 --> 01:00:26,729
um , when I say our presence absolutely 

1594
01:00:26,739 --> 01:00:29,040
matters , it really does . And uh , and 

1595
01:00:29,050 --> 01:00:30,939
us being able to have an exercise 

1596
01:00:30,939 --> 01:00:33,161
several years ago , my exercise funding 

1597
01:00:33,161 --> 01:00:35,272
to get me down into the Southern Cone 

1598
01:00:35,272 --> 01:00:37,439
South com and all of our components uh 

1599
01:00:37,439 --> 01:00:39,439
was reinstalled with the additional 

1600
01:00:39,439 --> 01:00:41,661
funding last year . And so happy to say 

1601
01:00:41,661 --> 01:00:43,772
that we're , we're able to be there . 

1602
01:00:43,772 --> 01:00:45,883
But uh I would ask for that continued 

1603
01:00:45,883 --> 01:00:48,050
funding . I don't need to outspend the 

1604
01:00:48,050 --> 01:00:50,050
pier , see to out compete them . We 

1605
01:00:50,050 --> 01:00:52,050
just need to be there , we gotta be 

1606
01:00:52,050 --> 01:00:54,272
there . And I would say on the economic 

1607
01:00:54,272 --> 01:00:54,104
side of the house , if we're not there 

1608
01:00:54,114 --> 01:00:57,574
from team USA , then uh and responsive 

1609
01:00:57,584 --> 01:01:00,014
when opportunities open up and uh they 

1610
01:01:00,024 --> 01:01:02,175
need help . If we can't help them , 

1611
01:01:02,185 --> 01:01:04,407
then they're gonna look to , to whoever 

1612
01:01:04,407 --> 01:01:06,574
has uh the cash or the loans or things 

1613
01:01:06,574 --> 01:01:08,796
like that in order to uh fund what they 

1614
01:01:08,796 --> 01:01:10,963
need again for the presidents that are 

1615
01:01:10,963 --> 01:01:13,114
in the seat for a very short term of 

1616
01:01:13,125 --> 01:01:16,060
four years . So those the 28 

1617
01:01:16,070 --> 01:01:18,237
democracies that you talk about that , 

1618
01:01:18,237 --> 01:01:20,348
that are the friendly countries ? Are 

1619
01:01:20,348 --> 01:01:22,570
they , are they pretty steadfast though 

1620
01:01:22,570 --> 01:01:24,792
in those relationships ? Are they , are 

1621
01:01:24,792 --> 01:01:26,959
they questioning our uh alliances just 

1622
01:01:26,959 --> 01:01:29,070
based off kind of what they're seeing 

1623
01:01:29,070 --> 01:01:31,181
with Russia and Ukraine and , and our 

1624
01:01:31,181 --> 01:01:33,348
ability to uh to provide aid to allies 

1625
01:01:33,348 --> 01:01:35,403
throughout the world . Is it , is it 

1626
01:01:35,403 --> 01:01:37,292
having an impact ? And , and your 

1627
01:01:37,292 --> 01:01:39,514
General Lee's times expired chair ? And 

1628
01:01:39,514 --> 01:01:39,149
I recognize that General Lee from the 

1629
01:01:39,159 --> 01:01:41,290
great state of Alabama , MS Sewell , 

1630
01:01:41,820 --> 01:01:43,820
thank you , Mr Chairman . I want to 

1631
01:01:43,820 --> 01:01:45,764
thank our witnesses for being here 

1632
01:01:45,764 --> 01:01:47,969
today . And as the emerging threats uh 

1633
01:01:47,979 --> 01:01:50,035
environment facing the United States 

1634
01:01:50,035 --> 01:01:52,201
become increasingly complex , I really 

1635
01:01:52,201 --> 01:01:54,035
do appreciate your dedication to 

1636
01:01:54,035 --> 01:01:56,260
protecting our homeland , our citizens 

1637
01:01:56,270 --> 01:01:59,939
and our troops . Um General Guillo , 

1638
01:02:00,399 --> 01:02:02,719
is that right ? General Guillo , I 

1639
01:02:02,729 --> 01:02:04,820
first want to discuss hypersonic 

1640
01:02:04,830 --> 01:02:07,199
weapons uh which have become a key 

1641
01:02:07,209 --> 01:02:10,080
component for both Russia and China . 

1642
01:02:10,340 --> 01:02:13,030
Hypersonics , high speed , uh low 

1643
01:02:13,040 --> 01:02:15,379
trajectory and maneuvering capabilities 

1644
01:02:15,389 --> 01:02:17,929
pose a major challenge to our ability 

1645
01:02:17,939 --> 01:02:21,330
to identify and warn of inbound threats . 

1646
01:02:21,540 --> 01:02:24,639
With your priority of , of um detecting 

1647
01:02:25,469 --> 01:02:27,679
classifying and tracking potential 

1648
01:02:27,689 --> 01:02:29,739
threats to the homeland . Are we 

1649
01:02:29,750 --> 01:02:32,770
providing enough resources for reactive 

1650
01:02:32,780 --> 01:02:34,709
threat ? Representation from 

1651
01:02:34,719 --> 01:02:38,610
hypersonics ? Congresswoman I I share 

1652
01:02:38,620 --> 01:02:40,580
your assessment on hypersonics . I 

1653
01:02:40,590 --> 01:02:42,701
think that they are probably the most 

1654
01:02:42,701 --> 01:02:44,923
technologically challenging threat that 

1655
01:02:44,923 --> 01:02:46,757
we're facing as well as the most 

1656
01:02:46,757 --> 01:02:48,757
destabilizing because of where they 

1657
01:02:48,757 --> 01:02:50,812
operate between uh established norms 

1658
01:02:50,812 --> 01:02:52,868
and , and , and weapons specifically 

1659
01:02:52,868 --> 01:02:55,219
for uh NORAD and north com because both 

1660
01:02:55,229 --> 01:02:56,870
commands have a role with uh 

1661
01:02:56,939 --> 01:02:59,629
hypersonics . Uh I'm comfortable with 

1662
01:02:59,639 --> 01:03:01,709
the trajectory that we're on to , to 

1663
01:03:01,719 --> 01:03:04,052
build systems that can detect and track . 

1664
01:03:04,052 --> 01:03:06,229
We have some capability today . Uh But 

1665
01:03:06,239 --> 01:03:08,239
as the threat advances , we need to 

1666
01:03:08,239 --> 01:03:10,406
advance . And so staying on track with 

1667
01:03:10,406 --> 01:03:12,479
our over the horizon radar and some 

1668
01:03:12,489 --> 01:03:14,656
space based systems which will give us 

1669
01:03:14,656 --> 01:03:16,378
uh hypersonic detect and track 

1670
01:03:16,378 --> 01:03:18,939
capability is essential uh here in the 

1671
01:03:18,949 --> 01:03:21,005
coming years . So what about uh next 

1672
01:03:21,350 --> 01:03:23,760
generation technology with respect to 

1673
01:03:23,770 --> 01:03:25,937
hypersonics ? Do you feel like we have 

1674
01:03:25,937 --> 01:03:28,209
enough um resources around that ? 

1675
01:03:28,219 --> 01:03:30,386
Because I really don't think we do . I 

1676
01:03:30,386 --> 01:03:32,669
understand that we don't have to out um 

1677
01:03:32,679 --> 01:03:35,189
spin them , but we do have to be 

1678
01:03:35,199 --> 01:03:38,199
protective and , and , and , and , and 

1679
01:03:38,209 --> 01:03:41,040
show foresight . And so talk to me a 

1680
01:03:41,050 --> 01:03:43,272
little bit about that . Congresswoman . 

1681
01:03:43,272 --> 01:03:45,600
I agree , we need to uh double the 

1682
01:03:45,610 --> 01:03:47,777
efforts in like , like I said , we can 

1683
01:03:47,777 --> 01:03:49,943
detect what we have today , but that's 

1684
01:03:49,943 --> 01:03:51,999
not where our adversaries will be in 

1685
01:03:51,999 --> 01:03:54,110
just a couple of short years . Uh And 

1686
01:03:54,110 --> 01:03:55,832
that's on the defensive part , 

1687
01:03:55,832 --> 01:03:58,919
obviously uh not directly my realm , 

1688
01:03:58,929 --> 01:04:01,719
but then to , to deter keeping pace on 

1689
01:04:01,729 --> 01:04:03,896
the offensive side is , is important . 

1690
01:04:04,030 --> 01:04:06,030
And I know that my fellow combatant 

1691
01:04:06,030 --> 01:04:08,252
commanders are looking at as well . And 

1692
01:04:08,252 --> 01:04:10,030
I've also had some uh very good 

1693
01:04:10,030 --> 01:04:12,086
discussions with the missile defense 

1694
01:04:12,086 --> 01:04:14,086
agency MD A about uh some of the uh 

1695
01:04:14,086 --> 01:04:16,308
systems that they're developing um both 

1696
01:04:16,308 --> 01:04:18,197
in the future as well as adapting 

1697
01:04:18,197 --> 01:04:20,197
current systems today to be able to 

1698
01:04:20,197 --> 01:04:22,197
defeat hypersonics . I just want to 

1699
01:04:22,197 --> 01:04:24,363
make , you know , that there are those 

1700
01:04:24,363 --> 01:04:26,419
of us who are really quite concerned 

1701
01:04:26,419 --> 01:04:28,419
about that and would um welcome the 

1702
01:04:28,419 --> 01:04:30,586
opportunity to talk further about it , 

1703
01:04:30,586 --> 01:04:32,752
Miss uh Zimmerman and your testimony , 

1704
01:04:32,752 --> 01:04:34,752
you discussed the impact uh climate 

1705
01:04:34,752 --> 01:04:36,919
change has on our military readiness . 

1706
01:04:36,919 --> 01:04:39,419
Uh You highlight the Water Security 

1707
01:04:39,429 --> 01:04:41,429
Center at the University of Alabama 

1708
01:04:41,429 --> 01:04:44,139
which utilizes dod funding to provide 

1709
01:04:44,149 --> 01:04:46,290
education , training and research 

1710
01:04:46,379 --> 01:04:49,020
related uh water , food energy and 

1711
01:04:49,030 --> 01:04:51,899
natural disasters . Can you discuss how 

1712
01:04:52,120 --> 01:04:54,780
the um global Water Center uh 

1713
01:04:54,790 --> 01:04:57,969
assessments help combatant commands uh 

1714
01:04:58,000 --> 01:05:00,169
strategic planning and contribute to 

1715
01:05:00,179 --> 01:05:03,189
our national security ? Thank you very 

1716
01:05:03,199 --> 01:05:05,366
much . I , I think in terms of some of 

1717
01:05:05,366 --> 01:05:07,421
those specifics , uh I'd like to get 

1718
01:05:07,421 --> 01:05:09,755
back to you in a little bit more detail , 

1719
01:05:09,755 --> 01:05:11,921
but I will say that our ability to get 

1720
01:05:11,921 --> 01:05:14,143
on the same page as a department and as 

1721
01:05:14,143 --> 01:05:16,088
a government in our analysis , our 

1722
01:05:16,088 --> 01:05:18,310
understanding of the problem is what is 

1723
01:05:18,310 --> 01:05:20,477
right now allowing us to begin to take 

1724
01:05:20,477 --> 01:05:22,255
action with the goal uh for the 

1725
01:05:22,255 --> 01:05:24,088
department of really ensuring uh 

1726
01:05:24,088 --> 01:05:26,310
seamless operations when we need them , 

1727
01:05:26,310 --> 01:05:28,366
where we need them regardless of the 

1728
01:05:28,366 --> 01:05:30,421
impact of climate change and extreme 

1729
01:05:30,421 --> 01:05:32,889
weather . Um General Richardson , we 

1730
01:05:32,899 --> 01:05:35,090
continue to see our adversaries target 

1731
01:05:35,100 --> 01:05:37,850
our partners in South America from 

1732
01:05:37,860 --> 01:05:40,149
China's Belt and Road initiative to 

1733
01:05:40,159 --> 01:05:42,530
Russia's disinformation with China 

1734
01:05:42,540 --> 01:05:45,479
emerging as South America's top trading 

1735
01:05:45,489 --> 01:05:48,649
partner . How can we use our trade uh 

1736
01:05:48,659 --> 01:05:50,820
initiatives like the America's uh 

1737
01:05:50,830 --> 01:05:53,850
partnership for economic prosperity to 

1738
01:05:53,860 --> 01:05:57,729
deter China ? Uh I would say that the 

1739
01:05:57,739 --> 01:06:01,020
uh we have to be um what we said that 

1740
01:06:01,030 --> 01:06:03,086
we're gonna do , we've got to follow 

1741
01:06:03,086 --> 01:06:05,197
through with that and do what we said 

1742
01:06:05,197 --> 01:06:07,419
we're gonna do . And , uh , and I think 

1743
01:06:07,419 --> 01:06:09,530
that that is a huge investment in the 

1744
01:06:09,530 --> 01:06:11,929
region . 11 presidents from this region , 

1745
01:06:11,939 --> 01:06:13,790
out of the 31 that came here to 

1746
01:06:13,800 --> 01:06:16,550
Washington DC . That shows you , uh , I 

1747
01:06:16,560 --> 01:06:18,560
mean , that's , uh , uh , I look at 

1748
01:06:18,560 --> 01:06:20,504
that as just a foot in the door to 

1749
01:06:20,504 --> 01:06:22,504
expand that . I mean , what a great 

1750
01:06:22,510 --> 01:06:25,360
first effort and I'm so excited about 

1751
01:06:25,370 --> 01:06:27,469
this program , the attention , the 

1752
01:06:27,479 --> 01:06:30,330
investment , uh it's huge for , for 

1753
01:06:30,340 --> 01:06:32,639
team Jose and team democracy . And so 

1754
01:06:32,649 --> 01:06:34,750
if we can just make that even bigger 

1755
01:06:34,760 --> 01:06:36,927
and better , uh that's what we need to 

1756
01:06:36,927 --> 01:06:38,093
do . Thank you a man 

1757
01:06:41,070 --> 01:06:43,292
general . It's time to expire chair . I 

1758
01:06:43,292 --> 01:06:45,181
recognize General from Texas . Mr 

1759
01:06:45,181 --> 01:06:47,348
Larell . Thank you , Mr Chairman . I'd 

1760
01:06:47,348 --> 01:06:49,292
like to thank everybody for coming 

1761
01:06:49,292 --> 01:06:48,879
today and thank everybody for your 

1762
01:06:48,889 --> 01:06:51,530
service , everyone in , in uniform and 

1763
01:06:51,540 --> 01:06:53,762
our veterans . Thank you . Absolutely . 

1764
01:06:53,762 --> 01:06:55,873
Thank you for what you do to keep our 

1765
01:06:55,873 --> 01:06:57,929
family safe . Uh Mr Guillo , this is 

1766
01:06:57,929 --> 01:07:00,096
your first time in front of Congress . 

1767
01:07:00,096 --> 01:07:02,151
I think you missed an absolute great 

1768
01:07:02,151 --> 01:07:04,151
opportunity , Miss Richardson , you 

1769
01:07:04,151 --> 01:07:03,750
failed on that one too . If the 

1770
01:07:03,760 --> 01:07:05,959
chairman of Hak says , I think your 

1771
01:07:05,969 --> 01:07:07,747
budget should be doubled . Your 

1772
01:07:07,747 --> 01:07:09,913
immediate response is you will have it 

1773
01:07:09,913 --> 01:07:13,870
by the end of the day tracking . Ok , 

1774
01:07:13,879 --> 01:07:15,870
good . Let's let's move on . Uh my 

1775
01:07:15,879 --> 01:07:17,935
colleague from Alabama hit it on the 

1776
01:07:17,935 --> 01:07:19,823
head with hypersonics . It's very 

1777
01:07:19,823 --> 01:07:19,570
forward leaning and that's , I think 

1778
01:07:19,580 --> 01:07:23,250
that's a very , um , high , high risk 

1779
01:07:23,260 --> 01:07:25,482
profile that we need to be addressing . 

1780
01:07:25,482 --> 01:07:27,649
But my other , my concern besides that 

1781
01:07:27,649 --> 01:07:29,871
is , is cyber . So I was , I was hoping 

1782
01:07:29,871 --> 01:07:32,093
General Richardson and General Guillo , 

1783
01:07:32,093 --> 01:07:34,427
can you , can , you , can you give me a , 

1784
01:07:34,427 --> 01:07:33,830
a kind of a high level briefing on 

1785
01:07:33,840 --> 01:07:36,007
where we stand with cyber risk , cyber 

1786
01:07:36,007 --> 01:07:38,280
threat in both of your , uh A ors and 

1787
01:07:38,290 --> 01:07:40,179
the advances in A I that we're in 

1788
01:07:40,179 --> 01:07:42,179
placing and how we function and the 

1789
01:07:42,179 --> 01:07:44,401
functionality with our partners because 

1790
01:07:44,401 --> 01:07:47,280
their footprint is far inferior to ours . 

1791
01:07:48,270 --> 01:07:51,469
It is and the uh 14 major attacks on 

1792
01:07:51,479 --> 01:07:53,479
government networks in 10 countries 

1793
01:07:53,479 --> 01:07:55,646
over this past year , we can't respond 

1794
01:07:55,646 --> 01:07:57,812
fast enough and help our partners with 

1795
01:07:57,812 --> 01:08:00,479
training . Uh The uh additional funding 

1796
01:08:00,489 --> 01:08:02,489
I received last year helps with the 

1797
01:08:02,489 --> 01:08:04,600
Security co-operation initiative . Uh 

1798
01:08:04,600 --> 01:08:07,560
SSC I for Cyber , but our uh our 

1799
01:08:07,570 --> 01:08:10,030
authorities in institutional capacity 

1800
01:08:10,040 --> 01:08:11,818
building , triple three are not 

1801
01:08:11,818 --> 01:08:14,040
responsive enough . So I would say what 

1802
01:08:14,040 --> 01:08:16,410
help does uh do do the co coms need 

1803
01:08:16,419 --> 01:08:18,475
help with ? Is that flexible funding 

1804
01:08:18,475 --> 01:08:20,752
with triple three to help our partners ? 

1805
01:08:20,870 --> 01:08:22,926
So when these opportunities , they , 

1806
01:08:22,926 --> 01:08:24,926
they're crises , but there are also 

1807
01:08:24,926 --> 01:08:26,981
opportunities to help our partners . 

1808
01:08:26,981 --> 01:08:29,148
And so they , that's what they rely on 

1809
01:08:29,148 --> 01:08:31,470
us for being fast and being quick to uh 

1810
01:08:31,479 --> 01:08:34,399
help them . And so II , I would say 

1811
01:08:34,410 --> 01:08:36,521
that that would be what we would need 

1812
01:08:36,521 --> 01:08:38,759
help with in the process of line eyeing 

1813
01:08:39,100 --> 01:08:41,044
those exact thing . I mean , we're 

1814
01:08:41,044 --> 01:08:43,156
gonna need present that to us . So we 

1815
01:08:43,156 --> 01:08:45,378
know details and in our security cooper 

1816
01:08:45,378 --> 01:08:47,433
initiatives for cyber , we're laying 

1817
01:08:47,433 --> 01:08:49,600
that out and I I have what's called AJ 

1818
01:08:49,600 --> 01:08:51,600
CAT , a joint cyber assessment team 

1819
01:08:51,600 --> 01:08:53,544
from South com . It's like a quick 

1820
01:08:53,544 --> 01:08:55,711
reaction force us to help our partners 

1821
01:08:55,711 --> 01:08:57,878
and then do the institutional capacity 

1822
01:08:57,878 --> 01:09:00,211
building of training with them on Cyber . 

1823
01:09:00,211 --> 01:09:02,378
But we need to , we need to do more on 

1824
01:09:02,378 --> 01:09:04,267
cyber because they , the level of 

1825
01:09:04,267 --> 01:09:06,923
technology um is uh and how quick 

1826
01:09:06,934 --> 01:09:09,824
technology is uh is happening , they 

1827
01:09:09,833 --> 01:09:12,000
cannot keep up with it . And so that's 

1828
01:09:12,000 --> 01:09:14,000
why they , they need our assistance 

1829
01:09:14,000 --> 01:09:15,944
with that . Well , we're more than 

1830
01:09:15,944 --> 01:09:17,833
willing to assist you with that , 

1831
01:09:17,833 --> 01:09:20,055
especially giving the advancements in , 

1832
01:09:20,055 --> 01:09:22,166
in , in cyber risk and cyber threat . 

1833
01:09:22,166 --> 01:09:21,773
Thank you , Congressman . Yes , ma'am , 

1834
01:09:21,813 --> 01:09:24,423
General Congressman first . Uh thanks 

1835
01:09:24,434 --> 01:09:26,601
message received on the funding side . 

1836
01:09:26,601 --> 01:09:30,179
Uh uh As far as cyberspace , just with 

1837
01:09:30,188 --> 01:09:32,355
all the threats that we face uh in the 

1838
01:09:32,355 --> 01:09:34,410
homeland , in all domains , the most 

1839
01:09:34,410 --> 01:09:36,521
persistent and present threat that we 

1840
01:09:36,521 --> 01:09:38,577
face is the cyber threat . Uh We see 

1841
01:09:38,577 --> 01:09:40,958
attacks every day on our attempts to 

1842
01:09:40,969 --> 01:09:43,979
attack our networks every day . On both 

1843
01:09:43,988 --> 01:09:46,179
the uh we have four networks in 

1844
01:09:46,188 --> 01:09:48,299
Northern Command that we use to , you 

1845
01:09:48,309 --> 01:09:50,253
know , conduct our mission that we 

1846
01:09:50,253 --> 01:09:52,309
protect and then also across the dod 

1847
01:09:52,309 --> 01:09:55,148
network that we uh work in uh primarily 

1848
01:09:55,159 --> 01:09:57,270
with Cyber command to make sure we're 

1849
01:09:57,270 --> 01:09:59,381
defending as well as with CIA and the 

1850
01:09:59,381 --> 01:10:00,937
FBI on the defense critical 

1851
01:10:00,937 --> 01:10:03,318
infrastructure . Uh So , uh I share 

1852
01:10:03,329 --> 01:10:05,218
your concern on that . Uh That is 

1853
01:10:05,218 --> 01:10:08,619
certainly the most persistent and uh um 

1854
01:10:09,029 --> 01:10:11,196
challenging threat that , that we face 

1855
01:10:11,196 --> 01:10:13,689
uh have confidence in our de tech , but 

1856
01:10:13,970 --> 01:10:16,026
you don't know what you don't know . 

1857
01:10:16,026 --> 01:10:18,192
And then , so uh continued emphasis on 

1858
01:10:18,192 --> 01:10:20,359
this is something that you'll see from 

1859
01:10:20,359 --> 01:10:23,620
Nora and North com , this is a language 

1860
01:10:24,529 --> 01:10:27,390
not very many people speak and it seems 

1861
01:10:27,399 --> 01:10:31,069
as if one as these attacks happen daily 

1862
01:10:31,080 --> 01:10:33,080
every half second , they are are so 

1863
01:10:33,080 --> 01:10:35,339
repetitive . I I don't want it to be 

1864
01:10:35,350 --> 01:10:38,259
siloed in a way that the the Armageddon 

1865
01:10:38,270 --> 01:10:40,548
happens . And like , well , we've been , 

1866
01:10:40,548 --> 01:10:42,714
this has been happening for years . We 

1867
01:10:42,714 --> 01:10:42,680
just , we didn't know how to , to 

1868
01:10:42,689 --> 01:10:44,800
number one address that up and out of 

1869
01:10:44,800 --> 01:10:48,740
the organization or combat it . So I'm 

1870
01:10:48,750 --> 01:10:50,972
asking you to share with us as best you 

1871
01:10:50,972 --> 01:10:54,549
can , where we stand , where we need to 

1872
01:10:54,560 --> 01:10:56,782
move , how we need to flex left , right 

1873
01:10:56,782 --> 01:10:58,616
of center in order to not become 

1874
01:10:58,616 --> 01:11:02,009
victims in this space . Uh uh Mr 

1875
01:11:02,020 --> 01:11:04,850
Chairman , I , you bet Jimmy Hill is 

1876
01:11:04,859 --> 01:11:06,915
back chair and I recognize gentleman 

1877
01:11:06,915 --> 01:11:09,081
from North Carolina , Mr Davis . Thank 

1878
01:11:09,081 --> 01:11:10,970
you so much , Mr Chair and to our 

1879
01:11:10,970 --> 01:11:14,660
witnesses today , I've actually taken 

1880
01:11:14,720 --> 01:11:17,750
my second trip while um serving in the 

1881
01:11:17,759 --> 01:11:20,350
118 Congress to the southern border . I 

1882
01:11:20,359 --> 01:11:22,990
visited most recently the Del Rio 

1883
01:11:23,000 --> 01:11:24,990
sector um to witness the evolving 

1884
01:11:25,000 --> 01:11:27,589
crisis firsthand . Um While there . Uh 

1885
01:11:27,600 --> 01:11:29,950
We had the opportunity to meet with 

1886
01:11:29,959 --> 01:11:32,292
those who are working on the front line . 

