US warns Caribbean and Latin America of China developing military assets in region

The Commander of U.S. Southern Command, General Laura J. Richardson, spoke before the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, where she warned of the threat posed by China, considering its ability to convert investments in the Caribbean and Latin American region, from civilian to military assets with relative ease.

China has gained access to 5G telecommunications networks, space infrastructure, clean energy and ports, through various investments and collaborative initiatives in the region, developing considerable assets in both Latin America and the Caribbean.

General Laura J. Richardson added that China has emulated the US in some ways, by establishing strong economic ties in the region, while also equipping some of the United States’ hemispheric neighbors with weaponry and other assets that have considerable military value.

In her written testimony to the panel, General Richardson stated the following, “The PRC understands the importance of economics and the intertwined role of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in achieving its Chinese Dream – the PRC reclamation of China’s central role in world affairs.”

“For 15 to 20 years, SOUTHCOM has been receiving less than 50 percent [of required] security cooperation money, more than once a year visits, my Number One lever … to provide counterbalance to the PRC [People’s Republic of China].”

She went on to say the following, “I don’t need to outspend the PRC to beat them because presence matters.”

A concerning revelation made by General Richardson is that 22 of the 31 nations which are within the region she commands, have signed onto China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Another example of how deeply China has mingled with the region is the $3.6 billion mega-port at Chancay, Peru, which is specifically designed for giant container cargo shipping.
China has been very vocal about its growing influence in the region, having called the mega-port the “gateway from South America to Asia.”

HASC chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), is concerned by more than just the port in Peru. According to him, China has made significant investments through state-owned enterprises, which includes 40 port projects, at both entrances of the Panama Canal and from the Bahamas in the Caribbean to the southern tip of South America.

The long-standing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have had an adverse effect on the economies of the nations in the region, an issue which has been compounded by the smuggling and drug trafficking operations of criminal organisations.

Migration trends in the region have also changed drastically, owing to rapidly changing socio-economic conditions. In the past, most of the legal or illegal migrants who attempted to gain access to the United States were single men.

Currently, due to the stresses felt by regular citizens in the region, entire families are making concerted efforts to get into the United States as the region which was responsible for feeding and fueling the Americas can no longer support such initiatives efficiently and sustainably.

This has led to the southern border of the United States getting jam packed with migrants, not just from Central/South America and the Caribbean but also the Middle East, Africa and China.

The situation in Haiti is no help either, as gangs and militias have taken over the nation and the United States has been forced to commit $200 million to Kenya, so as to enlist the African nation’s help for the Haitian Police, in the hope that it would help stabile the situation.

The sense of distress within the United States apparatus in the region is apparent from the fact that the nation has heightened security around its embassy in Port-au-Prince. Having said that, until this point, the United States has refrained from sending American Forces to Haiti, considering the volatility of the situation and the fact that US forces have already been stretched thin by multiple global conflicts and wars.

Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, who took over the U.S. Northern Command in February, has said categorically that Russia and China pose significant threats from many aspects, in various domains. Add to that their advanced kinetic and non-kinetic systems, which can either be nuclear or conventional, and one can see a potent mix which could be hazardous for the security of the United States and the region on the whole.

His written testimony put things into perspective in a precise and succinct manner, “PRC may also be exploring the development of conventionally armed intercontinental-range missile systems that could allow Beijing to strike targets in Alaska and the continental United States without crossing the nuclear threshold. Such systems, if fielded, would further erode strategic stability by challenging our ability to characterize an inbound attack and complicating our decision-making about an appropriate response.”

General Guillet also highlighted the fact that China’s nuclear capabilities are expanding rapidly, adding that China, “has launched the first two hulls of its new Shang III class of nuclear-powered guided-missile submarines (SSGN). If the PRC arms the Shang III with land-attack cruise missiles, the new SSGNs could provide Beijing a clandestine land-attack option beyond the Indo-Pacific region, potentially holding at risk critical infrastructure in Alaska and the U.S. West Coast. While Beijing’s intent for employing these long-range conventional strike capabilities is not fully known, in a future crisis, the PRC could use these weapons … to threaten or attack our critical defense infrastructure.”

Thus, when the expansive and comprehensive approach taken by China is considered, especially with its reach and capabilities in the fields of economics, defense, logistics and technology, one can easily surmise that the United States is concerned for the region of the Americas.

Russia has also become a matter of concern to US security, especially in Alaska, where it tested the US Air Defense Identification Zone by using a strategic bomber which was supported by escorts, which was a serious display of Russia’s ability to strike in Alaska from various vectors.

American fighters managed to intercept the Russian craft and General Guillet said that such instances reinforce the idea that over-the-horizon radars and space assets must be invested in, as they are essential to the defense apparatus of the United States considering the threats posed by its opposition.