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Southern Command: Difference between revisions
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{{Organization | {{Organization | ||
|OrganizationName= | |OrganizationName=Southern Command | ||
|OrganizationType=Executive Departments (Sub-organization) | |OrganizationType=Executive Departments (Sub-organization) | ||
|Mission=To be responsible for security cooperation programs, countering transnational criminal organizations, and providing contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation in Central and South America and the Caribbean, in support of U.S. national security objectives. | |Mission=To be responsible for security cooperation programs, countering transnational criminal organizations, and providing contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation in Central and South America and the Caribbean, in support of U.S. national security objectives. | ||
|ParentOrganization=Department of Defense | |ParentOrganization=Department of Defense | ||
|TopOrganization=Department of Defense | |||
|CreationLegislation=Established in 1963 as part of broader military reorganization | |CreationLegislation=Established in 1963 as part of broader military reorganization | ||
|Employees=1300 | |Employees=1300 | ||
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The Marines protected the [[Panamanian]] civilian uprising against the government of Colombia led by former [[Panama Canal Company]] general manager [[Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla]], thereby guaranteeing the [[separation of Panama from Colombia]] and his creation of the [[Panamanian]] state. Following the signing of the [[Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty]] granting control of the [[Panama Canal Zone]] to the United States, the Marines remained to provide security during the early construction days of the Panama Canal.<ref name=":0" /> | The Marines protected the [[Panamanian]] civilian uprising against the government of Colombia led by former [[Panama Canal Company]] general manager [[Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla]], thereby guaranteeing the [[separation of Panama from Colombia]] and his creation of the [[Panamanian]] state. Following the signing of the [[Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty]] granting control of the [[Panama Canal Zone]] to the United States, the Marines remained to provide security during the early construction days of the Panama Canal.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
In 1904, Army Colonel [[William C. Gorgas]] was sent to the Canal Zone (as it was then called) as [[chief sanitary officer]] to fight [[yellow fever]] and [[malaria]]. In two years, yellow fever was eliminated from the Canal Zone. Soon after, malaria was also brought under control. With the appointment of Army Lieutenant Colonel [[George W. Goethals]] to the post of [[Chief Engineer|chief engineer]] of the [[Isthmian Canal Commission]] by then President | In 1904, Army Colonel [[William C. Gorgas]] was sent to the Canal Zone (as it was then called) as [[chief sanitary officer]] to fight [[yellow fever]] and [[malaria]]. In two years, yellow fever was eliminated from the Canal Zone. Soon after, malaria was also brought under control. With the appointment of Army Lieutenant Colonel [[George W. Goethals]] to the post of [[Chief Engineer|chief engineer]] of the [[Isthmian Canal Commission]] by then President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, the construction changed from a civilian to a military project.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
In 1911, the first troops of the U.S. Army's [[10th Infantry Regiment (United States)|10th Infantry Regiment]] arrived at [[Camp E. S. Otis]], on the Pacific side of the Isthmus. They assumed primary responsibility for Canal defense. In 1914, the Marine Battalion left the Isthmus to participate in operations against [[Pancho Villa]] in Mexico. On 14 August 1914, seven years after Goethals' arrival, the Panama Canal opened to world commerce.<ref name=":0" /> | In 1911, the first troops of the U.S. Army's [[10th Infantry Regiment (United States)|10th Infantry Regiment]] arrived at [[Camp E. S. Otis]], on the Pacific side of the Isthmus. They assumed primary responsibility for Canal defense. In 1914, the Marine Battalion left the Isthmus to participate in operations against [[Pancho Villa]] in Mexico. On 14 August 1914, seven years after Goethals' arrival, the Panama Canal opened to world commerce.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
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The new command eventually assumed operational responsibility over air and naval forces assigned in its area of operations during [[World War II]], which included all U.S. forces and bases in the [[Caribbean basin]] outside the [[Contiguous United States|continental United States]]. By early 1942, a Joint Operations Center had been established at Quarry Heights. Meanwhile, 960 jungle-trained officers and enlisted men from the CDC deployed to [[New Caledonia]] in the southwest Pacific to help form the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), codenamed 'Galahad' and later nicknamed [[Merrill's Marauders]] for its famous exploits in Burma.