1887
01:11:32,319 --> 01:11:35,399
Um So we definitely appreciate the 

1888
01:11:35,410 --> 01:11:37,521
service and all the work that's taken 

1889
01:11:37,521 --> 01:11:39,830
place that going into it so far , Miss 

1890
01:11:39,839 --> 01:11:43,040
Zimmerman . While on Eagle Pass , we 

1891
01:11:43,049 --> 01:11:45,160
learned there have been more than 100 

1892
01:11:45,160 --> 01:11:47,240
and 20,000 known gota ways . Um , so 

1893
01:11:47,250 --> 01:11:50,299
far , fiscal year 2024 . Um How do you 

1894
01:11:50,310 --> 01:11:52,620
compare the threat posed by these 

1895
01:11:52,629 --> 01:11:55,399
individuals , some of whom are , um , 

1896
01:11:55,410 --> 01:11:57,959
on the terror watch list ? Um , with 

1897
01:11:57,970 --> 01:11:59,803
those who are actually unknown , 

1898
01:12:02,490 --> 01:12:04,370
I couldn't understand your last 

1899
01:12:04,379 --> 01:12:06,435
question . Yeah , I said , how do we 

1900
01:12:06,435 --> 01:12:09,100
compare those to those who are unknown 

1901
01:12:09,629 --> 01:12:12,899
to those who are unknown ? Yes . Uh 

1902
01:12:12,910 --> 01:12:15,580
Well , Congressman , I think , uh you 

1903
01:12:15,589 --> 01:12:17,756
know , the , the work that we're doing 

1904
01:12:17,756 --> 01:12:19,756
not just in Eagle Pass but in other 

1905
01:12:19,756 --> 01:12:21,922
places in support of uh the Department 

1906
01:12:21,922 --> 01:12:23,756
of Homeland Security and our CBP 

1907
01:12:23,756 --> 01:12:25,899
colleagues is uh intended to minimize 

1908
01:12:25,910 --> 01:12:29,069
that number of known God ways . Um We 

1909
01:12:29,080 --> 01:12:31,410
do a lot of detection and monitoring in 

1910
01:12:31,419 --> 01:12:34,459
support of CBP , um which helps to 

1911
01:12:34,470 --> 01:12:36,890
ensure that CB He can respond uh where 

1912
01:12:36,899 --> 01:12:39,609
they need to when they need to in terms 

1913
01:12:39,620 --> 01:12:42,959
of uh those who might be uh affiliated 

1914
01:12:42,970 --> 01:12:45,470
with terrorist criminal organizations , 

1915
01:12:45,479 --> 01:12:47,990
et cetera . Uh I think it's a , a small 

1916
01:12:48,000 --> 01:12:51,040
number relative to the , the other God 

1917
01:12:51,049 --> 01:12:54,629
ways . Um But of course , uh as , as 

1918
01:12:54,640 --> 01:12:56,751
General Guillo said , with respect to 

1919
01:12:56,751 --> 01:12:58,973
Cyber , we can't know what we , what we 

1920
01:12:58,973 --> 01:13:02,560
don't know . Is it safe to say 

1921
01:13:03,000 --> 01:13:06,970
if we know that what we don't 

1922
01:13:06,979 --> 01:13:09,430
know that there are some unknowns ? I 

1923
01:13:09,439 --> 01:13:11,950
mean , is it only an , an assumption 

1924
01:13:12,310 --> 01:13:14,532
that there are likely some who may have 

1925
01:13:14,532 --> 01:13:16,699
been on a terror watch that could have 

1926
01:13:16,699 --> 01:13:19,290
been unknown or identified as unknown ? 

1927
01:13:20,669 --> 01:13:23,339
Uh Congressman ? I think this is really 

1928
01:13:23,350 --> 01:13:25,183
a question for the Department of 

1929
01:13:25,183 --> 01:13:27,239
Homeland Security , uh which , which 

1930
01:13:27,239 --> 01:13:29,406
leads those efforts . Ok . Thank you . 

1931
01:13:29,406 --> 01:13:31,890
Um Moving on then , uh M Zimmerman and 

1932
01:13:31,899 --> 01:13:34,810
General Guillo , um when we talked then 

1933
01:13:34,819 --> 01:13:37,310
in terms of uh transnational criminal 

1934
01:13:37,319 --> 01:13:39,729
organizations uh like uh the drug 

1935
01:13:39,740 --> 01:13:43,209
cartels , um my question is how can we 

1936
01:13:43,220 --> 01:13:46,390
better predict than the next 

1937
01:13:46,399 --> 01:13:50,370
epicenter of the crisis um based 

1938
01:13:50,379 --> 01:13:53,020
on resources that may be at our hands . 

1939
01:13:55,629 --> 01:13:57,879
Congressman uh with regard to uh 

1940
01:13:57,890 --> 01:14:00,740
countering the TC OS uh NORAD has some 

1941
01:14:00,750 --> 01:14:02,779
very uh specific guidance from the 

1942
01:14:02,790 --> 01:14:05,012
department on how we can assist and the 

1943
01:14:05,012 --> 01:14:06,901
way we present that is through uh 

1944
01:14:06,901 --> 01:14:09,060
partnering with various lead federal 

1945
01:14:09,069 --> 01:14:11,660
agencies in the area of intel support 

1946
01:14:11,669 --> 01:14:14,970
more particularly uh by targeting uh 

1947
01:14:14,979 --> 01:14:16,979
the , the network using some of the 

1948
01:14:16,979 --> 01:14:19,201
techniques that uh special operations , 

1949
01:14:19,201 --> 01:14:21,312
command and central command have used 

1950
01:14:21,312 --> 01:14:23,479
effectively overseas uh with terrorist 

1951
01:14:23,479 --> 01:14:25,368
networks using some of those same 

1952
01:14:25,368 --> 01:14:27,350
techniques uh to , to help uh 

1953
01:14:27,359 --> 01:14:29,790
illuminate on the , on the cartels . 

1954
01:14:29,799 --> 01:14:32,560
And so uh through our uh JTF North , 

1955
01:14:32,569 --> 01:14:34,791
that's where we present that capability 

1956
01:14:34,791 --> 01:14:38,169
to the interagency . Yeah , it , 

1957
01:14:38,270 --> 01:14:40,492
it's hard to add to that . I think that 

1958
01:14:40,492 --> 01:14:42,603
was a very comprehensive answer . But 

1959
01:14:42,603 --> 01:14:44,437
uh broadly speaking , we work in 

1960
01:14:44,437 --> 01:14:46,603
conjunction with other departments and 

1961
01:14:46,603 --> 01:14:48,548
agencies making sure that um we're 

1962
01:14:48,548 --> 01:14:50,603
breaking down those silos . Uh I , I 

1963
01:14:50,603 --> 01:14:52,770
was also on the border just uh I think 

1964
01:14:52,770 --> 01:14:55,419
the week before last , uh speaking with 

1965
01:14:55,430 --> 01:14:58,169
um our , our colleagues from JTF North 

1966
01:14:58,180 --> 01:15:00,069
and hearing from them uh that our 

1967
01:15:00,069 --> 01:15:02,660
cooper operation with CBP and , and by 

1968
01:15:02,669 --> 01:15:04,891
extension , the border patrol , I think 

1969
01:15:04,891 --> 01:15:07,629
is , is uh more thorough and deeper 

1970
01:15:07,640 --> 01:15:09,751
than it has been in , in many years . 

1971
01:15:09,751 --> 01:15:12,970
Ok . And um general um go your men and 

1972
01:15:12,979 --> 01:15:16,240
women who've augmented um in terms of 

1973
01:15:16,250 --> 01:15:18,472
the Department of Homeland Security for 

1974
01:15:18,472 --> 01:15:20,890
I believe 18 years now . Um It's my 

1975
01:15:20,899 --> 01:15:23,129
understanding that uh this was never 

1976
01:15:23,140 --> 01:15:25,810
intended to be an enduring mission as 

1977
01:15:25,819 --> 01:15:28,209
it's become . Um can you describe the 

1978
01:15:28,220 --> 01:15:31,490
impact that it has on those who 

1979
01:15:31,500 --> 01:15:34,310
continue to serve congressman uh uh 

1980
01:15:34,319 --> 01:15:36,790
while it hasn't uh been attended to be 

1981
01:15:36,799 --> 01:15:38,910
in a during mission ? Uh We recognize 

1982
01:15:38,910 --> 01:15:41,077
that uh our partners need help and the 

1983
01:15:41,077 --> 01:15:43,299
department has tasked North com to , to 

1984
01:15:43,299 --> 01:15:45,132
do that . The readiness that you 

1985
01:15:45,132 --> 01:15:47,355
alluded to is a , is a very big concern 

1986
01:15:47,355 --> 01:15:50,410
of mine . We operate in three primary 

1987
01:15:50,419 --> 01:15:52,586
areas , you know , in the aviation . I 

1988
01:15:52,586 --> 01:15:54,308
think that we can maintain our 

1989
01:15:54,308 --> 01:15:56,141
readiness for other worldwide uh 

1990
01:15:56,141 --> 01:15:57,975
missions uh in the course of the 

1991
01:15:57,975 --> 01:15:59,919
support missions . But some of the 

1992
01:15:59,919 --> 01:16:02,086
other ones , the logistical support uh 

1993
01:16:02,086 --> 01:16:03,959
and the detection and monitoring 

1994
01:16:04,009 --> 01:16:06,065
require us to take them off the line 

1995
01:16:06,065 --> 01:16:08,231
and conduct other training so they can 

1996
01:16:08,231 --> 01:16:10,342
uh keep the worldwide readiness while 

1997
01:16:10,342 --> 01:16:12,565
they're conducting the Southwest border 

1998
01:16:12,565 --> 01:16:14,676
mission . And that's something that I 

1999
01:16:14,676 --> 01:16:16,620
and JTF North track very closely . 

2000
01:16:16,620 --> 01:16:16,240
Thank you . You're back , Mr , chair 

2001
01:16:17,770 --> 01:16:19,659
thing , gentlemen , chair . And I 

2002
01:16:19,659 --> 01:16:21,770
recognize as a general from Alabama , 

2003
01:16:21,770 --> 01:16:23,992
Mr Strong . Thank you , Mr Chairman . I 

2004
01:16:23,992 --> 01:16:26,270
thank each of you for being here today . 

2005
01:16:26,270 --> 01:16:28,799
Um General uh go the next generation 

2006
01:16:28,810 --> 01:16:30,921
interceptor will play a critical role 

2007
01:16:30,930 --> 01:16:33,779
in us Northern Command um mission and 

2008
01:16:33,790 --> 01:16:35,901
homeland defense . Your predecessor , 

2009
01:16:35,901 --> 01:16:38,068
General Van Herk told the Senate Armed 

2010
01:16:38,068 --> 01:16:41,029
Services Committee on March 20 of 2022 

2011
01:16:41,089 --> 01:16:43,256
that the United States needs to deploy 

2012
01:16:43,256 --> 01:16:46,229
the next generation interceptor NG I by 

2013
01:16:46,240 --> 01:16:48,939
2028 or sooner to keep pace with our 

2014
01:16:48,950 --> 01:16:51,061
adversaries . What is your assessment 

2015
01:16:51,061 --> 01:16:53,339
of the current NG I schedule ? Given 

2016
01:16:53,350 --> 01:16:55,459
the evolving uh threat picture ? 

2017
01:16:56,810 --> 01:16:58,977
Congressman , I agree with General Van 

2018
01:16:58,977 --> 01:17:01,032
Hk's assessment . Uh It's one of the 

2019
01:17:01,032 --> 01:17:03,088
first things I looked at upon taking 

2020
01:17:03,088 --> 01:17:06,100
command . Uh I still uh feel that 2028 

2021
01:17:06,109 --> 01:17:09,319
is the uh the , the , the point where 

2022
01:17:09,330 --> 01:17:11,441
if we have not fielded this system by 

2023
01:17:11,441 --> 01:17:13,497
then that we run the risk of falling 

2024
01:17:13,497 --> 01:17:15,552
behind the advances of competitors , 

2025
01:17:15,552 --> 01:17:17,663
most , most notably North Korea . But 

2026
01:17:17,663 --> 01:17:19,939
at this time , I feel that uh we have 

2027
01:17:19,950 --> 01:17:22,117
the capability to defeat that threat , 

2028
01:17:22,117 --> 01:17:24,228
but we must stay on time with NG I in 

2029
01:17:24,228 --> 01:17:26,228
order to preserve that capability . 

2030
01:17:26,228 --> 01:17:28,339
Thank you just to confirm , you agree 

2031
01:17:28,339 --> 01:17:30,228
that fielding the NG I as soon as 

2032
01:17:30,228 --> 01:17:32,394
possible uh is critical for defense of 

2033
01:17:32,394 --> 01:17:34,617
the Homeland Congressman . I absolutely 

2034
01:17:34,617 --> 01:17:36,839
agree with that . Thank you . If you uh 

2035
01:17:36,839 --> 01:17:39,061
if NG I uh the NG I program failed like 

2036
01:17:39,061 --> 01:17:41,283
its predecessor , uh what uh would that 

2037
01:17:41,283 --> 01:17:43,680
mean for the homeland defense uh system , 

2038
01:17:43,689 --> 01:17:46,640
missile defense system ? Congressman ? 

2039
01:17:46,649 --> 01:17:48,593
I'll , I'll go into details in the 

2040
01:17:48,593 --> 01:17:50,816
closed session , but it would mean that 

2041
01:17:50,816 --> 01:17:52,982
we are not keeping pace with the rogue 

2042
01:17:52,982 --> 01:17:55,093
nations in particular , North Korea . 

2043
01:17:55,093 --> 01:17:57,205
That would be a very bad thing . Be a 

2044
01:17:57,205 --> 01:17:59,371
very bad thing as we have seen . Um uh 

2045
01:17:59,371 --> 01:18:01,939
others now canceled uh portions of the 

2046
01:18:01,950 --> 01:18:04,228
ground based mid course defense system . 

2047
01:18:04,228 --> 01:18:06,172
Maintaining competition as long as 

2048
01:18:06,172 --> 01:18:08,479
possible is critical . The acquisition 

2049
01:18:08,490 --> 01:18:11,240
uh strategy for NG I is the gold 

2050
01:18:11,250 --> 01:18:13,859
standard and uh the plan has always 

2051
01:18:13,870 --> 01:18:15,814
been to carry two teams through at 

2052
01:18:15,814 --> 01:18:18,479
least critical design review . Uh This 

2053
01:18:18,490 --> 01:18:20,379
is why I'm extremely concerned by 

2054
01:18:20,379 --> 01:18:22,323
reports that the department is now 

2055
01:18:22,323 --> 01:18:24,546
officially planning to conduct an early 

2056
01:18:24,546 --> 01:18:27,709
down select for Nging I is the future 

2057
01:18:27,720 --> 01:18:29,664
of homeland missile defense and we 

2058
01:18:29,664 --> 01:18:31,720
don't have another capability in the 

2059
01:18:31,720 --> 01:18:33,890
pipeline if these programs fail . Are 

2060
01:18:33,899 --> 01:18:36,010
you concerned with the amount of risk 

2061
01:18:36,010 --> 01:18:38,629
that hasty uh cost cut measures would 

2062
01:18:38,640 --> 01:18:42,640
add Congressman . I'm , I'm 

2063
01:18:42,649 --> 01:18:44,871
concerned with anything that would give 

2064
01:18:44,871 --> 01:18:47,205
us a less than capable . Uh NG I system , 

2065
01:18:47,205 --> 01:18:49,316
I'll defer to the department and MD A 

2066
01:18:49,316 --> 01:18:51,482
on the specifics of the uh contracting 

2067
01:18:51,482 --> 01:18:53,816
measure , but I do have uh frequent and , 

2068
01:18:53,816 --> 01:18:55,927
and thorough discussions with MD A to 

2069
01:18:55,927 --> 01:18:57,482
ensure that the operational 

2070
01:18:57,482 --> 01:18:59,593
requirements that were established by 

2071
01:18:59,593 --> 01:19:01,816
North com are being met . Thank you . I 

2072
01:19:01,816 --> 01:19:03,982
understand that you're not going to go 

2073
01:19:03,982 --> 01:19:03,509
against your boss . But would you say 

2074
01:19:03,520 --> 01:19:05,242
that the next generation in uh 

2075
01:19:05,242 --> 01:19:07,790
interceptor is a no fail mission ? 

2076
01:19:09,000 --> 01:19:11,129
Congressman ? I believe NG I is a no 

2077
01:19:11,140 --> 01:19:13,649
fail mission . Then why would we put 

2078
01:19:13,660 --> 01:19:15,882
all our eggs in one basket earlier than 

2079
01:19:15,882 --> 01:19:19,569
planned Congressman to the 

2080
01:19:19,580 --> 01:19:21,636
specifics of the of the contract and 

2081
01:19:21,636 --> 01:19:23,802
the procurement . I I have to defer to 

2082
01:19:23,802 --> 01:19:25,802
the MD A experts . Again , I'm very 

2083
01:19:25,802 --> 01:19:27,969
concerned by the proposed major change 

2084
01:19:27,969 --> 01:19:30,191
to policy for NG I . And I look forward 

2085
01:19:30,191 --> 01:19:32,358
to continuing discussions with the dod 

2086
01:19:32,358 --> 01:19:34,620
on how it intends to mitigate the 

2087
01:19:34,629 --> 01:19:37,629
extreme risk of an early down select Mr 

2088
01:19:37,640 --> 01:19:40,490
Chairman . I yield back . Thank the 

2089
01:19:40,500 --> 01:19:42,389
gentleman . You now recognize the 

2090
01:19:42,389 --> 01:19:44,222
gentleman from Pennsylvania , Mr 

2091
01:19:44,222 --> 01:19:46,222
Deluzio . Thank you , Mr Chairman . 

2092
01:19:46,222 --> 01:19:48,278
Good morning , everybody . Thank you 

2093
01:19:48,278 --> 01:19:48,089
for being here . Uh You've highlighted 

2094
01:19:48,100 --> 01:19:50,322
examples today in your testimony and in 

2095
01:19:50,322 --> 01:19:52,211
your written testimony of how the 

2096
01:19:52,211 --> 01:19:54,322
Chinese Communist Party is increasing 

2097
01:19:54,322 --> 01:19:56,211
infrastructure investments in the 

2098
01:19:56,211 --> 01:19:57,933
Western hemisphere . Certainly 

2099
01:19:57,933 --> 01:19:59,933
concerning uh what also concerns me 

2100
01:19:59,933 --> 01:20:01,822
though is their access to our own 

2101
01:20:01,822 --> 01:20:03,933
infrastructure here in this country . 

2102
01:20:03,933 --> 01:20:06,044
Uh Our maritime ports , for example , 

2103
01:20:06,044 --> 01:20:06,000
the Wall Street Journal highlighted 

2104
01:20:06,009 --> 01:20:08,990
just last week , nearly 80% of our ship 

2105
01:20:09,000 --> 01:20:11,167
to shore cranes are Chinese built many 

2106
01:20:11,167 --> 01:20:12,833
containing unexplained covert 

2107
01:20:12,833 --> 01:20:14,939
communications capabilities and 

2108
01:20:14,950 --> 01:20:17,172
equipment . I think the vulnerabilities 

2109
01:20:17,172 --> 01:20:19,339
there are are obvious . I was happy to 

2110
01:20:19,339 --> 01:20:22,080
see uh last year's NDA A section 7405 

2111
01:20:22,089 --> 01:20:24,089
require an assessment of the threat 

2112
01:20:24,089 --> 01:20:26,145
posed by these cranes . I support hr 

2113
01:20:26,145 --> 01:20:28,680
3169 Mr Jimenez and Garamendi and 

2114
01:20:28,689 --> 01:20:30,633
others as well . Uh The Port Crane 

2115
01:20:30,633 --> 01:20:33,049
Security Inspection Act . So general 

2116
01:20:33,060 --> 01:20:35,450
gull start with you , given that much 

2117
01:20:35,459 --> 01:20:37,681
of our port infrastructure is privately 

2118
01:20:37,681 --> 01:20:39,848
owned and we see these vulnerabilities 

2119
01:20:39,848 --> 01:20:41,848
in public reporting . What is North 

2120
01:20:41,848 --> 01:20:44,015
Com's responsibility here and where is 

2121
01:20:44,015 --> 01:20:46,015
private or corporate responsibility 

2122
01:20:46,015 --> 01:20:48,181
lies as well ? Congressman , primarily 

2123
01:20:48,181 --> 01:20:50,759
the uh defense of the , the ports is a 

2124
01:20:50,770 --> 01:20:53,120
uh is , is a private matter . Uh 

2125
01:20:53,129 --> 01:20:56,259
However , uh in uh in particular , in 

2126
01:20:56,270 --> 01:20:58,750
the cyber realm , North com has a , a 

2127
01:20:58,759 --> 01:21:01,000
very vested interest in , in it because 

2128
01:21:01,009 --> 01:21:02,676
of our uh defense of critical 

2129
01:21:02,676 --> 01:21:04,676
infrastructure role in particular . 

2130
01:21:04,676 --> 01:21:07,569
This is where uh we on on behalf of uh 

2131
01:21:07,580 --> 01:21:09,959
requested support from the private 

2132
01:21:09,970 --> 01:21:13,240
companies . Uh If , if they request 

2133
01:21:13,250 --> 01:21:15,361
help in the Cyber in Cooper operation 

2134
01:21:15,361 --> 01:21:18,169
with CIA and uh Cyber command , any uh 

2135
01:21:18,180 --> 01:21:20,180
support given to them uh with Cyber 

2136
01:21:20,180 --> 01:21:22,040
defense from Dod would be uh 

2137
01:21:22,049 --> 01:21:23,993
synchronized and presented through 

2138
01:21:23,993 --> 01:21:26,160
North Com . Do our adversaries care if 

2139
01:21:26,160 --> 01:21:27,993
our infrastructure is owned by a 

2140
01:21:27,993 --> 01:21:30,216
private or a public entity ? Well , I , 

2141
01:21:30,216 --> 01:21:32,271
I don't believe so . I think they uh 

2142
01:21:32,271 --> 01:21:34,438
congressman , I think they worry about 

2143
01:21:34,438 --> 01:21:36,605
their own interest and , and , and not 

2144
01:21:36,605 --> 01:21:39,520
ours uh related to that and my district 

2145
01:21:39,529 --> 01:21:41,870
and , and many others saw nation state 

2146
01:21:41,879 --> 01:21:44,212
actors attacked critical infrastructure , 

2147
01:21:44,212 --> 01:21:46,268
the Al AA Water Authority in Western 

2148
01:21:46,268 --> 01:21:48,435
Pennsylvania , my district experienced 

2149
01:21:48,435 --> 01:21:50,601
an attack . I'm not alone in that . Uh 

2150
01:21:50,601 --> 01:21:52,823
How do you see those vulnerabilities to 

2151
01:21:52,823 --> 01:21:52,810
our critical infrastructure ? Not just 

2152
01:21:52,819 --> 01:21:54,708
threatening our way of life , our 

2153
01:21:54,708 --> 01:21:56,763
prosperity , but undermining defense 

2154
01:21:57,640 --> 01:21:59,362
congressman . The way I see it 

2155
01:21:59,362 --> 01:22:01,140
undermining defense is it could 

2156
01:22:01,140 --> 01:22:03,196
potentially uh you mentioned water , 

2157
01:22:03,196 --> 01:22:05,418
the ports , electricity , any number of 

2158
01:22:05,418 --> 01:22:07,759
rail , any number of those systems that 

2159
01:22:07,770 --> 01:22:09,979
aren't considered to be military or , 

2160
01:22:09,990 --> 01:22:12,209
or the uh defense Department actually 

2161
01:22:12,220 --> 01:22:14,331
are very important to us . As we look 

2162
01:22:14,331 --> 01:22:16,442
to project forces overseas . We would 

2163
01:22:16,442 --> 01:22:18,553
use all those capabilities to support 

2164
01:22:18,553 --> 01:22:20,664
combatant commands around the world . 

2165
01:22:20,664 --> 01:22:22,887
So that's why in my homeland defense uh 

2166
01:22:22,887 --> 01:22:24,887
responsibilities , I take a special 

2167
01:22:24,887 --> 01:22:26,776
interest in that . Thank you , MS 

2168
01:22:26,776 --> 01:22:26,689
Zimmer . I'm going to come to you . 

2169
01:22:26,700 --> 01:22:28,589
I'll just say this . I mean , you 

2170
01:22:28,589 --> 01:22:30,644
outlined the homeland defense policy 

2171
01:22:30,644 --> 01:22:32,700
guidance in your testimony . A quote 

2172
01:22:32,700 --> 01:22:34,680
here must be a quote , focus on 

2173
01:22:34,689 --> 01:22:36,300
defending defense , critical 

2174
01:22:36,300 --> 01:22:38,467
infrastructure against the tax and all 

2175
01:22:38,467 --> 01:22:40,300
domains and build resiliency and 

2176
01:22:40,300 --> 01:22:42,245
redundancy and quote and , and the 

2177
01:22:42,245 --> 01:22:44,356
general went to it . There are pieces 

2178
01:22:44,356 --> 01:22:44,009
of non defense critic , critical 

2179
01:22:44,020 --> 01:22:46,298
infrastructure that defense department , 

2180
01:22:46,298 --> 01:22:48,353
military facilities rely on . If you 

2181
01:22:48,353 --> 01:22:50,353
tell me more about that and how you 

2182
01:22:50,353 --> 01:22:52,353
worry about those vulnerabilities . 

