n 12 March 2024, General Laura Richardson, the commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), presented the command’s newest posture statement to the House Armed Services Committee, with a presentation to the Senate Armed Services Committee two days later. Annual posture statements provide the opportunity for the command to outline the areas that the command views as most critical to the region. With the U.S. Congress expressing concerns over the Biden administration’s lack of a clear strategy for hemispheric affairs, as well as consternation over growing extra–hemispheric influence in the region, SOUTHCOM’s posture statements showcases how defense relations can be central to U.S. policy to the region while also emphasizing troubling tendencies in U.S. relations with its neighbors. Recognizing that these statements are read by both U.S. audiences and regional partners and analysts is critical to ensuring that these statements not only illuminate the most important challenges in the region, but also support SOUTHCOM’s strategic goals.
U.S. challenges in the Western Hemisphere
In her address, Richardson emphasized the shared nature of the challenges facing the region and the need to strengthen regional partners in order to address them. She emphasized the areas of commonality and noted the link between regional stability and U.S. national security. In emphasizing the security threats in the region, Richardson highlighted growing Chinese influence in the region, Russian support of undemocratic regimes, and how transnational criminal organizations can undermine democracy and rule of law.
In her remarks, Richardson also noted that the region has the potential to “feed and fuel the world,” but the need to help the region recognize and achieve this goal. While posture statements and military doctrine generally focus on threats, Richardson has been careful in her presentations to highlight not only the challenges in the region, but also opportunities. At a presentation in November 2023, when asked what the most pressing challenges were, Richardson redirected the question to begin by discussing opportunities for the United States rather than just focusing on the negatives. While mentions of these opportunities remain well below references to threats—with 17 and 33 mentions in the latest posture statement, respectively—the reframing of the region is important. How these challenges are framed and what they mean for U.S. relations with the region can shape how the United States and SOUTHCOM prioritize their funding and challenges.
SOUTHCOM’s latest posture statement also emphasizes the role of SOUTHCOM working with the interagency process on strengthening partners, with Richardson highlighting the need to leverage diplomatic, intelligence, military, and economic tools to support the region. Indeed, as the statement notes multiple times, SOUTHCOM views “Economic Security [as] National Security,” necessitating the need for a broad range of actors to engage with the region—including the private sector.
Why centering partnerships matters
While posture statements are presented to the U.S. Congress and emphasize U.S. priorities, Latin American and Caribbean policymakers and analysts also look to these documents as evidence of U.S. intentions and policy. This makes them both a useful descriptive tool, but also a policy instrument—meaning that how they are read and interpreted by allies in the region is important. Building on past SOUTHCOM posture statements, Richardson continued to emphasize the importance of partnership as central to SOUTHCOM’s strategy in the region. In the most recent written posture statement, Richardson mentioned “partner” or “partnership” 143 times—the most times it has been mentioned in a posture statement in the past 20 years—highlighting SOUTHCOM’s approach to the region.
SOUTHCOM’s efforts to center partnership are not only evident in the posture statement, but also in their actions and general communication strategy. SOUTHCOM regularly conducts exercises with regional allies and supports humanitarian efforts and disaster response in the region. It is also echoed in SOUTHCOM’s communication strategy which regularly emphasizes the role of importance and leverages the use of the hashtags #EstamosUnidos and #StrengtheningPartnerships on social media to highlight the centrality of cooperation in their relations with militaries in the region. Given the complicated history of U.S. intervention in the region, emphasizing partnership and collaboratively addressing threats is critical to improving relations across the region.
Caution on over-emphasizing U.S. concerns
It is also important that SOUTHCOM recognize that not all of its priorities may be shared by the region. One area where this is particularly evident is in its approach to China. While U.S. policymakers are concerned about growing Chinese influence in the region—a position shared by some Latin American leaders—many Latin American and Caribbean leaders view Chinese engagement as an opportunity. When the United States warns of Chinese engagement but provides no alternative, it is viewed negatively in the region. Importantly, the conversation surrounding China has shifted somewhat from the approach used during the Trump administration. While past SOUTHCOM commanders have raised the issue of China purely as a threat, Richardson often notes that concerns are not about all Chinese engagement in the region, but rather around extractivist activities and security threats. However, this posture statement saw a marked increase in discussion of China in the region. Despite this, the latest posture statement mentioned China more often than any previous statement.