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marauder.org/|title=MERRILL'S MARAUDERS ASSOCIATION WELCOME PAGE|website=www.marauder.org}}</ref> In the meantime, military strength in the area was gradually rising and reached its peak in January 1943, when 68,000 personnel were defending the Panama Canal. Military strength was sharply reduced with the termination of World War II. Between 1946 and 1974, total military strength in Panama fluctuated between 6,600 and 20,300 (with the lowest force strength in 1959). | The new command eventually assumed operational responsibility over air and naval forces assigned in its area of operations during [[World War II]], which included all U.S. forces and bases in the [[Caribbean basin]] outside the [[Contiguous United States|continental United States]]. By early 1942, a Joint Operations Center had been established at Quarry Heights. Meanwhile, 960 jungle-trained officers and enlisted men from the CDC deployed to [[New Caledonia]] in the southwest Pacific to help form the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), codenamed 'Galahad' and later nicknamed [[Merrill's Marauders]] for its famous exploits in Burma.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marauder.org/|title=MERRILL'S MARAUDERS ASSOCIATION WELCOME PAGE|website=www.marauder.org}}</ref> In the meantime, military strength in the area was gradually rising and reached its peak in January 1943, when 68,000 personnel were defending the Panama Canal. Military strength was sharply reduced with the termination of World War II. Between 1946 and 1974, total military strength in Panama fluctuated between 6,600 and 20,300 (with the lowest force strength in 1959). | ||
In December 1946, President | In December 1946, President Harry S. Truman approved recommendations of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] for a comprehensive system of military commands to put responsibility for conducting military operations of all military forces in various geographical areas, in the hands of a single commander. Although the [[Caribbean Command]] was designated by the Defense Department on 1 November 1947, it did not become fully operational until 10 March 1948, when the old Caribbean Defense Command was inactivated.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
On 6 June 1963, reflecting the fact that the command had a responsibility for U.S. military operations primarily in Central and South America, rather than in the Caribbean, President [[John F. Kennedy]] and Secretary of Defense [[Robert McNamara]] formally redesignated it as the United States Southern Command.<ref name=":0" /> The command's mission began to shift with the expansion of the [[Cold War]] to Latin America. Kennedy and his successor | On 6 June 1963, reflecting the fact that the command had a responsibility for U.S. military operations primarily in Central and South America, rather than in the Caribbean, President [[John F. Kennedy]] and Secretary of Defense [[Robert McNamara]] formally redesignated it as the United States Southern Command.<ref name=":0" /> The command's mission began to shift with the expansion of the [[Cold War]] to Latin America. Kennedy and his successor Lyndon B. Johnson expanded the division in the aftermath of the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] and reoriented it towards [[irregular warfare]] against the establishment of another [[Communist state]] in the Western Hemisphere.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Collins|first=N.W.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1255527666|title=Grey wars : a contemporary history of U.S. special operations|date=2021|isbn=978-0-300-25834-9|location=New Haven|oclc=1255527666}}</ref> From 1975 until late 1994 total military strength in Panama remained at about 10,000 personnel.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
In January 1996 and June 1997, two phases of changes to the Department of Defense [[Unified Command Plan]] (UCP) were completed. Each phase of the UCP change added territory to SOUTHCOM's [[area of responsibility]]. The impact of the changes is significant. The new AOR includes the Caribbean, its 13 island nations and several U.S. and European territories, the Gulf of Mexico, as well as significant portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The 1999 update to the UCP also transferred responsibility of an additional portion of the Atlantic Ocean to SOUTHCOM. On 1 October 2000, Southern Command assumed responsibility of the adjacent waters in the upper quadrant above [[Brazil]], which was presently under the responsibility of [[U.S. Joint Forces Command]].<ref name=":0" /> | In January 1996 and June 1997, two phases of changes to the Department of Defense [[Unified Command Plan]] (UCP) were completed. Each phase of the UCP change added territory to SOUTHCOM's [[area of responsibility]]. The impact of the changes is significant. The new AOR includes the Caribbean, its 13 island nations and several U.S. and European territories, the Gulf of Mexico, as well as significant portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The 1999 update to the UCP also transferred responsibility of an additional portion of the Atlantic Ocean to SOUTHCOM. On 1 October 2000, Southern Command assumed responsibility of the adjacent waters in the upper quadrant above [[Brazil]], which was presently under the responsibility of [[U.S. Joint Forces Command]].<ref name=":0" /> | ||