2183
01:22:52,353 --> 01:22:54,576
Congressman . I'd be glad to um this is 

2184
01:22:54,576 --> 01:22:54,500
a major effort that the department is 

2185
01:22:54,509 --> 01:22:56,398
undertaking now in support of the 

2186
01:22:56,398 --> 01:22:58,120
resilience of defense critical 

2187
01:22:58,120 --> 01:23:00,287
infrastructure . And we recognize that 

2188
01:23:00,287 --> 01:23:02,580
a large part of uh the infrastructure 

2189
01:23:02,589 --> 01:23:04,620
on which the Department of Defense 

2190
01:23:04,629 --> 01:23:07,009
relies is not defense owned . Some of 

2191
01:23:07,020 --> 01:23:09,390
it is federal infrastructure owned by 

2192
01:23:09,399 --> 01:23:11,510
federal partners and some of it is in 

2193
01:23:11,510 --> 01:23:13,677
the private sector . Um The Department 

2194
01:23:13,677 --> 01:23:15,343
of Defense is the Sector Risk 

2195
01:23:15,343 --> 01:23:17,510
Management Agency for Defense Critical 

2196
01:23:17,510 --> 01:23:19,677
Infrastructure . There are Sr Ma S for 

2197
01:23:19,677 --> 01:23:21,694
all of the varieties of critical 

2198
01:23:21,705 --> 01:23:24,375
infrastructure . We come together in uh 

2199
01:23:24,384 --> 01:23:26,440
the Federal Senior Leader Council uh 

2200
01:23:26,440 --> 01:23:29,055
which is managed by CISA to talk about 

2201
01:23:29,064 --> 01:23:31,286
cyber threats . And we talk about those 

2202
01:23:31,286 --> 01:23:33,694
in a cross forum uh where we're able to 

2203
01:23:33,705 --> 01:23:37,145
talk with those agencies about uh the 

2204
01:23:37,154 --> 01:23:39,321
infrastructure on which the Department 

2205
01:23:39,321 --> 01:23:41,569
of Defense depends . And so we're able 

2206
01:23:41,580 --> 01:23:43,747
to make decisions , we're able to make 

2207
01:23:43,747 --> 01:23:45,413
sure that the risk management 

2208
01:23:45,413 --> 01:23:47,524
constructs uh that those agencies are 

2209
01:23:47,524 --> 01:23:50,069
pursuing , accommodate the needs of the 

2210
01:23:50,080 --> 01:23:52,302
defense department . But in addition to 

2211
01:23:52,302 --> 01:23:54,358
that , we're making efforts to reach 

2212
01:23:54,358 --> 01:23:56,859
out to our federal state , local tribal 

2213
01:23:56,870 --> 01:23:58,926
and territorial and private sector , 

2214
01:23:58,926 --> 01:24:01,092
defense industrial based partners . So 

2215
01:24:01,092 --> 01:24:03,259
we've recently uh reformed some of our 

2216
01:24:03,259 --> 01:24:05,370
guidance about how we're able to talk 

2217
01:24:05,370 --> 01:24:07,669
about these issues in order to allow us 

2218
01:24:07,680 --> 01:24:10,814
to have uh classified conversations and 

2219
01:24:10,825 --> 01:24:12,881
unclassified conversations in a much 

2220
01:24:12,881 --> 01:24:15,274
more fulsome way with those partners so 

2221
01:24:15,285 --> 01:24:17,229
that they can understand where our 

2222
01:24:17,229 --> 01:24:19,875
dependencies are . We're also working 

2223
01:24:19,884 --> 01:24:22,214
uh in conjunction with uh uh CISA , 

2224
01:24:22,225 --> 01:24:25,015
some of our FEMA colleagues to support 

2225
01:24:25,024 --> 01:24:26,746
the better mapping of critical 

2226
01:24:26,746 --> 01:24:28,924
infrastructure in order to draw out 

2227
01:24:28,935 --> 01:24:30,935
what those dependencies look like . 

2228
01:24:30,935 --> 01:24:33,157
Thank you and I'll , I'll just close to 

2229
01:24:33,157 --> 01:24:35,435
the question I asked to General Guillo . 

2230
01:24:35,435 --> 01:24:37,602
Do , do you think our adversaries care 

2231
01:24:37,602 --> 01:24:37,104
if the thing they are targeting is 

2232
01:24:37,115 --> 01:24:39,884
defense , civilian private , uh , does 

2233
01:24:39,895 --> 01:24:41,728
it matter to them ? I think they 

2234
01:24:41,728 --> 01:24:43,839
absolutely do not . I think they will 

2235
01:24:43,839 --> 01:24:45,951
target the areas that are weakest and 

2236
01:24:45,951 --> 01:24:45,910
we have to be prepared . Thank you , Mr 

2237
01:24:45,959 --> 01:24:48,560
Chairman . I go back chair and I 

2238
01:24:48,569 --> 01:24:50,791
recognized gentleman from New York . Mr 

2239
01:24:50,791 --> 01:24:52,680
Liloa . Thank you chairman . Uh I 

2240
01:24:52,680 --> 01:24:54,847
represent a district in New York . And 

2241
01:24:54,847 --> 01:24:56,569
I want to start by offering my 

2242
01:24:56,569 --> 01:24:58,736
condolences to the families of two New 

2243
01:24:58,736 --> 01:25:00,958
York national Guardsmen , Chief warrant 

2244
01:25:00,958 --> 01:25:03,013
officers , Casey Frankowski , and um 

2245
01:25:03,013 --> 01:25:05,180
and John Gracia who were killed in the 

2246
01:25:05,180 --> 01:25:04,779
recent helicopter crash on our southern 

2247
01:25:04,790 --> 01:25:06,957
border . Their services and sacrifices 

2248
01:25:06,957 --> 01:25:09,290
to our great nation cannot be forgotten . 

2249
01:25:09,689 --> 01:25:11,856
Uh General uh M Zimmerman , uh We have 

2250
01:25:11,856 --> 01:25:14,022
a problem in America's southern border 

2251
01:25:14,022 --> 01:25:15,967
uh and crises at many of America's 

2252
01:25:15,967 --> 01:25:18,078
cities and states . And I want to use 

2253
01:25:18,078 --> 01:25:20,189
my time to address the impact of your 

2254
01:25:20,189 --> 01:25:22,411
areas of operation south com especially 

2255
01:25:22,411 --> 01:25:24,300
uh General Richardson um have our 

2256
01:25:24,300 --> 01:25:26,411
security at America's southern border 

2257
01:25:26,411 --> 01:25:28,633
and in states like New York . Uh just a 

2258
01:25:28,640 --> 01:25:30,751
few years ago , MS 13 with many roots 

2259
01:25:30,751 --> 01:25:32,640
in El Salvador had a massive and 

2260
01:25:32,649 --> 01:25:34,649
destructive presence on Long Island 

2261
01:25:34,649 --> 01:25:36,919
where I represent uh the motto of MS 13 

2262
01:25:36,930 --> 01:25:39,041
for folks at home who may not know is 

2263
01:25:39,041 --> 01:25:41,640
kill , rape and control . Uh And while 

2264
01:25:41,649 --> 01:25:43,870
MS 13 was largely eradicated on Long 

2265
01:25:43,879 --> 01:25:46,046
Island several years ago . Credit to a 

2266
01:25:46,046 --> 01:25:48,101
good partnership between the federal 

2267
01:25:48,101 --> 01:25:50,268
government and local law enforcement . 

2268
01:25:50,268 --> 01:25:52,435
I am concerned about the resurgence of 

2269
01:25:52,435 --> 01:25:54,546
MS 13 or a group like it . Uh And I'm 

2270
01:25:54,546 --> 01:25:56,601
concerned because there's two policy 

2271
01:25:56,601 --> 01:25:58,768
choices going on that are exacerbating 

2272
01:25:58,768 --> 01:26:00,546
the flow of migrants across the 

2273
01:26:00,546 --> 01:26:02,879
southern border and to states like mine , 

2274
01:26:02,879 --> 01:26:04,990
those policies are the administration 

2275
01:26:04,990 --> 01:26:07,046
paroling millions of noncitizen into 

2276
01:26:07,046 --> 01:26:09,157
the United States and New York City's 

2277
01:26:09,157 --> 01:26:11,268
migrant crisis , which is exacerbated 

2278
01:26:11,268 --> 01:26:13,268
by their sanctuary policies . Uh In 

2279
01:26:13,268 --> 01:26:15,435
light of these concerns , I'm eager to 

2280
01:26:15,435 --> 01:26:17,323
explore how we uh can bolster our 

2281
01:26:17,323 --> 01:26:19,379
defenses and ensure that Long Island 

2282
01:26:19,379 --> 01:26:21,546
continues to contribute effectively to 

2283
01:26:21,546 --> 01:26:23,546
our national defense architecture . 

2284
01:26:23,546 --> 01:26:25,101
General Richardson . Um the 

2285
01:26:25,101 --> 01:26:27,268
administration states they're properly 

2286
01:26:27,268 --> 01:26:29,323
vetting all the migrants who come to 

2287
01:26:29,323 --> 01:26:29,200
the United States before paroling them 

2288
01:26:29,209 --> 01:26:31,153
in the United States . Yet critics 

2289
01:26:31,153 --> 01:26:33,265
contend that the proper vetting would 

2290
01:26:33,265 --> 01:26:35,487
entail much more . It would entail full 

2291
01:26:35,487 --> 01:26:37,487
cooper operation from the migrants' 

2292
01:26:37,487 --> 01:26:39,709
home country and awareness of that home 

2293
01:26:39,709 --> 01:26:41,765
country . And what that individual's 

2294
01:26:41,765 --> 01:26:43,931
background is cooper between that host 

2295
01:26:43,931 --> 01:26:46,042
nation's law enforcement intelligence 

2296
01:26:46,042 --> 01:26:48,265
services uh general in your capacity as 

2297
01:26:48,265 --> 01:26:50,487
South com Commander . Is it safe to say 

2298
01:26:50,487 --> 01:26:52,709
that you've become familiar with the El 

2299
01:26:52,709 --> 01:26:56,040
Salvador military ? Uh Yes , I am 

2300
01:26:56,049 --> 01:26:58,327
familiar with the El Salvador military . 

2301
01:26:58,740 --> 01:27:00,518
Uh Are you familiar with the El 

2302
01:27:00,518 --> 01:27:02,470
Salvador government ? Ah , no , 

2303
01:27:02,479 --> 01:27:05,000
congressman . Uh How about some of the 

2304
01:27:05,009 --> 01:27:07,500
local police departments , congressman ? 

2305
01:27:07,529 --> 01:27:09,640
Ok . Given your expertise with the 

2306
01:27:09,649 --> 01:27:12,680
military component . Um Can you tell us 

2307
01:27:12,879 --> 01:27:15,189
um how the intelligence apparatus in 

2308
01:27:15,200 --> 01:27:17,430
countries like El Salvador compares to 

2309
01:27:17,439 --> 01:27:20,629
the United States . Uh It's 

2310
01:27:20,640 --> 01:27:23,240
definitely not as robust congressman 

2311
01:27:23,370 --> 01:27:25,592
scale of 1 to 10 . If the United States 

2312
01:27:25,592 --> 01:27:27,648
is the 10 standard , where would you 

2313
01:27:27,648 --> 01:27:31,359
put nations in your a or uh in terms of 

2314
01:27:31,370 --> 01:27:34,609
the intelligence capacity ? I would say , 

2315
01:27:34,620 --> 01:27:38,410
um they have the advantage of uh 

2316
01:27:38,419 --> 01:27:41,279
having home turf advantage . Uh But I 

2317
01:27:41,290 --> 01:27:43,810
would say uh inside their country , it 

2318
01:27:43,819 --> 01:27:47,029
would be a 10 . And then uh as we 

2319
01:27:47,040 --> 01:27:49,549
encourage our partners to work together , 

2320
01:27:49,560 --> 01:27:51,970
cross their borders uh to share 

2321
01:27:51,979 --> 01:27:54,319
information because all of them are 

2322
01:27:54,330 --> 01:27:57,470
experiencing some uh some form of all 

2323
01:27:57,479 --> 01:27:59,701
of the threats that I've talked about . 

2324
01:27:59,701 --> 01:28:02,399
And so uh them working together 

2325
01:28:02,410 --> 01:28:04,632
together better , not just within their 

2326
01:28:04,632 --> 01:28:07,439
own borders by national operations that 

2327
01:28:07,450 --> 01:28:09,506
we see taking place between Colombia 

2328
01:28:09,506 --> 01:28:12,509
and Ecuador . Uh The work that Colombia 

2329
01:28:12,520 --> 01:28:14,520
and Panama is doing cross border on 

2330
01:28:14,520 --> 01:28:16,990
migration as well . So , so inside the 

2331
01:28:17,000 --> 01:28:19,167
home country , you're saying they have 

2332
01:28:19,167 --> 01:28:21,444
a decent awareness , I appreciate that . 

2333
01:28:21,444 --> 01:28:23,611
Um You also said that you don't , it's 

2334
01:28:23,611 --> 01:28:25,611
no fault of your own . Your command 

2335
01:28:25,611 --> 01:28:27,833
doesn't necessarily have a relationship 

2336
01:28:27,833 --> 01:28:27,330
with the government there or law 

2337
01:28:27,339 --> 01:28:29,561
enforcement . I understand as well . Uh 

2338
01:28:29,561 --> 01:28:31,728
What would you say with respect to the 

2339
01:28:31,728 --> 01:28:33,728
intelligence sharing from countries 

2340
01:28:33,728 --> 01:28:35,950
like El Salvador to the United States ? 

2341
01:28:35,950 --> 01:28:38,228
Is that a mutual thing ? Is it one way ? 

2342
01:28:38,228 --> 01:28:40,390
Is it minimal ? How would you 

2343
01:28:40,399 --> 01:28:42,510
characterize the intelligence sharing 

2344
01:28:42,510 --> 01:28:44,566
between us and El Salvador ? I would 

2345
01:28:44,566 --> 01:28:46,510
say that the work that uh that the 

2346
01:28:46,510 --> 01:28:48,677
ambassador has done on the ground . Uh 

2347
01:28:48,677 --> 01:28:51,419
our US ambassador to El Salvador and 

2348
01:28:51,430 --> 01:28:53,097
the work that we have and the 

2349
01:28:53,097 --> 01:28:55,041
relationships that we have with El 

2350
01:28:55,041 --> 01:28:56,597
Salvador , we have a robust 

2351
01:28:56,597 --> 01:28:59,270
relationship uh military to military . 

2352
01:28:59,390 --> 01:29:01,501
And so the sharing of information , I 

2353
01:29:01,501 --> 01:29:03,520
think uh from El Salvador with the 

2354
01:29:03,529 --> 01:29:05,751
United States is good in that respect . 

2355
01:29:06,149 --> 01:29:08,316
But you don't , are , are you aware of 

2356
01:29:08,316 --> 01:29:10,189
any relationships either state 

2357
01:29:10,200 --> 01:29:12,311
department or other US officials have 

2358
01:29:12,311 --> 01:29:14,311
with some of those more national or 

2359
01:29:14,311 --> 01:29:16,819
local law enforcement entities ? Uh 

2360
01:29:16,870 --> 01:29:19,203
You'd have to speak to them congressman . 

2361
01:29:19,290 --> 01:29:22,160
OK . Um Focusing on drug trafficking , 

2362
01:29:22,169 --> 01:29:24,729
narcotics , uh transitional uh 

2363
01:29:24,740 --> 01:29:27,939
organizations like MS 13 . Um What sort 

2364
01:29:27,950 --> 01:29:30,172
of intelligence have you shared in this 

2365
01:29:30,172 --> 01:29:32,140
setting ? I understand uh with 

2366
01:29:32,470 --> 01:29:34,692
countries like El Salvador with respect 

2367
01:29:34,692 --> 01:29:37,020
to entities like MS 13 and drug 

2368
01:29:37,029 --> 01:29:39,620
trafficking . I have relied on the uh 

2369
01:29:39,629 --> 01:29:41,407
the state Department and the US 

2370
01:29:41,407 --> 01:29:43,629
ambassador in terms of the intelligence 

2371
01:29:43,629 --> 01:29:45,796
sharing uh that they would do with the 

2372
01:29:45,796 --> 01:29:47,851
country of El Salvador . Thank you . 

2373
01:29:47,851 --> 01:29:49,962
Appreciate your service . My time has 

2374
01:29:49,962 --> 01:29:51,851
expired at you back . Thank you , 

2375
01:29:51,851 --> 01:29:53,962
gentlemen , chair and I recognize the 

2376
01:29:53,962 --> 01:29:53,240
gentleman from North Carolina , Mr 

2377
01:29:53,250 --> 01:29:55,569
Jackson . Thank you , Mr Chair . I'd 

2378
01:29:55,580 --> 01:29:57,802
like to share my sense of the situation 

2379
01:29:57,802 --> 01:29:59,969
with respect to fentaNYL production in 

2380
01:29:59,969 --> 01:30:02,024
Mexico . And if I'm wrong , I'd like 

2381
01:30:02,024 --> 01:30:04,247
you to correct me . My understanding is 

2382
01:30:04,247 --> 01:30:06,247
that there are two cartels that are 

2383
01:30:06,247 --> 01:30:08,191
producing the vast majority of the 

2384
01:30:08,191 --> 01:30:08,089
fentaNYL that comes into the United 

2385
01:30:08,100 --> 01:30:10,520
States that we know where these cartels 

2386
01:30:10,529 --> 01:30:13,509
are . That the Mexican government , 

2387
01:30:13,520 --> 01:30:15,576
more specifically , the President of 

2388
01:30:15,576 --> 01:30:17,464
Mexico has been very reluctant to 

2389
01:30:17,464 --> 01:30:19,520
acknowledge this problem , let alone 

2390
01:30:19,520 --> 01:30:21,076
respond to this problem and 

2391
01:30:21,076 --> 01:30:23,298
specifically has been very reluctant to 

2392
01:30:23,298 --> 01:30:25,076
enter into any kind of military 

2393
01:30:25,076 --> 01:30:27,131
partnership with us that we could be 

2394
01:30:27,660 --> 01:30:31,430
much more effective and 

2395
01:30:31,439 --> 01:30:34,770
helpful . Then we are being allowed to 

2396
01:30:34,779 --> 01:30:38,720
be by the Mexican government . 

2397
01:30:39,970 --> 01:30:41,803
Is any of that wrong ? That's my 

2398
01:30:41,803 --> 01:30:44,137
understanding , feel free to correct me , 

2399
01:30:46,680 --> 01:30:49,839
Congressman . I uh I , I can't refute 

2400
01:30:49,850 --> 01:30:51,870
anything that you said . Uh I would 

2401
01:30:51,879 --> 01:30:54,209
point out that uh as part of the 90 day 

2402
01:30:54,220 --> 01:30:56,350
assessment that I'm undergoing , uh I 

2403
01:30:56,359 --> 01:30:58,339
am looking uh very closely at the 

2404
01:30:58,350 --> 01:31:01,069
operational environment uh specifically 

2405
01:31:01,080 --> 01:31:04,379
with uh Mexico and , and uh ho how we 

2406
01:31:04,390 --> 01:31:07,000
address that transnational uh uh 

2407
01:31:07,009 --> 01:31:09,919
criminal organizations . And uh at the 

2408
01:31:09,930 --> 01:31:12,041
conclusion of this , I will brief the 

2409
01:31:12,041 --> 01:31:14,208
secretary on my findings and then I'll 

2410
01:31:14,208 --> 01:31:16,430
be happy to share uh after that uh with 

2411
01:31:16,430 --> 01:31:20,419
this body . My sense is that part of uh 

2412
01:31:20,470 --> 01:31:22,692
one of the success stories that we have 

2413
01:31:22,692 --> 01:31:24,859
to tell with the introduction of drugs 

2414
01:31:24,859 --> 01:31:27,229
and combating cartels is with Venezuela 

2415
01:31:27,240 --> 01:31:29,462
because many years ago , the Venezuelan 

2416
01:31:29,462 --> 01:31:32,810
government accepted our help , accepted 

2417
01:31:32,819 --> 01:31:35,041
our military assistance with respect to 

2418
01:31:35,041 --> 01:31:36,986
running offense on the cartels . J 

2419
01:31:36,986 --> 01:31:39,359
Richardson . Am I right in my 

2420
01:31:39,370 --> 01:31:41,426
understanding of that , that we were 

2421
01:31:41,426 --> 01:31:43,203
able to be very helpful there . 

2422
01:31:45,240 --> 01:31:49,120
Um So the uh Joe Guillo has Mexico and 

2423
01:31:49,129 --> 01:31:51,180
his a or in terms of uh with the 

2424
01:31:51,189 --> 01:31:54,020
cartels and , and uh and I would say 

2425
01:31:54,029 --> 01:31:55,807
with the transnational criminal 

2426
01:31:55,807 --> 01:31:58,859
organizations in my region uh and the 

2427
01:31:58,870 --> 01:32:00,870
insecurity and the instability that 

2428
01:32:00,870 --> 01:32:03,669
they continue to create and uh and 

2429
01:32:03,680 --> 01:32:06,609
their uh portfolio has diversified and 

2430
01:32:06,620 --> 01:32:09,009
they become more powerful as I was 

2431
01:32:09,020 --> 01:32:11,430
saying , uh before this , the , the our 

2432
01:32:11,439 --> 01:32:13,550
countries working together to try and 

2433
01:32:13,550 --> 01:32:15,661
eliminate those threats and share the 

2434
01:32:15,661 --> 01:32:17,717
information on those , those threats 

2435
01:32:17,779 --> 01:32:20,001
that are in the South America , Central 

2436
01:32:20,001 --> 01:32:21,779
American region is uh extremely 

2437
01:32:21,779 --> 01:32:24,001
important . I think what I'm driving at 

2438
01:32:24,009 --> 01:32:27,709
is I think there's a , there are good 

2439
01:32:27,720 --> 01:32:30,580
examples of times in which other 

2440
01:32:30,589 --> 01:32:32,645
countries have entered into military 

2441
01:32:32,645 --> 01:32:34,759
partnership with us in order to run 

2442
01:32:34,770 --> 01:32:37,600
offense on cartels . And it feels like 

2443
01:32:37,609 --> 01:32:39,220
that would be an appropriate 

2444
01:32:39,220 --> 01:32:42,810
partnership right now with Mexico and 

2445
01:32:42,819 --> 01:32:44,875
the president of Mexico is resisting 

2446
01:32:44,875 --> 01:32:47,819
this for reasons that I'm sure none of 

2447
01:32:47,830 --> 01:32:51,069
us fully understand . And at the 

2448
01:32:51,080 --> 01:32:53,919
conclusion of your 90 day assessment , 

2449
01:32:54,140 --> 01:32:56,307
this is going to be a point of extreme 

2450
01:32:56,307 --> 01:32:58,490
interest for a lot of people . Um 

2451
01:32:59,220 --> 01:33:01,220
because I have people who are dying 

2452
01:33:01,220 --> 01:33:03,640
every day in my state , every single 

2453
01:33:03,649 --> 01:33:06,819
day . And the sense is when we hear 

2454
01:33:06,830 --> 01:33:09,052
statements from the Mexican president , 

2455
01:33:09,052 --> 01:33:12,990
like this is not a problem , this does 

2456
01:33:13,000 --> 01:33:16,430
not exist as a problem . We know that's 

2457
01:33:16,439 --> 01:33:20,200
not true and it colors all of our 

2458
01:33:20,209 --> 01:33:22,209
thinking about . Well , what , what 

2459
01:33:22,209 --> 01:33:24,431
does the solution to the problem really 

2460
01:33:24,431 --> 01:33:27,419
look like ? Can we solve the problem 

2461
01:33:27,770 --> 01:33:30,029
when the President of Mexico refuses to 

2462
01:33:30,040 --> 01:33:33,950
acknowledge its existence , let alone 

2463
01:33:33,959 --> 01:33:37,149
refuses to accept our assistance in 

2464
01:33:37,160 --> 01:33:39,382
dealing with this as other nations have 

2465
01:33:39,382 --> 01:33:42,770
to their benefit in the past . Um 

2466
01:33:44,609 --> 01:33:46,553
Can you describe and I know you're 

2467
01:33:46,553 --> 01:33:48,629
still within an assessment , the 

2468
01:33:48,640 --> 01:33:51,680
current scope of our assistance to 

2469
01:33:51,689 --> 01:33:53,856
Mexico with respect to running offense 

2470
01:33:53,856 --> 01:33:56,022
on cartels . What's it look like right 

2471
01:33:56,022 --> 01:33:58,640
now ? Such as you can congressman uh 

2472
01:33:58,649 --> 01:34:01,759
north com is , is , is authorized to uh 

2473
01:34:01,770 --> 01:34:05,680
uh participate in the counter TCO by 

2474
01:34:05,689 --> 01:34:08,149
providing intelligence support . Uh We 

2475
01:34:08,160 --> 01:34:10,470
run the uh info Analysis Center in 

2476
01:34:10,479 --> 01:34:13,859
Mexico City where we uh coordinate with 

2477
01:34:13,870 --> 01:34:16,870
the lead federal agencies for the US as 

2478
01:34:16,879 --> 01:34:18,712
well as cooperating with General 

2479
01:34:18,712 --> 01:34:20,935
Richardson's uh giant of South uh for a 

2480
01:34:20,935 --> 01:34:23,919
full um uh approach of South of our 

2481
01:34:23,930 --> 01:34:26,152
border to include move into uh Southern 

2482
01:34:26,152 --> 01:34:29,830
commands uh A or so uh by target uh in 

2483
01:34:29,839 --> 01:34:32,759
that center , we target the um the 

2484
01:34:32,770 --> 01:34:34,881
network we , we assist with targeting 

2485
01:34:34,881 --> 01:34:36,548
the network with our intel uh 

2486
01:34:36,548 --> 01:34:38,548
specialists and then distribute the 

2487
01:34:38,548 --> 01:34:40,714
information to the interagency . Which 

2488
01:34:40,714 --> 01:34:42,881
what I hear you saying is purely intel 

2489
01:34:42,881 --> 01:34:44,992
at this point . Nothing tactical . Is 

2490
01:34:44,992 --> 01:34:47,103
that rough the assessment , correct ? 

2491
01:34:47,103 --> 01:34:49,159
Thank you . I yield back . Gentleman 

2492
01:34:49,159 --> 01:34:51,326
yields back to you and I recognize you 

2493
01:34:51,326 --> 01:34:53,548
from Texas , Mr Fallon . Uh Thank you , 

2494
01:34:53,548 --> 01:34:55,881
Mr Chairman . You know , when I saw the , 

2495
01:34:55,881 --> 01:34:57,881
the topic of the hearing a few days 

2496
01:34:57,881 --> 01:34:59,992
back , you know , security challenges 

2497
01:34:59,992 --> 01:34:59,750
of North America , South America , I 

2498
01:34:59,759 --> 01:35:01,926
immediately I'll admit , I immediately 

2499
01:35:01,926 --> 01:35:04,092
thought about Venezuela . I wanna take 

2500
01:35:04,092 --> 01:35:05,981
my five minutes and not ask about 

2501
01:35:05,981 --> 01:35:08,148
Venezuela in , in Cuba . And the uh MS 

2502
01:35:08,148 --> 01:35:10,203
13 , like my colleague from New York 

2503
01:35:10,203 --> 01:35:12,370
did or uh the Mexican drug cartels and 

2504
01:35:12,370 --> 01:35:14,520
then it dawned on me , uh that I did 

2505
01:35:14,529 --> 01:35:16,696
pay attention in elementary school and 

2506
01:35:16,696 --> 01:35:18,807
America is part of North America . So 

2507
01:35:18,807 --> 01:35:18,459
why aren't we talking more about 

2508
01:35:18,470 --> 01:35:20,620
focusing my five minutes on securing 

2509
01:35:20,629 --> 01:35:22,950
our own border ? And , uh what I wanted 

2510
01:35:22,959 --> 01:35:25,292
to do is , uh , ask , uh General Guillo , 

2511
01:35:26,740 --> 01:35:30,700
do you think that if you had or I would ? 

2512
01:35:30,709 --> 01:35:34,140
Iii I assume we all agree that 

2513
01:35:34,879 --> 01:35:37,200
border security is a national security 

2514
01:35:37,209 --> 01:35:39,450
issue . Just do we , do we agree on 

2515
01:35:39,459 --> 01:35:41,515
that General Gill Congressman ? I do 

2516
01:35:41,515 --> 01:35:43,626
agree . Ok . I don't think that's AAA 

2517
01:35:43,626 --> 01:35:46,450
real reach . And what concerns me is 

2518
01:35:46,459 --> 01:35:47,903
when I look back at prior 

2519
01:35:47,910 --> 01:35:50,350
administrations and the two prior 

2520
01:35:50,359 --> 01:35:52,526
administrations before the current one 

2521
01:35:52,526 --> 01:35:53,970
at this juncture in their 

2522
01:35:53,970 --> 01:35:56,060
administrations , they had about 1.7 

2523
01:35:56,069 --> 01:35:58,013
million illegal border crossings . 

2524
01:35:58,013 --> 01:36:00,236
Unfortunately , that's now depending on 

2525
01:36:00,236 --> 01:36:02,180
exactly what statute it's hovering 

2526
01:36:02,180 --> 01:36:04,402
around 8 million . Uh , would you agree 

2527
01:36:04,402 --> 01:36:06,500
that that is a , a troubling trend 

2528
01:36:10,140 --> 01:36:12,589
congressman . Uh , the role of North 

2529
01:36:12,600 --> 01:36:15,399
com on the border is to support the uh 

2530
01:36:15,410 --> 01:36:17,632
Department of Homeland Security and the 

2531
01:36:17,632 --> 01:36:19,854
Customs and border protection in , uh , 

2532
01:36:19,979 --> 01:36:22,560
in support roles that , that don't , uh , 

2533
01:36:22,609 --> 01:36:24,776
relate to the law enforcement or the . 

2534
01:36:24,776 --> 01:36:26,831
But general , I count eight stars on 

2535
01:36:26,831 --> 01:36:28,887
your shoulders . Do you think that , 

2536
01:36:28,887 --> 01:36:30,942
that's a , a troubling trend . Would 

2537
01:36:30,942 --> 01:36:32,810
you rather the , the , the fewer 

2538
01:36:32,819 --> 01:36:34,959
illegal crossings we have ? Is that , 

2539
01:36:34,970 --> 01:36:36,970
would , that , would you agree that 

2540
01:36:36,970 --> 01:36:39,248
that's better , the fewer , the better ? 

2541
01:36:39,248 --> 01:36:39,220
Yes , I would agree with that . Uh , 

2542
01:36:39,229 --> 01:36:41,173
because we don't know who a lot of 

2543
01:36:41,173 --> 01:36:43,062
these folks are in , in the prior 

2544
01:36:43,062 --> 01:36:45,062
administration . We had a couple of 

2545
01:36:45,062 --> 01:36:47,270
years where we had 33 individuals on 

2546
01:36:47,279 --> 01:36:49,112
the tariffs watch list that were 

2547
01:36:49,112 --> 01:36:51,223
apprehended and then this past fiscal 

2548
01:36:51,223 --> 01:36:53,279
year , I believe it was 100 and 69 . 

2549
01:36:53,279 --> 01:36:55,501
That is , uh , an alarming difference . 

2550
01:36:55,501 --> 01:36:58,410
Would you not agree ? Congressman ? I , 

2551
01:36:58,419 --> 01:37:01,169
I agree , uh , that , that any threats 

2552
01:37:01,180 --> 01:37:03,939
that come into the US , uh , would be a 

2553
01:37:03,950 --> 01:37:06,089
concern to me as the North Com 

2554
01:37:06,100 --> 01:37:08,879
commander . So with , um , let's talk 

2555
01:37:08,890 --> 01:37:11,709
about the Mexican drug cartels a clear 

2556
01:37:11,720 --> 01:37:14,053
and present danger to the United States . 

2557
01:37:14,053 --> 01:37:16,164
Would you agree with that statement ? 

2558
01:37:16,164 --> 01:37:18,164
Congressman ? I would , I would , I 

2559
01:37:18,164 --> 01:37:19,942
would say that it's certainly a 

2560
01:37:19,942 --> 01:37:21,831
national challenge and a national 

2561
01:37:21,831 --> 01:37:21,729
concern . So I'd say you would , would 

2562
01:37:21,740 --> 01:37:24,129
agree with that , that the cartels are 

2563
01:37:24,140 --> 01:37:26,819
a danger to the United States . The 

2564
01:37:26,830 --> 01:37:29,160
Mexican drug cartels cartel activity 

2565
01:37:29,169 --> 01:37:31,502
does pose a danger to the United States . 

2566
01:37:31,502 --> 01:37:33,669
So we don't wanna embolden them . We'd 

2567
01:37:33,669 --> 01:37:35,836
like to have them weakened because the 

2568
01:37:35,836 --> 01:37:38,058
more , uh , the stronger they get , the 

2569
01:37:38,058 --> 01:37:40,225
more they endanger American citizens , 

2570
01:37:40,225 --> 01:37:42,689
would that be accurate ? It's not a 

2571
01:37:42,700 --> 01:37:46,350
trick question . General , but really , 

2572
01:37:46,359 --> 01:37:48,470
I mean , all right . Well , we've got 

2573
01:37:48,470 --> 01:37:50,637
General Richardson . Do you think , do 

2574
01:37:50,637 --> 01:37:49,740
you think that that is a clear and 

2575
01:37:49,750 --> 01:37:51,694
present danger if the Mexican drug 

2576
01:37:51,694 --> 01:37:53,750
cartels are emboldened and make more 

2577
01:37:53,750 --> 01:37:55,861
money , does that endanger the United 

2578
01:37:55,861 --> 01:37:57,694
States ? Because they're getting 

2579
01:37:57,694 --> 01:37:59,750
stronger , more powerful and they're 

2580
01:37:59,750 --> 01:38:01,639
diversifying their portfolio ? So 

2581
01:38:01,639 --> 01:38:03,472
they're not just doing drugs and 

2582
01:38:03,472 --> 01:38:05,583
trafficking people , but it's illegal 

2583
01:38:05,583 --> 01:38:07,750
mining , illegal logging , counterfeit 

2584
01:38:07,750 --> 01:38:09,917
goods . Uh Some of the worst people on 

2585
01:38:09,917 --> 01:38:11,972
the planet it is and they're getting 

2586
01:38:11,972 --> 01:38:14,028
stronger . So we have to , we really 

2587
01:38:14,028 --> 01:38:16,139
have to band together with all of our 

2588
01:38:16,139 --> 01:38:18,306
countries . Um , all the countries and 

2589
01:38:18,306 --> 01:38:20,417
all of the , uh , across the globe to 

2590
01:38:20,417 --> 01:38:22,417
counter this because they're taking 

2591
01:38:22,417 --> 01:38:24,528
advantage of countries that haven't , 

2592
01:38:24,528 --> 01:38:26,639
uh , experience this kind of activity 

2593
01:38:26,639 --> 01:38:28,528
before and this kind of crime and 

2594
01:38:28,528 --> 01:38:30,583
they're behind the eight ball , uh , 

2595
01:38:30,583 --> 01:38:32,917
trying to counter this before , um , uh , 

2596
01:38:32,917 --> 01:38:34,806
trying to get ahead of it once it 

2597
01:38:34,806 --> 01:38:36,528
occurred . And I apologize for 

2598
01:38:36,528 --> 01:38:36,330
interrupting a little bit . I just have 

2599
01:38:36,339 --> 01:38:38,830
limited time and as A 03 , I don't 

2600
01:38:38,839 --> 01:38:40,910
usually , uh , interrupt , uh , oh , 

2601
01:38:41,080 --> 01:38:44,339
tens . But , um , so Mexican drug 

2602
01:38:44,350 --> 01:38:46,350
cartels present a clear and present 

2603
01:38:46,350 --> 01:38:48,517
danger and they are charging depending 

2604
01:38:48,517 --> 01:38:50,799
on , um , who you talk to between four 

2605
01:38:50,810 --> 01:38:53,430
and $7000 per illegal migrant coming 

2606
01:38:53,439 --> 01:38:55,328
into the country . So it stand to 

2607
01:38:55,328 --> 01:38:57,439
reason that the more illegal migrants 

2608
01:38:57,439 --> 01:38:59,661
crossing the southern border , the more 

2609
01:38:59,661 --> 01:39:01,772
emboldened the cartels get , the more 

2610
01:39:01,772 --> 01:39:03,995
power they get , the more they endanger 

2611
01:39:03,995 --> 01:39:02,799
the American people . And that's 

2612
01:39:02,810 --> 01:39:05,830
exactly why we want to limit 

2613
01:39:06,009 --> 01:39:08,890
the , uh , the the illegal crossings on 

2614
01:39:08,899 --> 01:39:11,066
the southern border . And that's why , 

2615
01:39:11,066 --> 01:39:13,232
for instance , I'm also very concerned 

2616
01:39:13,232 --> 01:39:15,232
and , uh , we'll give it another go 

2617
01:39:15,232 --> 01:39:17,343
General Guillo with Chinese nationals 

2618
01:39:17,343 --> 01:39:17,009
crossing the southern border . There 

2619
01:39:17,020 --> 01:39:19,242
was a couple of years back where we had 

2620
01:39:19,242 --> 01:39:21,298
450 apprehended most of the military 

2621
01:39:21,298 --> 01:39:23,242
age men . Now , depending on who . 

2622
01:39:23,242 --> 01:39:25,298
Again , what you , you talked to was 

2623
01:39:25,298 --> 01:39:27,409
43,000 , 50,000 . Is that an alarming 

2624
01:39:27,409 --> 01:39:29,576
trend for you ? General Guillo ? Yes , 

2625
01:39:29,580 --> 01:39:31,747
congressman . It is . Yeah , it , it , 

2626
01:39:31,747 --> 01:39:33,913
it , it tremendously so and that's why 

2627
01:39:33,913 --> 01:39:36,247
again , we have to do everything we can . 

2628
01:39:36,247 --> 01:39:38,810
Uh Director Raven said that um that 

2629
01:39:38,819 --> 01:39:40,819
there's isis elements that are also 

2630
01:39:40,819 --> 01:39:43,041
crossing the border uh as well . So I , 

2631
01:39:43,041 --> 01:39:45,359
I just can't emphasize enough how 

2632
01:39:45,370 --> 01:39:47,648
important it is to take this seriously . 

2633
01:39:47,648 --> 01:39:49,870
I don't think it's a political matter . 

2634
01:39:49,870 --> 01:39:51,814
I think it's an absolute matter of 

2635
01:39:51,814 --> 01:39:53,981
national security . And uh I thank you 

2636
01:39:53,981 --> 01:39:53,839
for coming today , Mr Chairman . I , 

2637
01:39:53,870 --> 01:39:56,200
you back , thanks Jeremy Hill is back 

2638
01:39:56,209 --> 01:39:58,209
chair and I recognize Jen Lady from 

2639
01:39:58,209 --> 01:40:00,431
California , MS Jacobs . Thank you , Mr 

2640
01:40:00,431 --> 01:40:03,160
Chairman . Um You know , as one of the 

2641
01:40:03,169 --> 01:40:05,058
few members on this committee who 

2642
01:40:05,058 --> 01:40:07,280
actually represent a border community . 

2643
01:40:07,280 --> 01:40:09,447
Um I , I feel like I just need to make 

2644
01:40:09,447 --> 01:40:11,669
sure we are setting the record straight 

2645
01:40:11,669 --> 01:40:13,780
on , on these issues . First of all , 

2646
01:40:13,780 --> 01:40:15,891
San Diego , the community I represent 

2647
01:40:15,891 --> 01:40:18,169
is one of the safest cities in America , 

2648
01:40:18,169 --> 01:40:20,280
not despite being on the border , but 

2649
01:40:20,280 --> 01:40:22,447
I'd argue because of it and I think my 

2650
01:40:22,447 --> 01:40:24,669
colleague from El Paso would likely say 

2651
01:40:24,669 --> 01:40:26,669
the same thing . Uh And despite the 

2652
01:40:26,669 --> 01:40:28,836
fear mongering on display here today , 

2653
01:40:28,836 --> 01:40:31,002
uh on my regular trips to the border , 

2654
01:40:31,002 --> 01:40:30,919
I think it's clear that the best way to 

2655
01:40:30,930 --> 01:40:33,097
actually weaken the drug cartels is to 

2656
01:40:33,097 --> 01:40:34,986
make sure that we have more legal 

2657
01:40:34,986 --> 01:40:37,208
pathways for people to come here and to 

2658
01:40:37,208 --> 01:40:39,374
make sure we can let our border patrol 

2659
01:40:39,374 --> 01:40:41,430
agents uh actually focus on national 

2660
01:40:41,430 --> 01:40:43,652
security um by , for instance , funding 

2661
01:40:43,652 --> 01:40:45,708
the child Well being program . Uh so 

2662
01:40:45,708 --> 01:40:47,819
that we're not having border patrol , 

2663
01:40:47,819 --> 01:40:49,930
acting like social workers . Um And I 

2664
01:40:49,930 --> 01:40:52,097
would just , you know , all the people 

2665
01:40:52,097 --> 01:40:54,208
they're saying on the terrorist watch 

2666
01:40:54,208 --> 01:40:56,374
list that we've seen come through , we 

2667
01:40:56,374 --> 01:40:58,597
know that because we have caught them , 

2668
01:40:58,597 --> 01:41:00,541
which means the system is actually 

2669
01:41:00,541 --> 01:41:02,486
working . So in any case , um just 

2670
01:41:02,486 --> 01:41:04,708
wanted to , to put that at the top . Um 

2671
01:41:04,708 --> 01:41:06,930
uh General Richardson , I'd like to ask 

2672
01:41:06,930 --> 01:41:09,097
you actually about the South com human 

2673
01:41:09,097 --> 01:41:11,152
rights office . Um You know , it was 

2674
01:41:11,152 --> 01:41:13,319
established in the late nineties and I 

2675
01:41:13,319 --> 01:41:15,486
think it's been a clear success in how 

2676
01:41:15,486 --> 01:41:17,708
we integrate human rights directly into 

2677
01:41:17,708 --> 01:41:19,819
daily operations . Um Could you speak 

2678
01:41:19,819 --> 01:41:21,763
to how the human rights office has 

2679
01:41:21,763 --> 01:41:23,986
benefited South com , how it's improved 

2680
01:41:23,986 --> 01:41:23,680
the command's relationship with human 

2681
01:41:23,689 --> 01:41:25,785
rights at in civil society . And if 

2682
01:41:25,794 --> 01:41:27,961
there's anything more you need from us 

2683
01:41:27,961 --> 01:41:30,016
to best be able to utilize the human 

2684
01:41:30,016 --> 01:41:32,127
rights office . So thank you for that 

2685
01:41:32,127 --> 01:41:34,350
congresswoman , the Human rights office 

2686
01:41:34,350 --> 01:41:36,572
in South Com that we've had for over 20 

2687
01:41:36,572 --> 01:41:38,734
years has been a huge enabler and uh 

2688
01:41:38,745 --> 01:41:41,044
and the ability to uh you know , 

2689
01:41:41,055 --> 01:41:43,214
everything that we do it's baked in . 

2690
01:41:43,225 --> 01:41:45,114
It's a , it's a core foundational 

2691
01:41:45,114 --> 01:41:47,234
principle and human rights , the rule 

2692
01:41:47,245 --> 01:41:49,356
of law and the professionalization of 

2693
01:41:49,356 --> 01:41:51,301
the militaries as we work with our 

2694
01:41:51,301 --> 01:41:53,356
military partners in the region . Uh 

2695
01:41:53,356 --> 01:41:55,578
that is at the top of the list and then 

2696
01:41:55,740 --> 01:41:58,899
just uh uh infusing that in terms of 

2697
01:41:58,910 --> 01:42:00,688
all of the programs and then it 

2698
01:42:00,688 --> 01:42:02,910
dovetails nicely into women , peace and 

2699
01:42:02,910 --> 01:42:04,910
security , the integration of women 

2700
01:42:04,910 --> 01:42:06,966
into the forces , the militaries and 

2701
01:42:06,966 --> 01:42:09,188
the public security forces are enlisted 

2702
01:42:09,188 --> 01:42:11,410
leader development program , which is a 

2703
01:42:11,410 --> 01:42:13,521
rock star program . That's what makes 

2704
01:42:13,521 --> 01:42:15,521
our us military so strong is our uh 

2705
01:42:15,521 --> 01:42:17,632
enlisted force . And what we do is we 

2706
01:42:17,632 --> 01:42:19,521
bring that uh that program to the 

2707
01:42:19,521 --> 01:42:21,688
region and help our partners make that 

2708
01:42:21,688 --> 01:42:24,209
stronger . And so , uh with my uh 

2709
01:42:24,220 --> 01:42:26,498
sergeant major sitting behind me today , 

2710
01:42:26,498 --> 01:42:28,831
very , very proud of that program . And , 

2711
01:42:28,831 --> 01:42:30,950
but our human rights office , I just 

2712
01:42:30,959 --> 01:42:33,129
did a human rights engagement uh last 

2713
01:42:33,140 --> 01:42:36,089
Friday and I try to do that uh just 

2714
01:42:36,100 --> 01:42:38,322
about every six months . Uh I meet with 

2715
01:42:38,322 --> 01:42:40,520
human rights organizations um when I 

2716
01:42:40,529 --> 01:42:42,585
travel in the region as well to hear 

2717
01:42:42,585 --> 01:42:44,418
their perspective because it's a 

2718
01:42:44,418 --> 01:42:46,640
perspective that you have to understand 

2719
01:42:46,640 --> 01:42:48,529
not just our military to military 

2720
01:42:48,529 --> 01:42:50,696
perspective , but what is happening on 

2721
01:42:50,696 --> 01:42:52,918
the ground , what they're seeing , what 

2722
01:42:52,918 --> 01:42:54,918
they're concerned about , uh and uh 

2723
01:42:54,918 --> 01:42:56,973
because that factors into everything 

2724
01:42:56,973 --> 01:42:59,029
that we do to help countries . And I 

2725
01:42:59,029 --> 01:43:01,140
think with the human rights uh office 

2726
01:43:01,140 --> 01:43:03,251
that we've been able to , um over the 

2727
01:43:03,251 --> 01:43:05,473
years with the relationships we built . 

2728
01:43:05,473 --> 01:43:07,585
But actually , as , as uh our partner 

2729
01:43:07,585 --> 01:43:09,585
nations have had to be mobilized to 

2730
01:43:09,585 --> 01:43:11,807
help their police . And we talk about , 

2731
01:43:11,807 --> 01:43:13,973
you know , honoring their constitution 

2732
01:43:13,973 --> 01:43:16,029
and the importance of honoring their 

2733
01:43:16,029 --> 01:43:18,174
constitution , not just a person , uh 

2734
01:43:18,185 --> 01:43:20,352
that , that might be in the leadership 

2735
01:43:20,352 --> 01:43:22,814
seat . Uh When , when those gray zone 

2736
01:43:22,825 --> 01:43:24,936
areas come into effect , that's where 

2737
01:43:24,936 --> 01:43:27,115
we really see the uh the benefits of 

2738
01:43:27,125 --> 01:43:29,347
the hard work of our h our human rights 

2739
01:43:29,347 --> 01:43:32,140
office in South com . Thank you . And , 

2740
01:43:32,149 --> 01:43:34,910
and could you um share a little bit 

2741
01:43:34,919 --> 01:43:37,470
about the 25th anniversary celebration 

2742
01:43:37,479 --> 01:43:40,750
that happened in Miami in 2022 . So 

2743
01:43:40,759 --> 01:43:42,648
thank you for that . Uh We had uh 

2744
01:43:42,648 --> 01:43:45,709
numerous countries close to 20 partner 

2745
01:43:45,720 --> 01:43:47,750
nations that came and there were so 

2746
01:43:47,759 --> 01:43:49,926
many people that wanted to come and it 

2747
01:43:49,926 --> 01:43:51,981
was , we had just really extended an 

2748
01:43:51,981 --> 01:43:54,203
invitation to the , to the militaries . 

2749
01:43:54,203 --> 01:43:56,537
But ministers of defense wanted to come . 

2750
01:43:56,537 --> 01:43:58,600
A couple of congressional folks from 

2751
01:43:58,609 --> 01:44:00,442
the countries wanted to come too 

2752
01:44:00,442 --> 01:44:02,665
because they were so excited about it . 

2753
01:44:02,665 --> 01:44:04,831
And then we've had a couple of nations 

2754
01:44:04,831 --> 01:44:07,053
join the Human Rights Initiative . It's 

2755
01:44:07,053 --> 01:44:09,165
a non binding agreement . It's just a 

2756
01:44:09,165 --> 01:44:11,053
commitment to double down on , on 

2757
01:44:11,053 --> 01:44:13,109
supporting human rights and being uh 

2758
01:44:13,109 --> 01:44:15,250
being aware of it . And uh and the 

2759
01:44:15,259 --> 01:44:17,259
training that goes into the partner 

2760
01:44:17,259 --> 01:44:19,490
nations , uh militaries and public 

2761
01:44:19,500 --> 01:44:21,722
security forces . Thank you . And in my 

2762
01:44:21,722 --> 01:44:23,889
last 30 seconds , could you just share 

2763
01:44:23,889 --> 01:44:26,000
how the Human Rights office interacts 

2764
01:44:26,000 --> 01:44:28,111
with the civilian harm mitigation and 

2765
01:44:28,111 --> 01:44:32,100
response policy ? And so the uh uh the 

2766
01:44:32,109 --> 01:44:34,640
uh chimer as we call it for the uh uh 

2767
01:44:34,649 --> 01:44:36,919
as an acronym , but the , those 

2768
01:44:36,930 --> 01:44:39,080
meetings occur regularly with our uh 

2769
01:44:39,089 --> 01:44:41,311
office of the Secretary of Defense . So 

2770
01:44:41,311 --> 01:44:43,367
with Os D and the joint staff and so 

2771
01:44:43,367 --> 01:44:45,520
the engagement and uh and the 

2772
01:44:45,529 --> 01:44:47,919
importance of that uh only brings that 

2773
01:44:47,930 --> 01:44:50,879
up to a higher level with uh a broader 

2774
01:44:51,009 --> 01:44:52,919
uh engagement strategy . And so I 

2775
01:44:52,930 --> 01:44:55,097
appreciate the work by the joint staff 

2776
01:44:55,097 --> 01:44:58,169
and uh and Os D uh to , to do that , 

2777
01:44:58,180 --> 01:45:00,819
that forum . Thank you , Mr Chairman . 