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A new headquarters building was constructed and opened in 2010 adjacent to the old rented building in the [[Doral, Florida|Doral]] area of [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade County]]. The complex features state-of-the-art planning and conference facilities. This capability is showcased in the 45,000-square-foot Conference Center of the Americas, which can support meetings of differing classification levels and multiple translations, information sources and video conferencing. | A new headquarters building was constructed and opened in 2010 adjacent to the old rented building in the [[Doral, Florida|Doral]] area of [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade County]]. The complex features state-of-the-art planning and conference facilities. This capability is showcased in the 45,000-square-foot Conference Center of the Americas, which can support meetings of differing classification levels and multiple translations, information sources and video conferencing. | ||
In 2012, as many as a dozen SouthCom service members, together with a number of [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] officers, were disciplined after they were found to have brought prostitutes to their rooms shortly before President Obama arrived for a summit in Cartagena, Colombia. According to the | In 2012, as many as a dozen SouthCom service members, together with a number of [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] officers, were disciplined after they were found to have brought prostitutes to their rooms shortly before President Obama arrived for a summit in Cartagena, Colombia. According to the Associated Press seven Army soldiers and two Marines received administrative punishments for what an official report cited by the wire service said was misconduct consisting "almost exclusively of patronizing prostitutes and adultery." Hiring prostitutes, the report added, "is a violation of the U.S. military code of justice."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/08/report-military-members-in-colombian-prositiute-scandal/1#.V3rlFlfanHg|title=Report: Colombian prostitute scandal involved military|website=Content.usatoday.com|access-date=18 October 2017}}</ref> | ||
In 2014, SouthCom commander [[John F. Kelly (Marine)|Kelly]] testified that while border security was an 'Existential' threat to the country, due to [[Budget sequestration in 2013]] his forces were unable to respond to 75% of illicit trafficking events.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.defenseone.com/threats/2014/07/top-general-says-mexico-border-security-now-existential-threat-us/87958/ |title=Top General Says Mexico Border Security Now 'Existential' Threat to U.S. |last1=O'Toole |first1=Molly |date=5 July 2014 |website=Defenseone.com |publisher=National Journal Group, Inc. |access-date=16 July 2014}}</ref> | In 2014, SouthCom commander [[John F. Kelly (Marine)|Kelly]] testified that while border security was an 'Existential' threat to the country, due to [[Budget sequestration in 2013]] his forces were unable to respond to 75% of illicit trafficking events.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.defenseone.com/threats/2014/07/top-general-says-mexico-border-security-now-existential-threat-us/87958/ |title=Top General Says Mexico Border Security Now 'Existential' Threat to U.S. |last1=O'Toole |first1=Molly |date=5 July 2014 |website=Defenseone.com |publisher=National Journal Group, Inc. |access-date=16 July 2014}}</ref> | ||
USSOUTHCOM's ''2017-2027 Theater Strategy'' states that potential challenges in the future include transregional and transnational threat networks (T3Ns) which include traditional criminal organizations, as well as the expanding potential of extremist organizations such as [[ISIL]] and [[Hezbollah]] operating in the region by taking advantage of weak Caribbean and Latin American institutions. USSOUTHCOM also notes that the region is "extremely vulnerable to natural disasters and the outbreak of infectious diseases" due to issues with governance and inequality. Finally, the report recognizes the growing presence of | USSOUTHCOM's ''2017-2027 Theater Strategy'' states that potential challenges in the future include transregional and transnational threat networks (T3Ns) which include traditional criminal organizations, as well as the expanding potential of extremist organizations such as [[ISIL]] and [[Hezbollah]] operating in the region by taking advantage of weak Caribbean and Latin American institutions. USSOUTHCOM also notes that the region is "extremely vulnerable to natural disasters and the outbreak of infectious diseases" due to issues with governance and inequality. Finally, the report recognizes the growing presence of China, [[Iran]] and [[Russia]] in the region, and that the intentions of these nations bring "a challenge to every nation that values nonaggression, rule of law, and respect for human rights". These challenges have been used to promote relationships between the United States and other governments in the region.<ref>{{cite web|title=2017-2027 Theater Strategy|url=http://www.southcom.mil/Portals/7/Documents/USSOUTHCOM_Theater_Strategy_Final.pdf?ver=2017-05-19-120652-483|website=USSOUTHCOM|access-date=25 July 2017|date=4 April 2017|archive-date=22 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622051944/http://www.southcom.mil/Portals/7/Documents/USSOUTHCOM_Theater_Strategy_Final.pdf?ver=2017-05-19-120652-483|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
==State Partnership Program== | ==State Partnership Program== | ||