2778
01:45:00,830 --> 01:45:03,299
I go back . Thank you , Mrs mclean for 

2779
01:45:03,310 --> 01:45:05,643
Michigan is recognized for five minutes . 

2780
01:45:05,643 --> 01:45:07,754
Thank you , Mr Chairman and thank you 

2781
01:45:07,754 --> 01:45:10,049
all for being here , General Richardson 

2782
01:45:10,060 --> 01:45:12,500
with the recent breakout in violence in 

2783
01:45:12,509 --> 01:45:15,740
Haiti . The administration has done um 

2784
01:45:15,750 --> 01:45:18,299
has seemingly abandoned Americans 

2785
01:45:18,310 --> 01:45:21,700
abroad . Again , the administration was 

2786
01:45:21,709 --> 01:45:24,649
able to pull out State department staff 

2787
01:45:24,660 --> 01:45:27,500
in our embassy this weekend but made 

2788
01:45:27,509 --> 01:45:29,459
little attempt to rescue other 

2789
01:45:29,470 --> 01:45:32,859
Americans on the island . While I 

2790
01:45:32,870 --> 01:45:35,037
appreciate the part , the department's 

2791
01:45:35,037 --> 01:45:37,810
announced uh additional funding for the 

2792
01:45:37,819 --> 01:45:40,459
M MS mission , the additional funding 

2793
01:45:40,470 --> 01:45:43,229
will not solve the problem . So General 

2794
01:45:43,240 --> 01:45:45,351
Richardson , um my question is , were 

2795
01:45:45,351 --> 01:45:48,660
you contacted or consulted by anyone at 

2796
01:45:48,669 --> 01:45:51,609
the White House or the State Department 

2797
01:45:51,620 --> 01:45:54,770
about Americans uh trapped in Haiti 

2798
01:45:57,290 --> 01:45:59,549
uh regarding uh Americans trapped in 

2799
01:45:59,560 --> 01:46:02,020
Haiti . No , we had uh we were pulling 

2800
01:46:02,029 --> 01:46:04,459
out non-essential uh personnel . So you 

2801
01:46:04,669 --> 01:46:06,910
didn't have any discussion regarding 

2802
01:46:06,919 --> 01:46:10,410
the Americans um that were trapped in 

2803
01:46:10,419 --> 01:46:14,049
Haiti , just government officials 

2804
01:46:14,060 --> 01:46:16,680
or non essential government personnel 

2805
01:46:16,689 --> 01:46:19,129
to , to reduce that number . Was there 

2806
01:46:19,140 --> 01:46:21,250
any conversation among your staff on 

2807
01:46:21,259 --> 01:46:23,426
the rescue of the Americans in Haiti ? 

2808
01:46:23,426 --> 01:46:25,592
What was the plan for those there ? Uh 

2809
01:46:25,592 --> 01:46:27,537
possibly were discussions above my 

2810
01:46:27,537 --> 01:46:29,592
level uh regarding that . And I know 

2811
01:46:29,592 --> 01:46:31,740
that as the political negotiations 

2812
01:46:31,750 --> 01:46:34,569
continue in Jamaica with our uh with 

2813
01:46:34,580 --> 01:46:37,479
our uh Secretary of State and uh 

2814
01:46:37,490 --> 01:46:40,069
Caricom leaders uh to try and get to a 

2815
01:46:40,080 --> 01:46:41,770
political solution on Haiti . 

2816
01:46:43,810 --> 01:46:47,270
So , as of right now , what is the plan 

2817
01:46:47,279 --> 01:46:49,335
for the Americans trapped in Haiti ? 

2818
01:46:50,169 --> 01:46:53,779
And so uh the uh as we work 

2819
01:46:53,790 --> 01:46:55,950
forward , uh the uh as the 

2820
01:46:55,959 --> 01:46:58,549
administration creates a requirement 

2821
01:46:58,560 --> 01:47:02,470
for dod to um to bring out chopped 

2822
01:47:02,479 --> 01:47:05,029
Americans in Haiti , uh We will 

2823
01:47:05,040 --> 01:47:07,299
absolutely do that from South com and I 

2824
01:47:07,310 --> 01:47:09,643
can appreciate it . But as of right now , 

2825
01:47:09,643 --> 01:47:11,366
we don't have any plans to get 

2826
01:47:11,366 --> 01:47:14,319
Americans home . That's what I heard 

2827
01:47:14,330 --> 01:47:16,660
you say . I don't have a request for 

2828
01:47:16,669 --> 01:47:19,430
support to um I just want any American , 

2829
01:47:19,439 --> 01:47:22,509
I appreciate that . Thank you . And 

2830
01:47:22,520 --> 01:47:24,689
what is the situation in your opinion 

2831
01:47:24,700 --> 01:47:26,890
in Haiti right now ? Well , the uh in 

2832
01:47:26,899 --> 01:47:29,010
terms of the violence uh that uh that 

2833
01:47:29,010 --> 01:47:32,060
the gangs um the over 300 gangs , about 

2834
01:47:32,069 --> 01:47:34,959
7200 gang members that we're tracking 

2835
01:47:34,970 --> 01:47:37,192
and the activities that they've taken , 

2836
01:47:37,192 --> 01:47:39,137
uh , over this past week to create 

2837
01:47:39,137 --> 01:47:41,430
violence . They've made four demands 

2838
01:47:41,504 --> 01:47:43,854
for the Prime Minister to resign for 

2839
01:47:43,865 --> 01:47:46,185
elections to be held within 90 days 

2840
01:47:46,194 --> 01:47:48,745
that they be given amnesty for uh , the 

2841
01:47:48,754 --> 01:47:50,698
crimes that they've been , they've 

2842
01:47:50,698 --> 01:47:52,921
committed . And again , ma'am , I don't 

2843
01:47:52,921 --> 01:47:55,087
mean to cut you off . Is the situation 

2844
01:47:55,087 --> 01:47:56,865
pretty dire over there or is it 

2845
01:47:56,865 --> 01:47:58,865
business as usual in Haiti ? No , I 

2846
01:47:58,865 --> 01:48:00,976
would say that they , because of what 

2847
01:48:00,976 --> 01:48:03,198
the gangs have done and taken advantage 

2848
01:48:03,198 --> 01:48:05,365
of the Prime Minister being out of the 

2849
01:48:05,365 --> 01:48:07,310
country , they've consolidated and 

2850
01:48:07,310 --> 01:48:09,421
conducted simultaneous attacks across 

2851
01:48:09,421 --> 01:48:11,198
so pretty dire . Is that a fair 

2852
01:48:11,198 --> 01:48:13,198
assessment or am I over exaggerated 

2853
01:48:13,198 --> 01:48:15,310
situation ? The security situation is 

2854
01:48:15,310 --> 01:48:17,270
dire in Haiti . Was there any 

2855
01:48:17,279 --> 01:48:20,240
intelligence indicating the potential 

2856
01:48:20,250 --> 01:48:22,979
threat of a violent takeover prior to 

2857
01:48:22,990 --> 01:48:26,410
last week ? Uh That was not expected 

2858
01:48:26,419 --> 01:48:28,586
that the gangs would , we had not seen 

2859
01:48:28,586 --> 01:48:30,475
the gangs really work together or 

2860
01:48:30,475 --> 01:48:33,069
coordinate together before uh the uh 

2861
01:48:33,080 --> 01:48:35,279
once the Prime Minister left , there 

2862
01:48:35,290 --> 01:48:37,346
was no indication that they had done 

2863
01:48:37,346 --> 01:48:39,512
that before or that they were going to 

2864
01:48:39,512 --> 01:48:41,457
do that once he departed . So , so 

2865
01:48:41,475 --> 01:48:43,725
prior to there was really no indication 

2866
01:48:43,734 --> 01:48:46,174
or no intel that we would end up in 

2867
01:48:46,185 --> 01:48:48,074
this situation that they would be 

2868
01:48:48,074 --> 01:48:49,852
working together and conducting 

2869
01:48:49,852 --> 01:48:52,055
simultaneous attacks . No . Ok . MS 

2870
01:48:52,064 --> 01:48:53,897
Zimmerman , did the Secretary of 

2871
01:48:53,897 --> 01:48:56,008
Defense consult with the Secretary of 

2872
01:48:56,008 --> 01:48:57,731
State regarding any options on 

2873
01:48:57,731 --> 01:49:00,660
protecting Americans in Haiti . Um uh 

2874
01:49:00,669 --> 01:49:02,613
Thank you , Congresswoman for that 

2875
01:49:02,613 --> 01:49:04,979
question . Um The Secretary of Defense 

2876
01:49:04,990 --> 01:49:07,101
and the Secretary of State along with 

2877
01:49:07,101 --> 01:49:09,323
other members of the US government have 

2878
01:49:09,323 --> 01:49:11,546
had numerous discussions about Haiti uh 

2879
01:49:11,546 --> 01:49:13,490
as this situation has continued to 

2880
01:49:13,490 --> 01:49:15,601
evolve with respect to Americans . Uh 

2881
01:49:15,601 --> 01:49:17,546
in particular , of course , uh the 

2882
01:49:17,546 --> 01:49:19,657
department maintains prudent planning 

2883
01:49:19,657 --> 01:49:21,490
for evacuations wherever we have 

2884
01:49:21,490 --> 01:49:23,546
diplomatic , but the embassy remains 

2885
01:49:23,546 --> 01:49:26,600
open as of now . Um OK , I I'm asking 

2886
01:49:26,609 --> 01:49:28,609
these questions because this is the 

2887
01:49:28,609 --> 01:49:31,169
third time this administration has 

2888
01:49:31,180 --> 01:49:34,930
abandoned Americans abroad in dangerous 

2889
01:49:34,939 --> 01:49:36,995
situations . We don't have a plan to 

2890
01:49:36,995 --> 01:49:39,490
get them out . You just said that last 

2891
01:49:39,500 --> 01:49:41,979
night , I coordinate with Congressman 

2892
01:49:41,990 --> 01:49:44,750
Corey Mills to rescue several Americans 

2893
01:49:44,779 --> 01:49:47,109
trapped in Port Au Prince Congressman 

2894
01:49:47,120 --> 01:49:49,970
Mills actually participated in the 

2895
01:49:49,979 --> 01:49:53,209
rescue of those Americans abandoned by 

2896
01:49:53,220 --> 01:49:55,609
the Biden administration and the State 

2897
01:49:55,620 --> 01:49:58,520
Department . So I ask you all , what 

2898
01:49:58,529 --> 01:50:01,359
exactly is the plan to get Americans 

2899
01:50:01,370 --> 01:50:04,160
trapped in Haiti out ? We don't have 

2900
01:50:04,169 --> 01:50:06,890
one , Mr Chairman . This administration 

2901
01:50:06,899 --> 01:50:08,899
doesn't seem to have a problem with 

2902
01:50:08,899 --> 01:50:11,010
abandon the Americans overseas . This 

2903
01:50:11,010 --> 01:50:12,788
is now the third instance where 

2904
01:50:12,788 --> 01:50:14,899
President Biden and Secretary Lincoln 

2905
01:50:14,899 --> 01:50:17,066
have decided that American lives are a 

2906
01:50:17,066 --> 01:50:19,640
relative first in Afghanistan , Israel . 

2907
01:50:19,649 --> 01:50:21,927
And now Haiti , I yield back with that , 

2908
01:50:21,927 --> 01:50:24,038
Miss Escobar from Texas is recognized 

2909
01:50:24,038 --> 01:50:25,816
for five minutes . Thank you Mr 

2910
01:50:25,816 --> 01:50:27,760
Chairman and I'd like to thank our 

2911
01:50:27,760 --> 01:50:29,982
witnesses for your service and for your 

2912
01:50:29,982 --> 01:50:32,093
presence here today . This is such an 

2913
01:50:32,093 --> 01:50:34,205
important conversation . I'm eager to 

2914
01:50:34,205 --> 01:50:36,560
dive in . But first , um I want to say 

2915
01:50:36,569 --> 01:50:40,020
we recently lost to New York guardsmen 

2916
01:50:40,029 --> 01:50:42,520
and a border patrol agent . And I'd 

2917
01:50:42,529 --> 01:50:45,379
like to express my condolences , uh , 

2918
01:50:45,390 --> 01:50:47,680
especially to the families and , and 

2919
01:50:47,689 --> 01:50:50,879
recognize their incredible service . Um , 

2920
01:50:51,259 --> 01:50:53,426
General Richardson . I , I wanna thank 

2921
01:50:53,426 --> 01:50:56,180
you in particular for all of the 

2922
01:50:56,189 --> 01:50:59,330
engagement that , uh I've had the honor 

2923
01:50:59,339 --> 01:51:01,729
and privilege to have with you over the 

2924
01:51:01,740 --> 01:51:03,962
years . Thank you for your leadership . 

2925
01:51:03,962 --> 01:51:05,709
I have the incredible honor of 

2926
01:51:05,720 --> 01:51:07,831
representing El Paso Texas , which is 

2927
01:51:07,831 --> 01:51:11,000
home to Fort Bliss . And uh over the 

2928
01:51:11,009 --> 01:51:13,560
course of that time , uh you know , I 

2929
01:51:13,569 --> 01:51:15,125
will share one of the , the 

2930
01:51:15,125 --> 01:51:18,359
frustrations for me has been that 

2931
01:51:18,370 --> 01:51:22,029
Congress has not focused on the western 

2932
01:51:22,040 --> 01:51:24,509
hemisphere uh to the extent that I 

2933
01:51:24,520 --> 01:51:27,839
believe we need to and when we 

2934
01:51:27,850 --> 01:51:31,000
are um encountering challenges at our 

2935
01:51:31,009 --> 01:51:33,819
nation's front door , uh It's , it's , 

2936
01:51:33,830 --> 01:51:37,350
that's an example of us acting too 

2937
01:51:37,359 --> 01:51:41,020
slowly and not quickly enough . And uh 

2938
01:51:41,029 --> 01:51:43,140
you know , as I listened to one of uh 

2939
01:51:43,140 --> 01:51:45,307
my colleagues on the other side of the 

2940
01:51:45,307 --> 01:51:47,685
day is talk about the border which 

2941
01:51:47,694 --> 01:51:51,564
again , II I agree with my colleague . 

2942
01:51:51,745 --> 01:51:55,165
Um uh MS Jacobs , uh you know , 

2943
01:51:55,174 --> 01:51:57,044
presents challenges but border 

2944
01:51:57,055 --> 01:51:59,325
communities like El Paso are among the 

2945
01:51:59,334 --> 01:52:02,084
safest in the nation for a reason . Um 

2946
01:52:02,095 --> 01:52:04,404
But a as we think about challenges that 

2947
01:52:04,415 --> 01:52:06,471
we face at the border , we've got to 

2948
01:52:06,471 --> 01:52:08,495
think about investments beyond the 

2949
01:52:08,504 --> 01:52:11,424
border and strategies beyond the border . 

2950
01:52:11,435 --> 01:52:14,330
If we , if we want to be successful and , 

2951
01:52:14,339 --> 01:52:16,395
and that's what I'd like to focus on 

2952
01:52:16,395 --> 01:52:18,395
actually , with my first question , 

2953
01:52:18,580 --> 01:52:20,850
beginning with you General Richardson 

2954
01:52:21,040 --> 01:52:23,799
South Com in particular is one theater 

2955
01:52:23,810 --> 01:52:26,200
where our dollars though small in 

2956
01:52:26,209 --> 01:52:28,359
comparison to investments in other 

2957
01:52:28,370 --> 01:52:31,129
theaters can stretch quite far in terms 

2958
01:52:31,140 --> 01:52:33,799
of return on investment . There is 

2959
01:52:33,810 --> 01:52:36,140
immense value in looking to secure our 

2960
01:52:36,149 --> 01:52:38,310
homeland and address these threats at 

2961
01:52:38,319 --> 01:52:40,910
the source before they arrive at our 

2962
01:52:40,919 --> 01:52:43,520
door . Can you give us some insight on 

2963
01:52:43,529 --> 01:52:45,585
the feedback you're getting from our 

2964
01:52:45,585 --> 01:52:47,696
personnel in South com as well as the 

2965
01:52:47,696 --> 01:52:49,751
counterparts of our coop cooperating 

2966
01:52:49,751 --> 01:52:52,370
nations on the value of these dollars ? 

2967
01:52:52,379 --> 01:52:55,129
What risks do we take on by under 

2968
01:52:55,160 --> 01:52:57,390
investing in these efforts , especially 

2969
01:52:57,399 --> 01:52:59,890
in an era of great power competition ? 

2970
01:53:00,830 --> 01:53:03,270
Yeah , so they thanks congresswoman and 

2971
01:53:03,279 --> 01:53:05,580
uh thank you for your service . And um 

2972
01:53:06,049 --> 01:53:08,271
and so certainly the investment that we 

2973
01:53:08,271 --> 01:53:10,160
make with our partner nations and 

2974
01:53:10,160 --> 01:53:12,216
security cooper operation . Uh And I 

2975
01:53:12,216 --> 01:53:14,438
mentioned the uh the work that Colombia 

2976
01:53:14,438 --> 01:53:16,660
and Panama do together . So as migrants 

2977
01:53:16,660 --> 01:53:20,000
flow out of uh Venezuela , looking for 

2978
01:53:20,009 --> 01:53:22,176
a better life and uh being able to get 

2979
01:53:22,176 --> 01:53:24,830
food and health care and , and uh and 

2980
01:53:24,839 --> 01:53:27,950
be safe uh the operations that the 

2981
01:53:27,959 --> 01:53:30,310
military is doing to go after the , the 

2982
01:53:30,319 --> 01:53:32,589
criminal , uh the criminal gangs in 

2983
01:53:32,600 --> 01:53:34,950
Colombia and then the border forces 

2984
01:53:34,959 --> 01:53:37,015
center front and Sanan and Panama as 

2985
01:53:37,015 --> 01:53:39,490
they work to do the same thing uh to go 

2986
01:53:39,500 --> 01:53:41,611
after the criminal groups that are uh 

2987
01:53:41,611 --> 01:53:43,722
conducting all the crimes , the , the 

2988
01:53:43,722 --> 01:53:45,979
counter , the drug trafficking , the 

2989
01:53:45,990 --> 01:53:48,046
human trafficking , illegal mining , 

2990
01:53:48,046 --> 01:53:50,370
logging all of it , counterfeit goods . 

2991
01:53:50,379 --> 01:53:52,779
And as they've done these uh operations 

2992
01:53:52,790 --> 01:53:54,679
against these criminal groups and 

2993
01:53:54,679 --> 01:53:56,846
transnational criminal organizations , 

2994
01:53:56,846 --> 01:54:00,390
they've actually um been able to uh 

2995
01:54:00,419 --> 01:54:03,240
uh uh find all these other things , all 

2996
01:54:03,250 --> 01:54:05,194
these counterfeit goods , uh , the 

2997
01:54:05,194 --> 01:54:07,361
drugs , the human trafficking . And so 

2998
01:54:07,609 --> 01:54:09,442
they've actually doubled down uh 

2999
01:54:09,442 --> 01:54:11,109
operations and continue those 

3000
01:54:11,109 --> 01:54:13,109
operations would say , started last 

3001
01:54:13,109 --> 01:54:15,350
April in 2023 . And they've continued 

3002
01:54:15,359 --> 01:54:18,680
those uh to get after uh the re you 

3003
01:54:18,689 --> 01:54:20,800
know , helping in their respect to re 

3004
01:54:20,800 --> 01:54:23,459
to try and reduce uh migration and the 

3005
01:54:23,470 --> 01:54:25,414
criminals that are doing the human 

3006
01:54:25,414 --> 01:54:27,414
trafficking . And so the investment 

3007
01:54:27,414 --> 01:54:29,581
that we make with our partners is , is 

3008
01:54:29,581 --> 01:54:32,359
huge uh in terms of them being able to 

3009
01:54:32,370 --> 01:54:34,370
counter the threats inside of their 

3010
01:54:34,370 --> 01:54:36,537
countries . And I think that they're , 

3011
01:54:36,537 --> 01:54:38,648
they're doing uh everything that they 

3012
01:54:38,648 --> 01:54:40,870
can to get after that . Uh but as their 

3013
01:54:40,870 --> 01:54:42,981
laws , some of their laws don't fit , 

3014
01:54:42,981 --> 01:54:45,604
facilitate stopping migration and uh 

3015
01:54:45,615 --> 01:54:48,234
and uh stemming the flow , we see 

3016
01:54:48,245 --> 01:54:50,725
activities to do that , but their laws 

3017
01:54:50,734 --> 01:54:52,845
don't support the military and police 

3018
01:54:52,845 --> 01:54:55,515
to do that as a see human , right ? As 

3019
01:54:55,524 --> 01:54:58,134
a uh uh migration as a human , right ? 

3020
01:54:58,919 --> 01:55:01,141
Thank you , General Richardson . And in 

3021
01:55:01,141 --> 01:55:03,252
my closing few seconds , I would just 

3022
01:55:03,252 --> 01:55:06,080
say I am equally alarmed by the growing 

3023
01:55:06,089 --> 01:55:09,299
sophistication and power of the cartels . 

3024
01:55:09,310 --> 01:55:12,290
They are a global threat . But one of 

3025
01:55:12,299 --> 01:55:14,830
the ways to address the cartels and 

3026
01:55:14,839 --> 01:55:17,919
undercut them and take vulnerable 

3027
01:55:17,930 --> 01:55:20,310
humans out of the hands of them . As 

3028
01:55:20,319 --> 01:55:22,486
human traffickers would be for us to o 

3029
01:55:22,486 --> 01:55:26,180
for Congress to open up legal pathways 

3030
01:55:26,189 --> 01:55:29,160
um ins instead of uh you know what I 

3031
01:55:29,169 --> 01:55:30,836
consider a dereliction of our 

3032
01:55:30,836 --> 01:55:32,884
responsibility to reform outdated 

3033
01:55:32,895 --> 01:55:34,951
immigration laws for decades . Thank 

3034
01:55:34,951 --> 01:55:36,951
you all again for your service , Mr 

3035
01:55:36,951 --> 01:55:39,062
Chairman , I yield back . Thank you , 

3036
01:55:39,062 --> 01:55:41,284
Mr Walsh from Florida is recognized for 

3037
01:55:41,284 --> 01:55:43,562
five minutes . Thank you , Mr Chairman . 

3038
01:55:43,562 --> 01:55:45,562
Uh Two weeks ago , the FB I's Miami 

3039
01:55:45,562 --> 01:55:47,506
field office issued a public alert 

3040
01:55:47,506 --> 01:55:49,673
seeking information on Majd Farhan , a 

3041
01:55:49,854 --> 01:55:51,465
member of Iran's Ministry of 

3042
01:55:51,465 --> 01:55:53,521
Intelligence and Security who's been 

3043
01:55:53,521 --> 01:55:55,620
recruiting individuals quote for 

3044
01:55:55,629 --> 01:55:58,100
operations in the US to include lethal 

3045
01:55:58,109 --> 01:56:00,140
targeting of current and former 

3046
01:56:00,149 --> 01:56:02,205
government officials . Those are the 

3047
01:56:02,205 --> 01:56:03,927
Trump administration , cabinet 

3048
01:56:03,927 --> 01:56:06,220
officials that to this day have to have 

3049
01:56:06,229 --> 01:56:08,919
security because of the threat from 

3050
01:56:08,930 --> 01:56:11,649
Iranian operatives on American soil and 

3051
01:56:11,660 --> 01:56:13,604
they're seeking to avenge the 2020 

3052
01:56:13,604 --> 01:56:16,919
death of Qasem Soleimani . Uh As you 

3053
01:56:16,930 --> 01:56:19,529
all know , the justice department has 

3054
01:56:19,540 --> 01:56:23,379
convicted uh a an Iranian operative for 

3055
01:56:23,390 --> 01:56:27,100
cooperating with Mexican cartels uh and 

3056
01:56:27,109 --> 01:56:29,470
conspiring to blow up a restaurant here 

3057
01:56:29,479 --> 01:56:32,919
in Washington DC uh some years ago . So 

3058
01:56:32,930 --> 01:56:35,419
General Richardson has Iran attempted 

3059
01:56:35,430 --> 01:56:38,220
or is Iran using Venezuela as a 

3060
01:56:38,229 --> 01:56:40,200
springboard to launch clandestine 

3061
01:56:40,209 --> 01:56:42,098
operations in the United States ? 

3062
01:56:44,779 --> 01:56:47,350
Uh The I'd be able to talk to you about 

3063
01:56:47,359 --> 01:56:49,819
that in a better in a closed session . 

3064
01:56:49,830 --> 01:56:51,941
But in terms of the , well , I mean , 

3065
01:56:51,941 --> 01:56:54,163
it's publicly reported general that the 

3066
01:56:54,163 --> 01:56:56,163
Maduro regime is cooperating with , 

3067
01:56:56,163 --> 01:56:59,609
with Iran is providing documentation to 

3068
01:56:59,620 --> 01:57:01,787
help them get into the United States . 

3069
01:57:01,787 --> 01:57:03,676
I mean , this is for the American 

3070
01:57:03,676 --> 01:57:05,787
people to understand we have a public 

3071
01:57:05,787 --> 01:57:07,729
notice of their uh cooper and 

3072
01:57:07,740 --> 01:57:10,629
activities with , with China Russia and 

3073
01:57:10,640 --> 01:57:13,270
Iran . Um can you comment to the level 

3074
01:57:13,279 --> 01:57:15,649
of cooper operation ? I mean , the 

3075
01:57:15,660 --> 01:57:17,438
Maduro regime is sponsoring and 

3076
01:57:17,438 --> 01:57:19,660
facilitating these activities , right ? 

3077
01:57:19,700 --> 01:57:22,240
Uh Yes , they are sponsoring activities 

3078
01:57:22,250 --> 01:57:24,879
and uh and allowing visits to occur and 

3079
01:57:24,890 --> 01:57:27,057
the Cooper operation that they do with 

3080
01:57:27,057 --> 01:57:29,279
these countries . And so let the record 

3081
01:57:29,279 --> 01:57:31,680
show the Maduro regime uh where we have 

3082
01:57:31,689 --> 01:57:34,359
now uh are easing sanctions . This 

3083
01:57:34,370 --> 01:57:36,314
administration is easing sanctions 

3084
01:57:36,314 --> 01:57:38,092
under the Barbados agreement is 

3085
01:57:38,092 --> 01:57:40,314
facilitating assassins to come into the 

3086
01:57:40,314 --> 01:57:43,160
United States to assassinate senior 

3087
01:57:43,169 --> 01:57:45,810
American uh officials , General 

3088
01:57:45,819 --> 01:57:49,049
Richardson . Uh also changing topics to 

3089
01:57:49,060 --> 01:57:51,450
the narcotics that are flowing into uh 

3090
01:57:51,459 --> 01:57:53,439
this country J of South currently 

3091
01:57:53,450 --> 01:57:57,089
employs a special um a , a 

3092
01:57:57,100 --> 01:57:58,878
ship , special mission which is 

3093
01:57:58,878 --> 01:58:01,810
essentially a refueling uh resupply 

3094
01:58:01,819 --> 01:58:04,259
ship uh to allow our partners to extend 

3095
01:58:04,270 --> 01:58:07,180
their range . We have one which is I 

3096
01:58:07,189 --> 01:58:09,330
think incredibly valuable but Miss 

3097
01:58:09,339 --> 01:58:12,180
Zimmerman , I'm surprised that we've 

3098
01:58:12,189 --> 01:58:13,967
received a report back from the 

3099
01:58:13,967 --> 01:58:16,022
Pentagon that adding another ship so 

3100
01:58:16,022 --> 01:58:18,689
that we can interdict on the Pacific 

3101
01:58:18,700 --> 01:58:22,450
and the Caribbean . Uh The Pentagon is 

3102
01:58:22,459 --> 01:58:24,626
basically saying there's a , there's a 

3103
01:58:24,626 --> 01:58:26,681
low return on investment there . Can 

3104
01:58:26,681 --> 01:58:28,870
you explain to the mothers and fathers 

3105
01:58:28,879 --> 01:58:31,290
in Florida the families that are being 

3106
01:58:31,299 --> 01:58:34,020
devastated by the flow of fentaNYL and 

3107
01:58:34,029 --> 01:58:36,251
other drugs into this country . Why one 

3108
01:58:36,251 --> 01:58:39,009
resupply ship not for the US Navy , but 

3109
01:58:39,020 --> 01:58:42,450
to help our partners extend their range 

3110
01:58:42,459 --> 01:58:44,570
and interduct , interdict these drugs 

3111
01:58:44,570 --> 01:58:46,737
is , is not a good investment of their 

3112
01:58:46,737 --> 01:58:48,903
dollars . Uh Congressman , I'd like to 

3113
01:58:48,903 --> 01:58:50,792
take that back and get you a more 

3114
01:58:50,792 --> 01:58:53,070
detailed answer . You don't have an an , 

3115
01:58:53,070 --> 01:58:55,237
I mean , you have a report saying that 

3116
01:58:55,237 --> 01:58:59,169
it wasn't a good investment . We do . 

3117
01:58:59,180 --> 01:59:01,600
I I understand that we're working to 

3118
01:59:01,609 --> 01:59:04,069
make sure the best use of our resources , 

3119
01:59:04,080 --> 01:59:06,302
but I'd like to get you a more specific 

3120
01:59:06,302 --> 01:59:08,524
answer . Thank you . I'll look for that 

3121
01:59:08,524 --> 01:59:10,413
for the record and I I do find it 

3122
01:59:10,413 --> 01:59:12,747
disturbing . You don't have that uh you , 

3123
01:59:12,747 --> 01:59:14,858
you don't have that information given 

3124
01:59:14,858 --> 01:59:17,080
your portfolio . Can we just talk a bit 

3125
01:59:17,080 --> 01:59:19,024
more about Haiti ? Us citizens are 

3126
01:59:19,024 --> 01:59:21,191
trapped in Haiti . We have a member of 

3127
01:59:21,191 --> 01:59:24,729
Congress leading a group down to rescue 

3128
01:59:24,799 --> 01:59:28,049
us citizens from orphanages . We've had 

3129
01:59:28,060 --> 01:59:30,282
multiple members of Congress , rescuing 

3130
01:59:30,282 --> 01:59:32,500
us citizens that were trapped in the 

3131
01:59:32,509 --> 01:59:34,676
West Bank and elsewhere in Israel that 

3132
01:59:34,676 --> 01:59:36,787
were trapped and are still trapped in 

3133
01:59:36,787 --> 01:59:39,160
Afghanistan . Uh We have a breakdown 

3134
01:59:39,169 --> 01:59:42,169
here between the State Department and 

3135
01:59:42,180 --> 01:59:45,279
dod in terms of having assets and 

3136
01:59:45,290 --> 01:59:47,759
resources available to go get Americans . 

3137
01:59:48,069 --> 01:59:50,180
I mean , it's just a basic function . 

3138
01:59:50,330 --> 01:59:52,970
Uh And at this point , I was informed 

3139
01:59:52,979 --> 01:59:55,040
last night that the State Department 

3140
01:59:55,339 --> 01:59:58,910
revoked the clearance for these 

3141
01:59:58,919 --> 02:00:00,975
individuals to land in the Dominican 

3142
02:00:00,975 --> 02:00:03,439
Republic . So can you can you just talk 

3143
02:00:03,450 --> 02:00:06,620
to me more broadly about our not a neo 

3144
02:00:06,629 --> 02:00:09,000
for just the embassy , the embassy 

3145
02:00:09,009 --> 02:00:11,176
personnel will get taken care of . I'm 

3146
02:00:11,176 --> 02:00:13,009
worried about Americans that are 

3147
02:00:13,009 --> 02:00:14,842
trapped uh in this deteriorating 

3148
02:00:14,842 --> 02:00:16,953
situation . General Richardson , Miss 

3149
02:00:16,953 --> 02:00:18,953
Zimmerman . Can you just talk about 

3150
02:00:18,953 --> 02:00:21,176
what we have positioned because we have 

3151
02:00:21,176 --> 02:00:23,398
a mass not only to get Americans but is 

3152
02:00:23,398 --> 02:00:25,565
Guantanamo ready to take on what could 

3153
02:00:25,565 --> 02:00:27,676
be a mass refugee flow on the Florida 

3154
02:00:27,676 --> 02:00:29,470
shores ? So we have plans ready 

3155
02:00:29,479 --> 02:00:31,701
congressman in terms of a non combatant 

3156
02:00:31,701 --> 02:00:34,450
evacuation . A neo plan , also a mass 

3157
02:00:34,459 --> 02:00:36,589
migration plan that we would uh 

3158
02:00:36,600 --> 02:00:38,822
establish what about for us , citizen . 

3159
02:00:38,959 --> 02:00:41,319
And if we get a request uh from the 

3160
02:00:41,330 --> 02:00:43,608
state Department , in order to do that , 

3161
02:00:43,608 --> 02:00:45,663
we have a plan to do that , you take 

3162
02:00:45,663 --> 02:00:47,386
that up . And I recognize as a 

3163
02:00:47,386 --> 02:00:49,552
gentleman from California , Mr Carba , 

3164
02:00:49,552 --> 02:00:51,552
thank you , Mr Chairman and ranking 

3165
02:00:51,552 --> 02:00:53,669
member and thank you to all the 

3166
02:00:53,680 --> 02:00:56,319
witnesses for being here today . Uh the 

3167
02:00:56,330 --> 02:00:58,879
political crisis in Haiti , Venezuela 

3168
02:00:58,890 --> 02:01:00,834
and other countries in the western 

3169
02:01:00,834 --> 02:01:03,100
hemisphere have put the United States 

3170
02:01:03,109 --> 02:01:05,410
in a difficult situation at the border . 

3171
02:01:06,080 --> 02:01:08,069
I'm eager to hear your plans to 

3172
02:01:08,080 --> 02:01:10,379
overcome some of these challenges as 

3173
02:01:10,390 --> 02:01:12,680
well as plans to influence and sustain 

3174
02:01:12,689 --> 02:01:15,220
advantages with China and Russia to 

3175
02:01:15,229 --> 02:01:17,700
gain foothold in our backyard . 

3176
02:01:20,600 --> 02:01:22,822
Thank you , Congressman . And uh and so 

3177
02:01:22,822 --> 02:01:24,933
certainly the funding that I received 

3178
02:01:24,933 --> 02:01:26,822
last year to increase my security 

3179
02:01:26,822 --> 02:01:28,878
co-operation initiatives . Uh it was 

3180
02:01:28,878 --> 02:01:32,430
hugely helpful . And uh and the uh 

3181
02:01:32,439 --> 02:01:34,772
funding that we would receive this year , 

3182
02:01:34,772 --> 02:01:36,939
uh as soon as the defense bills are uh 

3183
02:01:36,939 --> 02:01:40,180
approved , uh will be uh extremely 

3184
02:01:40,189 --> 02:01:42,509
important uh to continue that effort . 

3185
02:01:42,520 --> 02:01:44,549
But I would say 15 to 20 years of 

3186
02:01:44,560 --> 02:01:46,229
getting less than 50% of the 

3187
02:01:46,240 --> 02:01:48,018
requirement for security cooper 

3188
02:01:48,018 --> 02:01:49,907
operation for South Com . And the 

3189
02:01:49,907 --> 02:01:52,018
investment that , that brings that uh 

3190
02:01:52,018 --> 02:01:54,240
it , it can't be made up in just one or 

3191
02:01:54,240 --> 02:01:56,240
two years . So , uh , the sustained 

3192
02:01:56,240 --> 02:01:58,407
funding and the predictable funding is 

3193
02:01:58,407 --> 02:02:00,462
very , very important . And so , but 

3194
02:02:00,462 --> 02:02:02,573
it's not , it's not just the security 

3195
02:02:02,573 --> 02:02:04,796
cooper operation , it's the exercises , 

3196
02:02:04,796 --> 02:02:07,018
it's our ability of the , of the , uh , 

3197
02:02:07,018 --> 02:02:09,129
process with foreign military sales , 

3198
02:02:09,129 --> 02:02:11,765
excess defense articles as our nations 

3199
02:02:11,774 --> 02:02:13,944
are dealing with very old equipment , 

3200
02:02:13,955 --> 02:02:16,604
uh , outdated ground based radar 

3201
02:02:16,615 --> 02:02:18,615
systems so they can see threats and 

3202
02:02:18,615 --> 02:02:21,134
things like that . Uh , we've got to 

3203
02:02:21,145 --> 02:02:23,367
continue to work hard and the Secretary 

3204
02:02:23,367 --> 02:02:25,478
of Defense has led a program to speed 

3205
02:02:25,478 --> 02:02:27,256
that up , uh , with the foreign 

3206
02:02:27,256 --> 02:02:29,423
military sales and things like that to 

3207
02:02:29,423 --> 02:02:31,534
deliver capability , uh , much , much 

3208
02:02:31,534 --> 02:02:33,589
quicker . And I appreciate the inter 

3209
02:02:33,589 --> 02:02:35,812
agency's work on that and then the work 

3210
02:02:35,812 --> 02:02:38,034
we've done with the whole of government 

3211
02:02:38,034 --> 02:02:40,145
and the interagency to bring together 

3212
02:02:40,145 --> 02:02:42,367
all those instruments of national power 

3213
02:02:42,367 --> 02:02:41,750
that I talked about in my opening 

3214
02:02:41,759 --> 02:02:44,109
statement , not just on the military 

3215
02:02:44,120 --> 02:02:45,953
side of the house , it's working 

3216
02:02:45,953 --> 02:02:47,564
together the diplomats , the 

3217
02:02:47,564 --> 02:02:49,731
information environment , the military 

3218
02:02:49,731 --> 02:02:51,842
and the economics because we are , we 

3219
02:02:51,842 --> 02:02:54,064
are doing a lot of things . We just got 

3220
02:02:54,064 --> 02:02:56,176
to integrate and synchronize a little 

3221
02:02:56,176 --> 02:02:58,398
bit better from team USA and supportive 

3222
02:02:58,398 --> 02:03:00,453
team of team democracy . Thank you , 

3223
02:03:00,453 --> 02:03:02,453
General General Richardson , as the 

3224
02:03:02,453 --> 02:03:04,564
ranking member of the Coast Guard and 

3225
02:03:04,564 --> 02:03:06,787
maritime transportation sub-committee . 

3226
02:03:06,787 --> 02:03:08,787
I am focused on G out of South this 

3227
02:03:08,787 --> 02:03:11,149
detection and monitoring operations in 

3228
02:03:11,160 --> 02:03:13,790
your A or what support do you need to 

3229
02:03:13,799 --> 02:03:16,169
accomplish your objectives for better 

3230
02:03:16,180 --> 02:03:19,040
drug interdiction ? So , the work that 

3231
02:03:19,049 --> 02:03:21,160
uh Gay Out of South has done with the 

3232
02:03:21,160 --> 02:03:23,399
inter agency , we have just a , a huge 

3233
02:03:23,410 --> 02:03:25,521
synergy with Gay Out of South and the 

3234
02:03:25,529 --> 02:03:27,751
law enforcement community and the inter 

3235
02:03:27,751 --> 02:03:30,520
agency . And so , uh to continue to 

3236
02:03:30,529 --> 02:03:32,418
build that . And every year , our 

3237
02:03:32,418 --> 02:03:35,589
partner nations uh abilities to utilize 

3238
02:03:35,600 --> 02:03:37,870
that detection and monitoring both our 

3239
02:03:37,879 --> 02:03:39,990
law enforcement , but partner nations 

3240
02:03:39,990 --> 02:03:42,500
too , uh because we want that uh in 

3241
02:03:42,509 --> 02:03:44,640
terms of them being able to increase 

3242
02:03:44,649 --> 02:03:46,816
the , the interdictions as a result of 

3243
02:03:46,816 --> 02:03:48,982
that information and that continues to 

3244
02:03:48,982 --> 02:03:51,240
go up every year at 76% by our partner 

3245
02:03:51,250 --> 02:03:54,000
nations . And so , um we see that they 

3246
02:03:54,009 --> 02:03:56,640
are ve very effective . Um The , the 

3247
02:03:56,649 --> 02:03:58,760
ship special mission was brought up . 

3248
02:03:58,760 --> 02:04:01,419
Uh before that a second , uh SSM would 

3249
02:04:01,430 --> 02:04:03,439
be hugely helpful and would uh 

3250
02:04:03,450 --> 02:04:06,470
definitely uh raise the bar for Gay Out 

3251
02:04:06,479 --> 02:04:08,770
of South and the ability to uh work 

3252
02:04:08,779 --> 02:04:11,160
with partner nations . And so uh the , 

3253
02:04:11,169 --> 02:04:13,280
the funding and the resourcing that's 

3254
02:04:13,280 --> 02:04:15,479
provided for Gayet of South and that 

3255
02:04:15,490 --> 02:04:18,589
ability for them to only continuous uh 

3256
02:04:18,629 --> 02:04:21,549
enable uh those interdictions and 

3257
02:04:21,560 --> 02:04:24,979
disruptions is very helpful . Thank you . 

3258
02:04:24,990 --> 02:04:28,109
Uh General Gio congratulations on your 

3259
02:04:28,120 --> 02:04:30,990
new command . As China continues its 

3260
02:04:31,000 --> 02:04:33,529
goal to project power outside of its 

3261
02:04:33,540 --> 02:04:36,589
borders . What new developments have 

3262
02:04:36,600 --> 02:04:38,640
resulted from China's risky and 

3263
02:04:38,649 --> 02:04:41,419
aggressive intercepts of us aircraft 

3264
02:04:41,430 --> 02:04:44,520
operating internationally that concern 

3265
02:04:44,529 --> 02:04:47,029
in regard to your primary mission to 

3266
02:04:47,040 --> 02:04:48,350
defend the homeland 

3267
02:04:50,520 --> 02:04:52,459
Congressman . Uh Fortunately , we 

3268
02:04:52,470 --> 02:04:55,379
haven't seen uh uh Chinese aircraft 

3269
02:04:55,390 --> 02:04:58,069
operate near our defense uh uh or 

3270
02:04:58,080 --> 02:05:00,247
excuse me , air defense identification 

3271
02:05:00,247 --> 02:05:02,247
zones yet . But I think that that's 

3272
02:05:02,247 --> 02:05:05,339
coming uh as early as this year . Um 

3273
02:05:06,220 --> 02:05:08,649
that shows uh overall concern I have 

3274
02:05:08,660 --> 02:05:10,939
about the growing capability of of uh 

3275
02:05:10,950 --> 02:05:13,310
China . Uh not only with the aircraft , 

3276
02:05:13,319 --> 02:05:15,430
as you just mentioned , but also with 

3277
02:05:15,430 --> 02:05:17,879
the ships and even uh submarines being 

3278
02:05:17,890 --> 02:05:20,330
able to range further from China and 

3279
02:05:20,339 --> 02:05:23,770
closer to , to our shores . Thank you , 

3280
02:05:23,779 --> 02:05:25,799
General Richardson . With the 25 

3281
02:05:25,810 --> 02:05:27,699
seconds . I have left hundreds of 

3282
02:05:27,699 --> 02:05:29,810
thousands of Venezuelan migrants have 

3283
02:05:29,810 --> 02:05:32,459
made their way north uh due to years 

3284
02:05:32,470 --> 02:05:34,830
long economic and humanitarian crisis . 

3285
02:05:35,000 --> 02:05:36,950
Can you , can you speak about how 

3286
02:05:36,959 --> 02:05:39,126
Southern Command is collaborating with 

3287
02:05:39,126 --> 02:05:41,292
the State Department to alleviate this 

3288
02:05:41,292 --> 02:05:43,779
crisis ? So the work that uh that we do 

3289
02:05:43,790 --> 02:05:45,979
um very strong relationship with 

3290
02:05:45,990 --> 02:05:47,823
Department of State with all the 

3291
02:05:47,823 --> 02:05:49,990
ambassadors in the region and then the 

3292
02:05:49,990 --> 02:05:52,046
work that uh that we've done to work 

3293
02:05:52,046 --> 02:05:54,157
with our partners times expired chair 

3294
02:05:54,157 --> 02:05:56,323
and I recognize General from Florida . 

3295
02:05:56,323 --> 02:05:56,100
Mr Gates . So what's the difference 

3296
02:05:56,109 --> 02:05:58,053
between Haiti and a failed state ? 

3297
02:06:02,819 --> 02:06:04,986
It's telling , right , we can't really 

3298
02:06:04,986 --> 02:06:06,875
identify because the gangs are in 

3299
02:06:06,875 --> 02:06:09,097
charge . The government has been thrown 

3300
02:06:09,097 --> 02:06:11,319
out . And as a Florida man , I'm deeply 

3301
02:06:11,319 --> 02:06:13,319
concerned about this wave of people 

3302
02:06:13,319 --> 02:06:15,375
that we're about to have that we are 

3303
02:06:15,375 --> 02:06:17,430
having coming from Haiti and it will 

3304
02:06:17,430 --> 02:06:17,350
accelerate because I've gone to Opa 

3305
02:06:17,359 --> 02:06:19,303
Locka and I've spent time with the 

3306
02:06:19,303 --> 02:06:21,303
folks that are engaged in operation 

3307
02:06:21,303 --> 02:06:23,303
vigilant century . And they say the 

3308
02:06:23,303 --> 02:06:25,248
number one push factor that drives 

3309
02:06:25,248 --> 02:06:27,303
these Haitians into Broward County , 

3310
02:06:27,303 --> 02:06:29,248
Palm Beach County where they don't 

3311
02:06:29,248 --> 02:06:29,180
disperse throughout the country . They 

3312
02:06:29,189 --> 02:06:31,522
stay in Southeast Florida . That , that , 

3313
02:06:31,529 --> 02:06:33,029
that driving factor is the 

3314
02:06:33,029 --> 02:06:35,196
deterioration of conditions in Haiti . 

3315
02:06:35,196 --> 02:06:38,640
So what are we doing to prepare for 

3316
02:06:38,649 --> 02:06:40,959
that wave and to ensure that these 

3317
02:06:40,970 --> 02:06:43,137
people are not paroled into the United 

3318
02:06:43,137 --> 02:06:45,248
States as the administration has done 

3319
02:06:45,248 --> 02:06:47,303
with people on the southern border , 

3320
02:06:47,303 --> 02:06:49,526
but instead are repatriated back at the 

3321
02:06:49,526 --> 02:06:52,339
dock at Port Au Prince . Go ahead . 

3322
02:06:53,959 --> 02:06:56,129
Uh Congressman , we're doing a number 

3323
02:06:56,140 --> 02:06:58,307
of things to ensure that we're keeping 

3324
02:06:58,307 --> 02:07:00,140
track of the situation and we're 

3325
02:07:00,140 --> 02:07:02,196
prepared at the moment . We have not 

3326
02:07:02,196 --> 02:07:04,362
yet seen large numbers , what we would 

3327
02:07:04,362 --> 02:07:06,529
characterize as a , as a maritime mass 

3328
02:07:06,529 --> 02:07:08,862
migration . Um But we are alert to that . 

3329
02:07:08,862 --> 02:07:10,529
We are , we are alert to that 

3330
02:07:10,529 --> 02:07:12,640
possibility . Um I think you're right 

3331
02:07:12,640 --> 02:07:14,862
uh that the , the driving conditions in 

3332
02:07:14,862 --> 02:07:17,196
Haiti could very well press more people . 

3333
02:07:17,196 --> 02:07:19,729
So , uh we've recently pro approved 

3334
02:07:19,740 --> 02:07:21,851
some uh additional assistance that we 

3335
02:07:21,851 --> 02:07:24,500
can provide to uh the Coast Guard II , 

3336
02:07:24,509 --> 02:07:26,565
I think that that has now fully been 

3337
02:07:26,565 --> 02:07:28,398
approved . Uh We'll be providing 

3338
02:07:28,398 --> 02:07:30,565
notifications if we haven't already uh 

3339
02:07:30,565 --> 02:07:32,509
uh to provide additional shipboard 

3340
02:07:32,509 --> 02:07:34,731
assist because I've talked to the Coast 

3341
02:07:34,731 --> 02:07:34,680
Guard and what they say would really 

3342
02:07:34,689 --> 02:07:36,790
support them would be more naval 

3343
02:07:36,799 --> 02:07:39,399
vessels would be dod support . And 

3344
02:07:39,410 --> 02:07:41,979
because I think you correctly said that 

3345
02:07:41,990 --> 02:07:44,850
there is an anticipated mass migration . 

3346
02:07:44,859 --> 02:07:46,637
Here , there are specific legal 

3347
02:07:46,637 --> 02:07:48,859
authorities that we can access , that I 

3348
02:07:48,859 --> 02:07:50,415
would implore you to access 

3349
02:07:50,415 --> 02:07:52,303
specifically George W Bush signed 

3350
02:07:52,303 --> 02:07:56,169
executive order uh 13276 . And in 

3351
02:07:56,180 --> 02:07:58,180
that executive order , there is the 

3352
02:07:58,180 --> 02:08:01,009
ability for any president to designate 

3353
02:08:01,020 --> 02:08:03,439
an anticipated mass migration and that 

3354
02:08:03,450 --> 02:08:06,669
get gray hull naval vessels into the 

3355
02:08:06,680 --> 02:08:08,600
straits of Florida to deter that 

3356
02:08:08,609 --> 02:08:10,776
migration and then to repatriate those 

3357
02:08:10,776 --> 02:08:12,942
people before they get to Florida . So 

3358
02:08:12,942 --> 02:08:14,998
General Richardson , is it your best 

3359
02:08:14,998 --> 02:08:17,109
military advice based on what we just 

3360
02:08:17,109 --> 02:08:18,887
heard from MS Zimmerman that we 

3361
02:08:18,887 --> 02:08:21,580
activate the authorities anticipating a 

3362
02:08:21,589 --> 02:08:24,049
mass migration . So I think that we 

3363
02:08:24,060 --> 02:08:26,950
need to be postured appropriately uh 

3364
02:08:26,959 --> 02:08:29,339
for that uh exactly what you're talking 

3365
02:08:29,350 --> 02:08:31,572
about . And I have put in a request for 

3366
02:08:31,572 --> 02:08:33,970
increased capability to do exactly that . 

3367
02:08:34,490 --> 02:08:36,839
And uh and we are ready if a mass 

3368
02:08:36,850 --> 02:08:38,961
migration , if we need to deal with a 

3369
02:08:38,961 --> 02:08:40,683
mass migration , we did a full 

3370
02:08:40,683 --> 02:08:42,850
walkthrough of our contingency plan on 

3371
02:08:42,850 --> 02:08:44,739
Gitmo last summer with all of the 

3372
02:08:44,739 --> 02:08:47,120
interagency and all of my components . 

3373
02:08:47,129 --> 02:08:49,407
When I talked to the Coast Guard folks , 

3374
02:08:49,407 --> 02:08:51,573
they seem to say that we don't have to 

3375
02:08:51,573 --> 02:08:53,740
go drop these folks off at Gitmo where 

3376
02:08:53,740 --> 02:08:55,851
they , they become a burden on the US 

3377
02:08:55,851 --> 02:08:58,018
taxpayer . We can interdict at sea and 

3378
02:08:58,018 --> 02:09:00,018
then repatriate directly at Port Au 

3379
02:09:00,018 --> 02:08:59,779
Prince . When you say you're preparing 

3380
02:08:59,790 --> 02:09:01,957
for that , does that specifically mean 

3381
02:09:01,957 --> 02:09:05,870
dod assets ? So 

3382
02:09:05,879 --> 02:09:08,189
for what happens on a daily basis that 

3383
02:09:08,200 --> 02:09:10,144
the Coast Guard is doing ? And the 

3384
02:09:10,144 --> 02:09:12,379
repatriation under homeland security 

3385
02:09:12,390 --> 02:09:14,709
authorities back to cap ha happens on a 

3386
02:09:14,720 --> 02:09:17,500
daily basis . Yeah , no , I got that . 

3387
02:09:17,660 --> 02:09:19,771
But what the co when I go down to Opa 

3388
02:09:19,771 --> 02:09:21,882
Locka and get eyeball to eyeball with 

3389
02:09:21,882 --> 02:09:24,104
these folks , they say Congressman , we 

3390
02:09:24,104 --> 02:09:26,216
really could use the dod assistance , 

3391
02:09:26,216 --> 02:09:28,271
not more money for the Coast Guard , 

3392
02:09:28,271 --> 02:09:30,327
not more meetings , conference calls 

3393
02:09:30,327 --> 02:09:32,493
and committees , but gray hull vessels 

3394
02:09:32,493 --> 02:09:34,493
in the straits of Florida doing the 

3395
02:09:34,493 --> 02:09:36,716
interdictions doing the repatriations . 

3396
02:09:36,716 --> 02:09:36,169
So when you say you're , you're 

3397
02:09:36,180 --> 02:09:38,402
anticipating that , I think M Zimmerman 

3398
02:09:38,402 --> 02:09:40,569
laid it out correctly . So given the , 

3399
02:09:40,569 --> 02:09:42,736
the fact that in anticipation maritime 

3400
02:09:42,736 --> 02:09:44,458
mass migration is specifically 

3401
02:09:44,458 --> 02:09:46,645
contemplated , pursuant to 46 US C 

3402
02:09:46,654 --> 02:09:50,444
70051 . Can , can I leave this 

3403
02:09:50,455 --> 02:09:52,511
discussion believing that it will be 

3404
02:09:52,511 --> 02:09:54,511
your best military advice uh to the 

3405
02:09:54,511 --> 02:09:57,104
administration to utilize dod assets 

3406
02:09:57,115 --> 02:09:59,337
for this purpose ? General Richard , if 

3407
02:09:59,337 --> 02:10:01,226
I'm requested to do that , I will 

3408
02:10:01,226 --> 02:10:03,448
definitely do that . No , I want you to 

3409
02:10:03,448 --> 02:10:05,448
make the request not be requested . 

3410
02:10:05,448 --> 02:10:05,444
That's what I'm trying to ascertain . 

3411
02:10:06,189 --> 02:10:09,609
Ok . Yes . Con Congressman . Yes , you , 

3412
02:10:09,620 --> 02:10:11,731
you will make that request for dod si 

3413
02:10:11,731 --> 02:10:13,842
will talk with District seven and our 

3414
02:10:13,842 --> 02:10:15,898
coast guard on the , on the Atlantic 

3415
02:10:15,898 --> 02:10:18,069
side , uh Atlantic area . And uh , see 

3416
02:10:18,080 --> 02:10:20,660
if they need additional , uh , gray dod 

3417
02:10:20,669 --> 02:10:22,930
gray holes . They have not requested 

3418
02:10:22,939 --> 02:10:25,750
that specifically from South com . And 

3419
02:10:25,759 --> 02:10:27,981
so , but if there's a need for that , I 

3420
02:10:27,981 --> 02:10:30,203
would absolutely request it . Thank you 

3421
02:10:30,203 --> 02:10:32,203
for that because I , I really think 

3422
02:10:32,203 --> 02:10:34,370
getting ahead of this will ensure that 

3423
02:10:34,370 --> 02:10:37,299
the humanitarian conditions um uh will 

3424
02:10:37,310 --> 02:10:39,143
will be far better that we could 

3425
02:10:39,143 --> 02:10:41,890
perhaps deter some of this because I 

3426
02:10:41,930 --> 02:10:44,097
mean , it's tragic conditions when you 

3427
02:10:44,097 --> 02:10:46,319
talk to these folks and they , they say 

3428
02:10:46,319 --> 02:10:48,097
that these Haitians are pouring 

3429
02:10:48,097 --> 02:10:50,097
gasoline on little babies and doing 

3430
02:10:50,097 --> 02:10:49,540
everything they can to deter 

3431
02:10:49,549 --> 02:10:52,169
interdictions . Um It , it sharpens the 

3432
02:10:52,180 --> 02:10:54,291
minds of my fellow Floridians to want 

3433
02:10:54,291 --> 02:10:56,069
to make sure you guys are doing 

3434
02:10:56,069 --> 02:10:55,910
everything possible and I greatly 

3435
02:10:55,919 --> 02:10:58,086
appreciate the exchange today . You're 

3436
02:10:58,086 --> 02:11:00,252
back . Gentleman yields back chair and 

3437
02:11:00,252 --> 02:11:02,363
I recognize you from Connecticut , Mr 

3438
02:11:02,363 --> 02:11:04,586
Courtney . Thank you uh Chairman Rogers 

3439
02:11:04,586 --> 02:11:06,697
and thank you to all the witnesses um 

3440
02:11:06,697 --> 02:11:08,530
for your uh testimony today . Uh 

3441
02:11:08,530 --> 02:11:10,970
General Gal . Um Again , it was a 

3442
02:11:10,979 --> 02:11:12,368
pleasure to meet you and 

3443
02:11:12,368 --> 02:11:14,850
congratulations again on your uh uh new 

3444
02:11:14,859 --> 02:11:17,669
assignment . Um In your testimony , you 

3445
02:11:17,680 --> 02:11:19,569
spoke about , you spoke about the 

3446
02:11:19,569 --> 02:11:21,624
ability to detect classify and track 

3447
02:11:21,624 --> 02:11:23,791
potential threats to the homeland from 

3448
02:11:23,791 --> 02:11:25,791
the sea floor to space in the cyber 

3449
02:11:25,791 --> 02:11:27,958
domain is a critical need for us North 

3450
02:11:27,958 --> 02:11:30,124
com and no ad and that investments and 

3451
02:11:30,124 --> 02:11:32,124
capabilities such as the integrated 

3452
02:11:32,124 --> 02:11:34,347
undersea surveillance system , the I US 

3453
02:11:34,347 --> 02:11:36,347
S will significantly enhance domain 

3454
02:11:36,347 --> 02:11:38,180
awareness to limit competitors , 

3455
02:11:38,180 --> 02:11:40,069
ability to approach North America 

3456
02:11:40,069 --> 02:11:42,069
undetected . Can you speak a little 

3457
02:11:42,069 --> 02:11:44,069
more again ? I know in your written 

3458
02:11:44,069 --> 02:11:46,291
testimony , you mentioned the fact that 

3459
02:11:46,291 --> 02:11:48,124
now um Russia is about to deploy 

3460
02:11:48,124 --> 02:11:50,124
another sever Devins um which again 

3461
02:11:50,124 --> 02:11:52,830
would be um on the West coast , they 

3462
02:11:52,839 --> 02:11:55,979
already 2014 , they deployed their 

3463
02:11:55,990 --> 02:11:58,212
first severed events which , uh , again 

3464
02:11:58,212 --> 02:12:00,189
has been , um , you know , a real 

3465
02:12:00,200 --> 02:12:02,140
challenge for uh , anti submarine 

3466
02:12:02,149 --> 02:12:04,371
warfare and our allies working together 

3467
02:12:04,371 --> 02:12:06,482
to , to , um , you know , keep an eye 

3468
02:12:06,482 --> 02:12:09,529
on that . And the I US s um , is again 

3469
02:12:09,540 --> 02:12:11,819
an another capability . Um Again , 

3470
02:12:11,830 --> 02:12:14,052
could you talk again about , you know , 

3471
02:12:14,052 --> 02:12:16,108
the , the homelands facing something 

3472
02:12:16,108 --> 02:12:18,219
that we really haven't seen since the 

3473
02:12:18,219 --> 02:12:20,552
Cold War in terms of the undersea ? And , 

3474
02:12:20,552 --> 02:12:22,386
and , um , would appreciate your 

3475
02:12:22,386 --> 02:12:24,274
thoughts , Congressman . You're , 

3476
02:12:24,274 --> 02:12:26,386
you're exactly right . The , uh , the 

3477
02:12:26,386 --> 02:12:28,497
under ability to detect with undersea 

3478
02:12:28,497 --> 02:12:30,552
sensors is more important today than 

3479
02:12:30,552 --> 02:12:32,719
ever before because of the advances in 

3480
02:12:32,719 --> 02:12:34,774
the se as you mentioned . Uh , now a 

3481
02:12:34,774 --> 02:12:36,941
threat to both coasts , uh , and , and 

3482
02:12:36,950 --> 02:12:39,100
the uh quiet nature with which those 

3483
02:12:39,109 --> 02:12:41,930
submarines can operate , mean that they 

3484
02:12:41,939 --> 02:12:43,828
could , uh , very easily get much 

3485
02:12:43,828 --> 02:12:46,470
closer to the , uh , us and then deploy 

3486
02:12:46,479 --> 02:12:48,701
their , uh , uh large arsenal of cruise 

3487
02:12:48,701 --> 02:12:51,490
missiles , uh to a point where if that 

3488
02:12:51,500 --> 02:12:53,444
were allowed to happen . The first 

3489
02:12:53,444 --> 02:12:55,722
detection we would likely get would be , 

3490
02:12:55,722 --> 02:12:57,889
could be the explosions of the uh , of 

3491
02:12:57,889 --> 02:13:00,000
the cruise missiles . So , uh keeping 

3492
02:13:00,000 --> 02:13:02,290
our undersea advantage is imperative . 

3493
02:13:02,450 --> 02:13:05,169
And I think the , the first step in 

3494
02:13:05,180 --> 02:13:07,729
that is to increase our undersea sensor 

3495
02:13:07,740 --> 02:13:10,009
capability to allow us to detect these 

3496
02:13:10,020 --> 02:13:12,242
threats further away from the US shores 

3497
02:13:12,242 --> 02:13:14,409
than we can today . Well , thank you . 

3498
02:13:14,409 --> 02:13:16,464
And , and as we discussed , I mean , 

3499
02:13:16,464 --> 02:13:19,160
the , the present um , situation , at 

3500
02:13:19,169 --> 02:13:21,259
least on the Atlantic is , uh , is a 

3501
02:13:21,270 --> 02:13:24,390
team sport with our allies um in the 

3502
02:13:24,399 --> 02:13:26,232
air on the surface and under the 

3503
02:13:26,232 --> 02:13:28,930
surface in terms of trying to track um , 

3504
02:13:28,939 --> 02:13:31,050
that , that threat . I , I remember , 

3505
02:13:31,050 --> 02:13:34,240
um , a ruffed who was the former CNO uh 

3506
02:13:34,250 --> 02:13:36,250
one time saying that the , the best 

3507
02:13:36,250 --> 02:13:38,139
anti submarine warfare is another 

3508
02:13:38,139 --> 02:13:40,139
submarine . I mean , that obviously 

3509
02:13:40,139 --> 02:13:42,589
also has to be kind of um viewed as a 

3510
02:13:42,600 --> 02:13:45,080
priority . Uh If , if again , we're 

3511
02:13:45,089 --> 02:13:47,145
going to have an effective system of 

3512
02:13:47,145 --> 02:13:50,200
defense . Is that correct ? Sir ? It is 

3513
02:13:50,209 --> 02:13:52,330
absolutely correct . And , uh we get 

3514
02:13:52,339 --> 02:13:54,395
great partnership , uh especially in 

3515
02:13:54,395 --> 02:13:56,506
the Atlantic , we have a one Atlantic 

3516
02:13:56,506 --> 02:13:59,140
uh te technique , tactic technique and 

3517
02:13:59,149 --> 02:14:01,890
procedure where north com U com and 

3518
02:14:01,899 --> 02:14:03,566
Southern Command with General 

3519
02:14:03,566 --> 02:14:05,621
Richardson , all share information . 

3520
02:14:05,621 --> 02:14:07,750
And we don't use the strict line that 

3521
02:14:07,759 --> 02:14:11,299
you see on the UCP map as uh a , a way 

3522
02:14:11,310 --> 02:14:13,254
to limit our capability . We allow 

3523
02:14:13,254 --> 02:14:15,421
forces to flow freely across all those 

3524
02:14:15,421 --> 02:14:17,421
lines wherever it makes sense . For 

3525
02:14:17,421 --> 02:14:19,366
that other , uh you know , for the 

3526
02:14:19,366 --> 02:14:21,366
overall situation , even if it goes 

3527
02:14:21,366 --> 02:14:23,421
between combatant commands to ensure 

3528
02:14:23,421 --> 02:14:25,532
that we can detect . And then once we 

3529
02:14:25,532 --> 02:14:27,699
get those uh undersea uh uh submarines 

3530
02:14:28,104 --> 02:14:30,326
track and follow them uh to ensure that 

3531
02:14:30,326 --> 02:14:32,215
they don't become a threat to the 

3532
02:14:32,215 --> 02:14:34,160
United States and with the severed 

3533
02:14:34,160 --> 02:14:36,493
events now on the west coast , um again , 

3534
02:14:36,493 --> 02:14:38,715
that's just another mission . Um , that 

3535
02:14:38,715 --> 02:14:40,937
again , we don't quite have the same um 

3536
02:14:40,937 --> 02:14:42,937
team line up uh in that part of the 

3537
02:14:42,937 --> 02:14:45,048
world . So it's uh if , if anything , 

3538
02:14:45,048 --> 02:14:48,640
it's more um uh demand to the Navy . 

3539
02:14:49,299 --> 02:14:51,410
Uh Yes , congressman , you're right . 

3540
02:14:51,410 --> 02:14:53,577
And , and the fact that the Pacific is 

3541
02:14:53,577 --> 02:14:56,040
so much larger and , you know , we , 

3542
02:14:56,049 --> 02:14:58,271
we're now facing two threats there with 

3543
02:14:58,271 --> 02:15:00,438
a , with a Russian specific threat and 

3544
02:15:00,438 --> 02:15:02,959
then also the uh Chinese uh makes the 

3545
02:15:02,970 --> 02:15:05,140
uh Pacific threat , uh a particular 

3546
02:15:05,149 --> 02:15:07,316
concern of mine and , and North Coms . 

3547
02:15:07,410 --> 02:15:09,688
Well , thank you . Um You know , again , 

3548
02:15:09,688 --> 02:15:11,466
your timing uh in terms of this 

3549
02:15:11,466 --> 02:15:14,060
discussion is um you know , very apt 

3550
02:15:14,069 --> 02:15:16,180
since we got a budget yesterday which 

3551
02:15:16,180 --> 02:15:18,236
talks about cutting a Virginia class 

3552
02:15:18,236 --> 02:15:20,458
submarine um from the Navy shipbuilding 

3553
02:15:20,458 --> 02:15:22,600
plan . And uh obviously , you know , 

3554
02:15:22,609 --> 02:15:25,479
not just in North Com but in frankly , 

3555
02:15:25,490 --> 02:15:27,649
every command that's gonna just again 

3556
02:15:27,660 --> 02:15:30,720
make a , a high demand uh platform uh 

3557
02:15:30,729 --> 02:15:32,951
even more stressed . So , um you know , 

3558
02:15:32,951 --> 02:15:35,173
this is gonna be very helpful for us as 

3559
02:15:35,173 --> 02:15:37,229
we move towards uh markup later . Um 

3560
02:15:37,229 --> 02:15:39,229
this session that will yield back . 

3561
02:15:39,709 --> 02:15:41,820
Thank you , gentlemen . Uh , before I 

3562
02:15:41,820 --> 02:15:43,765
recognize Mr Bacon , uh one of the 

3563
02:15:43,765 --> 02:15:45,987
mounts , we're gonna be going up to the 

3564
02:15:45,987 --> 02:15:48,098
classified portion of this hearing in 

3565
02:15:48,098 --> 02:15:50,153
about 15 minutes . Uh Mr Bacon , you 

3566
02:15:50,153 --> 02:15:52,320
recognized ? Thank you , Mr Chairman . 

3567
02:15:52,320 --> 02:15:54,542
I welcome all three of you here . Thank 

3568
02:15:54,542 --> 02:15:54,069
you . And I've enjoyed working with 

3569
02:15:54,080 --> 02:15:56,399
General Richardson in recent years , so 

3570
02:15:56,410 --> 02:15:58,577
I appreciate seeing you and Jo Gel and 

3571
02:15:58,577 --> 02:16:00,354
I were fellow commanders of the 

3572
02:16:00,354 --> 02:16:02,354
fighting 55th wing , uh the largest 

3573
02:16:02,354 --> 02:16:04,299
wing in Air Combat command , third 

3574
02:16:04,299 --> 02:16:06,466
largest in the Air Force , I think for 

3575
02:16:06,466 --> 02:16:08,688
two decades , that most busy up tempo , 

3576
02:16:08,688 --> 02:16:10,577
tempo that the Air force had . So 

3577
02:16:10,577 --> 02:16:12,688
congrats on your new position . Uh My 

3578
02:16:12,688 --> 02:16:14,854
first question is for John Guillo . Uh 

3579
02:16:14,854 --> 02:16:18,229
how does hypersonic weapons affect your 

3580
02:16:18,240 --> 02:16:20,296
warning times ? Because I think it's 

3581
02:16:20,296 --> 02:16:22,296
important for the Americans to hear 

3582
02:16:22,296 --> 02:16:24,073
with China having nuclear armed 

3583
02:16:24,073 --> 02:16:26,184
hypersonics , Russian building them . 

3584
02:16:26,184 --> 02:16:28,407
What does it do for our warning times ? 

3585
02:16:28,407 --> 02:16:30,629
Uh Thank you , Congressman . Uh Good to 

3586
02:16:30,629 --> 02:16:32,407
see you and , and uh thanks for 

3587
02:16:32,407 --> 02:16:34,129
recognizing the fight and 55th 

3588
02:16:34,129 --> 02:16:35,740
contributions worldwide . Uh 

3589
02:16:35,740 --> 02:16:37,962
hypersonics are , are probably the most 

3590
02:16:37,962 --> 02:16:40,419
destabilizing weapon that we face now . 

3591
02:16:40,429 --> 02:16:43,500
And uh one of the prime reasons is , is 

3592
02:16:43,509 --> 02:16:45,231
what you mentioned the shorten 

3593
02:16:45,231 --> 02:16:47,669
detection time . Uh And the fact that 

3594
02:16:47,679 --> 02:16:49,846
they don't follow a , a traditional uh 

3595
02:16:49,846 --> 02:16:51,809
ballistic track means they're very 

3596
02:16:51,820 --> 02:16:53,487
unpredictable and the area of 

3597
02:16:53,487 --> 02:16:55,709
uncertainty is , is huge based on their 

3598
02:16:55,709 --> 02:16:57,764
speed and their maneuverability . Uh 

3599
02:16:57,764 --> 02:16:59,820
That's what makes them such a such a 

3600
02:16:59,820 --> 02:17:01,820
challenge to not only detect but to 

3601
02:17:01,820 --> 02:17:03,820
track and eventually defeat . Is it 

3602
02:17:03,820 --> 02:17:05,931
fair to say we have about a 15 minute 

3603
02:17:05,931 --> 02:17:08,153
warning time ? I don't know if I'm just 

3604
02:17:08,153 --> 02:17:10,376
trying to give our citizens a sense how 

3605
02:17:10,376 --> 02:17:12,153
this changes . Intercontinental 

3606
02:17:12,153 --> 02:17:14,264
ballistic missiles gave us about a 35 

3607
02:17:14,264 --> 02:17:14,029
minute warning time . And I'm just 

3608
02:17:14,039 --> 02:17:16,095
trying to , how much is this warning 

3609
02:17:16,095 --> 02:17:19,740
time reduced ? Uh Yes , Congressman . 

3610
02:17:19,750 --> 02:17:21,917
There , there are cases where it would 

3611
02:17:21,917 --> 02:17:24,139
be about half and , but I , I would add 

3612
02:17:24,139 --> 02:17:26,250
to that though , is the unpredictable 

3613
02:17:26,250 --> 02:17:28,472
nature of their maneuvering . Even with 

3614
02:17:28,472 --> 02:17:30,639
uh uh ICBM . If it was 30 minutes very 

3615
02:17:30,639 --> 02:17:32,583
quickly , we could figure out just 

3616
02:17:32,583 --> 02:17:34,917
about where exactly that's going into a , 

3617
02:17:34,917 --> 02:17:37,083
you know , very small circle circle of 

3618
02:17:37,083 --> 02:17:39,194
uh error probability . However , with 

3619
02:17:39,194 --> 02:17:41,472
the hypersonic , not only is it faster , 

3620
02:17:41,472 --> 02:17:43,694
giving us less time to detect it can uh 

3621
02:17:43,694 --> 02:17:45,853
fly lower uh which , which gives our 

3622
02:17:45,864 --> 02:17:47,586
sensors problems and then that 

3623
02:17:47,586 --> 02:17:50,133
maneuverability means it , uh you know , 

3624
02:17:50,143 --> 02:17:52,032
a typical threat warning could be 

3625
02:17:52,032 --> 02:17:54,463
something as vague as Western United 

3626
02:17:54,473 --> 02:17:56,864
States as opposed to a particular city . 

3627
02:17:56,994 --> 02:17:59,105
And Mr Chairman , this is why I think 

3628
02:17:59,105 --> 02:18:01,272
it's so important that we address this 

3629
02:18:01,272 --> 02:18:03,438
with stratcom and the Pentagon and our 

3630
02:18:03,438 --> 02:18:05,661
just our National Command authorities . 

3631
02:18:05,661 --> 02:18:07,716
I don't think we're positioned right 

3632
02:18:07,716 --> 02:18:10,839
with our nuclear command survivability 

3633
02:18:10,849 --> 02:18:12,793
and ensuring that we always have a 

3634
02:18:12,793 --> 02:18:15,016
survivable element , not at a base . Uh 

3635
02:18:15,016 --> 02:18:16,738
I think we're making ourselves 

3636
02:18:16,738 --> 02:18:18,738
vulnerable . It's one of the things 

3637
02:18:18,738 --> 02:18:20,960
we're trying to push our deity . I know 

3638
02:18:20,960 --> 02:18:23,127
this is not a North Com's uh purview , 

3639
02:18:23,179 --> 02:18:25,400
but I think we as in the , in the in 

3640
02:18:25,410 --> 02:18:27,410
the ha here working with senior 

3641
02:18:27,419 --> 02:18:29,641
military leaders have to come up with a 

3642
02:18:29,641 --> 02:18:31,586
plan that ensures we always have a 

3643
02:18:31,586 --> 02:18:33,530
survivable command element that we 

3644
02:18:33,530 --> 02:18:35,586
can't be caught flatfooted because I 

3645
02:18:35,586 --> 02:18:37,697
worry about the current , our current 

3646
02:18:37,697 --> 02:18:39,475
posture and I think at least is 

3647
02:18:39,475 --> 02:18:41,419
vulnerable and I want the Russians 

3648
02:18:41,419 --> 02:18:43,697
Chinese to know no matter what they do , 

3649
02:18:43,697 --> 02:18:45,752
we can always respond . Uh So , so I 

3650
02:18:45,752 --> 02:18:47,919
appreciate your aspect of this is very 

3651
02:18:47,919 --> 02:18:50,141
important of this discussion . So thank 

3652
02:18:50,141 --> 02:18:52,252
you , John Richardson . I was talking 

3653
02:18:52,252 --> 02:18:54,475
to the previous ambassador from Jamaica 

3654
02:18:54,660 --> 02:18:56,382
and he was telling me that the 

3655
02:18:56,382 --> 02:18:58,549
Jamaicans would like to have our Coast 

3656
02:18:58,549 --> 02:19:00,549
Guard assigned there and they would 

3657
02:19:00,549 --> 02:19:02,604
help with facilities and it's in the 

3658
02:19:02,604 --> 02:19:05,080
perfect position for interdicting drugs 

3659
02:19:05,089 --> 02:19:07,256
coming out of Venezuela and Colombia . 

3660
02:19:07,256 --> 02:19:09,478
Can you comment on it , comment on that 

3661
02:19:09,478 --> 02:19:11,589
at all or if you , have you heard any 

3662
02:19:11,589 --> 02:19:13,589
of this dialogue ? I have not heard 

3663
02:19:13,589 --> 02:19:15,589
that dialogue but we were we have a 

3664
02:19:15,589 --> 02:19:17,645
very good close working relationship 

3665
02:19:17,645 --> 02:19:19,700
with Jamaica and uh and the chief of 

3666
02:19:19,700 --> 02:19:21,867
defense there who is a , a Coast Guard 

3667
02:19:21,867 --> 02:19:23,922
officer . Well , I'm hearing this is 

3668
02:19:23,922 --> 02:19:25,978
indirect that drug from him . Uh but 

3669
02:19:25,978 --> 02:19:28,030
via the ambassador that this is an 

3670
02:19:28,040 --> 02:19:29,873
opportunity and this is from the 

3671
02:19:29,873 --> 02:19:32,040
Jamaicans perspective that they'd like 

3672
02:19:32,040 --> 02:19:34,207
to work with us and that that location 

3673
02:19:34,207 --> 02:19:36,262
is would be important you know , for 

3674
02:19:36,262 --> 02:19:38,429
the drug routes coming out of Columbia 

3675
02:19:38,429 --> 02:19:40,540
Venezuela . So I hope you take a look 

3676
02:19:40,540 --> 02:19:42,707
at it . I would be grateful for that . 

3677
02:19:42,707 --> 02:19:44,929
Uh Going back to General Guillo , how's 

3678
02:19:44,929 --> 02:19:47,096
our surveillance radars ? Do they need 

3679
02:19:47,096 --> 02:19:49,530
investment ? The current Congressman ? 

3680
02:19:49,540 --> 02:19:51,651
They do . Uh we do have some programs 

3681
02:19:51,651 --> 02:19:53,596
in place most notably the over the 

3682
02:19:53,596 --> 02:19:56,269
horizon radar system uh that would give 

3683
02:19:56,280 --> 02:19:58,080
us uh capability against cruise 

3684
02:19:58,089 --> 02:20:00,330
missiles , traditional air tracks as 

3685
02:20:00,339 --> 02:20:02,506
well as the hypersonics that you and I 

3686
02:20:02,506 --> 02:20:04,530
just discussed uh keeping that uh 

3687
02:20:04,540 --> 02:20:06,484
program on track is the number one 

3688
02:20:06,484 --> 02:20:09,410
priority uh from north com because of 

3689
02:20:09,419 --> 02:20:11,419
that great capability that it would 

3690
02:20:11,419 --> 02:20:13,586
bring . How would you prioritize the A 

3691
02:20:13,586 --> 02:20:15,919
BM elements that we have in Alaska ? Do ? 

3692
02:20:15,919 --> 02:20:18,190
Do they need upgrading as well ? The uh 

3693
02:20:18,639 --> 02:20:20,806
yes , all , all of the systems that we 

3694
02:20:20,806 --> 02:20:22,929
have that allow uh give us the domain 

3695
02:20:22,940 --> 02:20:25,160
awareness that we need uh are are at 

3696
02:20:25,169 --> 02:20:28,030
the top priorities uh of mine . The um 

3697
02:20:28,040 --> 02:20:30,262
there would be one of these uh over the 

3698
02:20:30,262 --> 02:20:32,429
horizon systems there . The LRDR , the 

3699
02:20:32,429 --> 02:20:34,540
uh long range discriminating radar is 

3700
02:20:34,540 --> 02:20:37,469
key uh for us to defeat uh uh missiles 

3701
02:20:37,480 --> 02:20:39,758
from North Korea . Thank you very much . 

3702
02:20:39,758 --> 02:20:41,924
I appreciate all three of you . You're 

3703
02:20:41,924 --> 02:20:43,924
back . You now recognized gentleman 

3704
02:20:43,924 --> 02:20:46,036
from Nevada , Mr Horsford . Thank you 

3705
02:20:46,036 --> 02:20:48,147
uh Chairman Rogers and to the ranking 

3706
02:20:48,147 --> 02:20:50,202
member uh for holding this important 

3707
02:20:50,202 --> 02:20:53,059
hearing um General Richardson . It is 

3708
02:20:53,070 --> 02:20:56,040
uh good to see you again . Um Last year 

3709
02:20:56,049 --> 02:20:58,216
I was in Trinidad and Tobago attending 

3710
02:20:58,216 --> 02:21:00,700
the care com uh heads of government 

3711
02:21:00,709 --> 02:21:03,870
conference uh during that trip and in 

3712
02:21:03,879 --> 02:21:06,480
meetings afterward , I've had uh 

3713
02:21:06,690 --> 02:21:09,330
several conversations with regional 

3714
02:21:09,339 --> 02:21:12,389
partners uh discussing how the United 

3715
02:21:12,400 --> 02:21:14,500
States and the Caribbean must work 

3716
02:21:14,509 --> 02:21:17,230
together to address challenges in the 

3717
02:21:17,240 --> 02:21:19,669
region . Uh Today's resignation of 

3718
02:21:19,679 --> 02:21:21,980
Prime Minister Henry of Haiti as a 

3719
02:21:21,990 --> 02:21:24,660
result of increased gang violence , 

3720
02:21:24,849 --> 02:21:27,071
really further highlights the fact that 

3721
02:21:27,080 --> 02:21:29,830
regional security , economic growth and 

3722
02:21:29,839 --> 02:21:32,360
addressing the climate crisis , as well 

3723
02:21:32,370 --> 02:21:35,540
as energy resiliency are all imperative 

3724
02:21:35,549 --> 02:21:38,209
to the success of the region . So 

3725
02:21:38,219 --> 02:21:40,910
general , um how do you believe that 

3726
02:21:40,919 --> 02:21:43,530
the United States uh would work with 

3727
02:21:43,540 --> 02:21:45,484
Caribbean nations to address these 

3728
02:21:45,484 --> 02:21:47,410
shared issues and to create long 

3729
02:21:47,419 --> 02:21:50,129
lasting partnerships in order to show 

3730
02:21:50,139 --> 02:21:52,500
an alternative to China's influence in 

3731
02:21:52,509 --> 02:21:55,089
the region . Yes . So the uh thank you 

3732
02:21:55,099 --> 02:21:57,321
Congressman and the uh the work that we 

3733
02:21:57,321 --> 02:21:59,266
do with the Caribbean is extremely 

3734
02:21:59,266 --> 02:22:01,389
important because of uh obviously how 

3735
02:22:01,400 --> 02:22:03,400
close the Caribbean is to our , our 

3736
02:22:03,400 --> 02:22:05,490
homeland . And so the security 

3737
02:22:05,500 --> 02:22:07,589
co-operation , the exercises , the 

3738
02:22:07,599 --> 02:22:09,599
regional conference uh that I do to 

3739
02:22:09,599 --> 02:22:11,839
bring leaders together . Uh but not 

3740
02:22:11,849 --> 02:22:14,389
just talk about things actually uh have 

3741
02:22:14,400 --> 02:22:17,480
liberal de deliverables on getting 

3742
02:22:17,490 --> 02:22:19,212
after those challenges that we 

3743
02:22:19,212 --> 02:22:21,679
identified during the conferences . Um 

3744
02:22:21,690 --> 02:22:23,919
is , is what we have really put 

3745
02:22:23,929 --> 02:22:27,150
emphasis on . And so uh with cyber with 

3746
02:22:27,160 --> 02:22:29,599
critical infrastructure and uh the 

3747
02:22:29,610 --> 02:22:31,721
activities that we do in the exercise 

3748
02:22:31,721 --> 02:22:34,669
program . Well , I'm glad to see that 

3749
02:22:34,679 --> 02:22:36,568
the department is taking uh these 

3750
02:22:36,568 --> 02:22:38,790
challenges seriously I , I look forward 

3751
02:22:38,790 --> 02:22:40,679
to continuing to work uh with the 

3752
02:22:40,679 --> 02:22:42,990
department and this committee uh to 

3753
02:22:43,000 --> 02:22:45,269
address the threats facing our national 

3754
02:22:45,280 --> 02:22:48,150
security and the immediate risk uh that , 

3755
02:22:48,160 --> 02:22:52,139
that faces us uh with the situation 

3756
02:22:52,150 --> 02:22:54,269
in Haiti , Haiti . Uh Assistant 

3757
02:22:54,280 --> 02:22:57,230
Secretary Zimmerman , uh I agree with 

3758
02:22:57,240 --> 02:22:59,351
you that the challenge of natural and 

3759
02:22:59,351 --> 02:23:01,950
manmade hazards do not wait for us to 

3760
02:23:01,959 --> 02:23:04,900
resolve other ongoing national security 

3761
02:23:04,910 --> 02:23:08,389
crises . We must act . Now , how is the 

3762
02:23:08,400 --> 02:23:10,289
Department of Defense taking into 

3763
02:23:10,289 --> 02:23:12,178
account climate resiliency in its 

3764
02:23:12,178 --> 02:23:16,160
everyday decision making process ? Uh 

3765
02:23:16,169 --> 02:23:18,225
Congressman , thank you so much . Uh 

3766
02:23:18,225 --> 02:23:20,058
climate resilience has become an 

3767
02:23:20,058 --> 02:23:22,391
important part of uh how we do business , 

3768
02:23:22,391 --> 02:23:24,502
not just in terms of looking directly 

3769
02:23:24,502 --> 02:23:26,559
at climate change as , as an issue , 

3770
02:23:26,769 --> 02:23:29,160
but really in terms of how we integrate 

3771
02:23:29,169 --> 02:23:31,169
across the range of activities that 

3772
02:23:31,169 --> 02:23:33,754
that department does in order to ensure 

3773
02:23:33,764 --> 02:23:35,985
that we have the operational advantage 

3774
02:23:35,995 --> 02:23:38,514
wherever we need it . Uh So an example 

3775
02:23:38,525 --> 02:23:40,634
would be uh in the Pacific uh the 

3776
02:23:40,644 --> 02:23:42,588
Ronald Reagan Missile Defense test 

3777
02:23:42,588 --> 02:23:44,811
Range uh sits on a site that I think is 

3778
02:23:44,811 --> 02:23:47,719
only 6 ft above sea level . And uh with 

3779
02:23:47,730 --> 02:23:50,120
the challenge of sea level rise , uh we 

3780
02:23:50,129 --> 02:23:52,351
have to make sure that we're taking the 

3781
02:23:52,351 --> 02:23:54,573
steps to enforce that infrastructure so 

3782
02:23:54,573 --> 02:23:56,796
that we can continue to do what we need 

3783
02:23:56,796 --> 02:23:58,796
to do from a security perspective . 

3784
02:23:58,796 --> 02:24:00,851
Likewise , I think another example I 

3785
02:24:00,851 --> 02:24:03,073
would give would be in the Arctic where 

3786
02:24:03,073 --> 02:24:05,073
uh climate change happening uh at a 

3787
02:24:05,073 --> 02:24:07,839
rate uh three times that , that we see 

3788
02:24:07,849 --> 02:24:10,139
in certain other places , has opened up 

3789
02:24:10,150 --> 02:24:12,959
new approaches and has made it really 

3790
02:24:12,969 --> 02:24:15,191
an arena for strategic competition . So 

3791
02:24:15,191 --> 02:24:17,413
we see the militarization of the Arctic 

3792
02:24:17,413 --> 02:24:20,179
by Russia China considering itself as a 

3793
02:24:20,190 --> 02:24:22,412
near Arctic nation . And that creates a 

3794
02:24:22,412 --> 02:24:24,634
lot of dilemmas that I think we have to 

3795
02:24:24,634 --> 02:24:26,801
ensure that we're on top of . And then 

3796
02:24:26,801 --> 02:24:28,968
the last I will say is that um when we 

3797
02:24:28,968 --> 02:24:30,746
see extreme weather here in the 

3798
02:24:30,746 --> 02:24:32,980
homeland , uh that is something that we 

3799
02:24:32,990 --> 02:24:36,900
need to respond to in support of uh our 

3800
02:24:36,910 --> 02:24:39,339
uh civil authorities when they ask for 

3801
02:24:39,349 --> 02:24:41,182
it and when we can do so without 

3802
02:24:41,182 --> 02:24:43,349
affecting readiness . But that uh that 

3803
02:24:43,349 --> 02:24:45,405
increasing challenge , the number of 

3804
02:24:45,405 --> 02:24:47,738
incidents that we are now responding to , 

3805
02:24:47,738 --> 02:24:50,309
I think also creates um the possibility 

3806
02:24:50,320 --> 02:24:52,542
that will be uh stretched more thinly . 

3807
02:24:52,589 --> 02:24:54,756
I I would add uh obviously the western 

3808
02:24:54,756 --> 02:24:56,867
hemisphere , the devastating storms , 

3809
02:24:56,867 --> 02:24:58,830
droughts and flooding which have 

3810
02:24:58,839 --> 02:25:01,030
inflamed conflicts and contributed to 

3811
02:25:01,040 --> 02:25:03,780
instability and mass migration . Uh So 

3812
02:25:03,790 --> 02:25:05,959
how can the department then Assistant 

3813
02:25:05,969 --> 02:25:08,709
Secretary Zimmerman , uh better partner 

3814
02:25:08,719 --> 02:25:11,110
with these vulnerable countries so that 

3815
02:25:11,120 --> 02:25:14,070
existing risks are not exacerbated by 

3816
02:25:14,080 --> 02:25:16,919
these extreme weather events ? Um One 

3817
02:25:16,929 --> 02:25:18,985
of the ways that we're looking to do 

3818
02:25:18,985 --> 02:25:20,596
that is through our security 

3819
02:25:20,596 --> 02:25:22,762
co-operation efforts . So , uh we have 

3820
02:25:22,762 --> 02:25:24,929
uh recently initiated a program called 

3821
02:25:24,929 --> 02:25:27,151
Doric , which works with partners right 

3822
02:25:27,151 --> 02:25:29,151
now in uh the western hemisphere in 

3823
02:25:29,151 --> 02:25:32,490
Africa uh to try to gear some of our , 

3824
02:25:32,500 --> 02:25:34,820
we have uh I think $10 million this 

3825
02:25:34,830 --> 02:25:37,009
year and we'll be renewing that uh 

3826
02:25:37,030 --> 02:25:39,769
which works with our partners to build 

3827
02:25:39,780 --> 02:25:42,559
partner capacity in areas that affect 

3828
02:25:42,570 --> 02:25:44,403
uh climate change or affected by 

3829
02:25:44,403 --> 02:25:46,870
climate change chair . And I recognize 

3830
02:25:46,879 --> 02:25:48,879
General from Florida , Mr Jimenez . 

3831
02:25:48,879 --> 02:25:51,059
Thank you , Mr Chairman . Um We could 

3832
02:25:51,070 --> 02:25:53,237
put the entire entire US fleet and the 

3833
02:25:53,237 --> 02:25:55,790
entire assets of the Coast Guard in the 

3834
02:25:55,799 --> 02:25:57,966
Florida Straits and it wouldn't matter 

3835
02:25:58,080 --> 02:26:00,400
um if we had the wrong policy . So Miss 

3836
02:26:00,410 --> 02:26:02,521
Zimmer , Miss Zimmerman , do you know 

3837
02:26:02,521 --> 02:26:04,743
what the Biden administration policy is 

3838
02:26:04,743 --> 02:26:07,250
towards ? If we , if we face a mass mi 

3839
02:26:07,290 --> 02:26:10,120
migration from Haiti , what is the uh 

3840
02:26:10,129 --> 02:26:14,089
Biden administration policy ? Uh I 

3841
02:26:14,099 --> 02:26:16,469
think our policy remains as it has been 

3842
02:26:16,480 --> 02:26:18,570
that we will uh endeavor to conduct 

3843
02:26:18,580 --> 02:26:20,209
repatriation as , as soon as 

3844
02:26:20,219 --> 02:26:22,275
practicable um as General Richardson 

3845
02:26:22,275 --> 02:26:24,200
outlined , if the president does 

3846
02:26:24,209 --> 02:26:27,139
declare um uh Caribbean mass migration , 

3847
02:26:27,150 --> 02:26:29,039
we have additional tools that the 

3848
02:26:29,039 --> 02:26:31,206
department will be able to leverage in 

3849
02:26:31,206 --> 02:26:33,049
terms of uh directly responding 

3850
02:26:33,059 --> 02:26:35,730
ourselves . So you expect the spec if 

3851
02:26:35,740 --> 02:26:37,851
anybody interdicted uh on the way the 

3852
02:26:37,860 --> 02:26:40,019
United States will be , will be 

3853
02:26:40,030 --> 02:26:42,252
returned back to Haiti to their country 

3854
02:26:42,252 --> 02:26:45,480
of origin . Uh That is pursuant to , to 

3855
02:26:45,490 --> 02:26:48,259
laws and policy . OK . And you haven't 

3856
02:26:48,269 --> 02:26:49,991
heard otherwise from the Biden 

3857
02:26:49,991 --> 02:26:52,639
administration . Uh I have , I have not . 

3858
02:26:53,139 --> 02:26:56,759
OK . Uh Switching gears here . Uh um 

3859
02:26:57,500 --> 02:26:59,667
General Richardson , good to see you . 

3860
02:26:59,667 --> 02:27:01,944
Uh I've been down to South America and , 

3861
02:27:01,944 --> 02:27:04,360
and I can say that um , everybody 

3862
02:27:04,370 --> 02:27:06,481
really , really , uh , appreciate you 

3863
02:27:06,481 --> 02:27:09,000
down , uh , in South America and , um , 

3864
02:27:09,870 --> 02:27:10,280
um , 

3865
02:27:13,400 --> 02:27:16,669
fentaNYL who's , who is , who's 

3866
02:27:16,679 --> 02:27:18,735
producing it , who's , who is , uh , 

3867
02:27:18,735 --> 02:27:20,679
transporting the fentaNYL into the 

3868
02:27:20,679 --> 02:27:24,580
United States . And so what , what 

3869
02:27:24,589 --> 02:27:27,410
we see in , uh , in the South com a or 

3870
02:27:27,419 --> 02:27:29,419
in terms of fentaNYL is more of the 

3871
02:27:29,419 --> 02:27:31,950
medical fentaNYL that's being stolen 

3872
02:27:31,959 --> 02:27:34,015
out of the hospitals and things like 

3873
02:27:34,015 --> 02:27:36,169
that . Uh , in terms of the , uh , 

3874
02:27:36,179 --> 02:27:38,709
precursor chemicals that are coming in , 

3875
02:27:38,719 --> 02:27:40,830
we're starting to see a little bit of 

3876
02:27:40,830 --> 02:27:43,052
that . Uh I think that that is just the 

3877
02:27:43,052 --> 02:27:45,163
beginning , possibly in this region . 

3878
02:27:45,163 --> 02:27:47,690
And so , um obviously working with our 

3879
02:27:47,700 --> 02:27:49,756
partners as they're discovering this 

3880
02:27:49,756 --> 02:27:51,700
and those sorts of things of where 

3881
02:27:51,700 --> 02:27:53,756
these precursor chemicals are coming 

3882
02:27:53,756 --> 02:27:55,756
and then putting together by the uh 

3883
02:27:55,756 --> 02:27:57,799
cartels and then uh funneled into 

3884
02:27:57,809 --> 02:28:00,150
Mexico or put together in Mexico and I , 

3885
02:28:00,160 --> 02:28:02,438
I only got five minutes . So I have to , 

3886
02:28:02,438 --> 02:28:04,549
I have to go se Senator , I'm sorry . 

3887
02:28:04,549 --> 02:28:06,771
Uh General Guillotte , is , that's your 

3888
02:28:06,771 --> 02:28:10,509
name ? Yeah . Ok . So Mexico , 

3889
02:28:11,419 --> 02:28:13,475
the fentaNYL is flown in from Mexico 

3890
02:28:13,475 --> 02:28:16,150
who's , who's , who's , who's 

3891
02:28:16,160 --> 02:28:18,339
manufacturing it , who's , ah , who's 

3892
02:28:18,349 --> 02:28:20,919
transporting it . Uh Congressman , as 

3893
02:28:20,929 --> 02:28:23,849
General Richardson said , uh we see the 

3894
02:28:23,860 --> 02:28:25,804
uh the precursor elements being uh 

3895
02:28:25,804 --> 02:28:28,879
brought in from abroad , uh many or 

3896
02:28:28,889 --> 02:28:32,049
much from China and then uh assembled 

3897
02:28:32,059 --> 02:28:34,410
there under the , um , under the 

3898
02:28:34,419 --> 02:28:36,752
cartels and then distributed from there . 

3899
02:28:36,752 --> 02:28:38,752
So , if I were to tell you that the 

3900
02:28:38,752 --> 02:28:40,919
fentanyls killed more Americans by far 

3901
02:28:40,990 --> 02:28:42,879
than all the Americans we lost in 

3902
02:28:42,879 --> 02:28:46,839
Vietnam in Afghanistan in Iraq . Ah , 

3903
02:28:46,849 --> 02:28:49,360
would that surprise you ? Unfortunately , 

3904
02:28:49,370 --> 02:28:51,481
Congressman , it would not , ah , I'm 

3905
02:28:51,481 --> 02:28:54,089
aware of that . So , so the Chinese are , 

3906
02:28:54,099 --> 02:28:56,610
are shipping the , the , the precursor 

3907
02:28:56,620 --> 02:28:59,990
chemicals to their allies , the 

3908
02:29:00,030 --> 02:29:02,129
multinational , ah , criminal 

3909
02:29:02,139 --> 02:29:04,250
organizations based out of Mexico and 

3910
02:29:04,250 --> 02:29:06,429
other places . They then , ah , 

3911
02:29:06,440 --> 02:29:09,540
manufacture it , then send it to United 

3912
02:29:09,690 --> 02:29:13,139
ST States and kills Americans . 

3913
02:29:13,599 --> 02:29:16,209
Is that fair to say ? Yes , congressman . 

3914
02:29:17,000 --> 02:29:20,370
Um , and since back in 

3915
02:29:20,379 --> 02:29:23,919
2001 , a group of 19 terrorists came 

3916
02:29:23,929 --> 02:29:27,120
and killed 3000 Americans and then we 

3917
02:29:27,129 --> 02:29:30,980
waged war like 7000 miles away for 20 

3918
02:29:30,990 --> 02:29:34,429
years . What do you think our response 

3919
02:29:34,440 --> 02:29:35,940
should be to some s , ah , 

3920
02:29:35,940 --> 02:29:38,107
organizations that are killing tens of 

3921
02:29:38,107 --> 02:29:40,107
thousands of Americans every single 

3922
02:29:40,107 --> 02:29:44,080
year , sir ? I think , 

3923
02:29:44,089 --> 02:29:46,790
uh , North com is , is , uh , ready to 

3924
02:29:46,799 --> 02:29:48,966
support within the , within the policy 

3925
02:29:48,966 --> 02:29:51,077
and has directed , uh , at this point 

3926
02:29:51,077 --> 02:29:53,132
to address the threat . Uh , we're , 

3927
02:29:53,132 --> 02:29:55,132
we're providing , uh , intelligence 

3928
02:29:55,132 --> 02:29:57,188
support to the lead federal agencies 

3929
02:29:57,188 --> 02:29:59,410
that are , that are addressing that and 

3930
02:29:59,410 --> 02:30:01,188
working with the , uh , Mexican 

3931
02:30:01,188 --> 02:30:03,410
agencies , uh , and our contribution to 

3932
02:30:03,410 --> 02:30:05,521
that is , is intelligence support . I 

3933
02:30:05,521 --> 02:30:05,509
think our , this government is failing 

3934
02:30:05,519 --> 02:30:08,259
the American people in a very big way , 

3935
02:30:08,570 --> 02:30:11,360
failing to protect our c our Children . 

3936
02:30:11,370 --> 02:30:13,481
It's the big , it's the largest cause 

3937
02:30:13,481 --> 02:30:15,592
of death of , uh , men and women from 

3938
02:30:15,592 --> 02:30:18,240
18 , I think to like 49 in the United 

3939
02:30:18,250 --> 02:30:21,759
States . And our duty , our collective 

3940
02:30:21,769 --> 02:30:23,936
duty is to protect the citizens of the 

3941
02:30:23,936 --> 02:30:26,047
United States . That's the number one 

3942
02:30:26,047 --> 02:30:28,047
duty that we have and we're failing 

3943
02:30:28,047 --> 02:30:31,620
miserably at it . Not you because you , 

3944
02:30:31,629 --> 02:30:33,518
you only follow orders , but this 

3945
02:30:33,518 --> 02:30:36,030
administration is failing miserably at 

3946
02:30:36,040 --> 02:30:38,679
protecting the United States . Um My 

3947
02:30:38,690 --> 02:30:40,801
time's just about up . So , thank you 

3948
02:30:40,801 --> 02:30:42,523
and I yield back . Thank you , 

3949
02:30:42,523 --> 02:30:44,746
gentlemen . Uh We will now adjourn this 

3950
02:30:44,746 --> 02:30:46,679
open session and reconvene the 

3951
02:30:46,690 --> 02:30:50,540
classified session in room 2212 in 

3952
02:30:50,549 --> 02:30:51,750
about five minutes .