Similarly, SOUTHCOM must be careful how it frames the issue of democracy in its relationship with the region. While there are clear threats to democracy across the region—including in the United States—caution must be used in how these are discussed, particularly given that during the Cold War the United States often framed issues in the region as “democracy” versus “communism” regardless of the democratic credentials and human-rights records of partner nations. This is particularly important as, as noted by Congressman Adam Smith during the House hearing, China leverages past problems in U.S. relations with the region in their messaging. This, coupled with inconsistent condemnation of human rights abuses and threats to democracy in the region, makes it imperative that the United States not make the issue appear to be ideological or about countering China, but about its support of democracy, human rights, and rule of law.
Changing defense priorities in the Western Hemisphere
Coming shortly after the introduction of the Americas Act, SOUTHCOM’s 2024 posture statement shows important steps toward strengthening U.S. relations with Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the beginning of a more comprehensive picture of U.S. strategy toward the region. The emphasis on supporting regional stability and economic opportunity as central to challenging growing Chinese influence in the region is quickly becoming the central feature of U.S. foreign policy toward the region. While Richardson noted in her remarks that the United States “remains the preferred and most trusted partner” in the region, to maintain this position, SOUTHCOM and the broader U.S. foreign policy establishment must embrace what it says and be a reliable partner and friend to the region.
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Centering partnership and the economy in hemispheric affairs
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo by Agustin Diaz Gargiulo on Unsplash.
March 15, 2024
U.S. Southern Command posture statements help both U.S. officials and foreign policymakers understand U.S. priorities in Latin America. The most recent posture statement emphasizes the importance of growing regional partnerships to help ensure regional stability, writes Adam Ratzlaff.
O
n 12 March 2024, General Laura Richardson, the commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), presented the command’s newest posture statement to the House Armed Services Committee, with a presentation to the Senate Armed Services Committee two days later. Annual posture statements provide the opportunity for the command to outline the areas that the command views as most critical to the region. With the U.S. Congress expressing concerns over the Biden administration’s lack of a clear strategy for hemispheric affairs, as well as consternation over growing extra–hemispheric influence in the region, SOUTHCOM’s posture statements showcases how defense relations can be central to U.S. policy to the region while also emphasizing troubling tendencies in U.S. relations with its neighbors. Recognizing that these statements are read by both U.S. audiences and regional partners and analysts is critical to ensuring that these statements not only illuminate the most important challenges in the region, but also support SOUTHCOM’s strategic goals.
U.S. challenges in the Western Hemisphere
In her address, Richardson emphasized the shared nature of the challenges facing the region and the need to strengthen regional partners in order to address them. She emphasized the areas of commonality and noted the link between regional stability and U.S. national security. In emphasizing the security threats in the region, Richardson highlighted growing Chinese influence in the region, Russian support of undemocratic regimes, and how transnational criminal organizations can undermine democracy and rule of law.
In her remarks, Richardson also noted that the region has the potential to “feed and fuel the world,” but the need to help the region recognize and achieve this goal. While posture statements and military doctrine generally focus on threats, Richardson has been careful in her presentations to highlight not only the challenges in the region, but also opportunities. At a presentation in November 2023, when asked what the most pressing challenges were, Richardson redirected the question to begin by discussing opportunities for the United States rather than just focusing on the negatives. While mentions of these opportunities remain well below references to threats—with 17 and 33 mentions in the latest posture statement, respectively—the reframing of the region is important. How these challenges are framed and what they mean for U.S. relations with the region can shape how the United States and SOUTHCOM prioritize their funding and challenges.
SOUTHCOM’s latest posture statement also emphasizes the role of SOUTHCOM working with the interagency process on strengthening partners, with Richardson highlighting the need to leverage diplomatic, intelligence, military, and economic tools to support the region. Indeed, as the statement notes multiple times, SOUTHCOM views “Economic Security [as] National Security,” necessitating the need for a broad range of actors to engage with the region—including the private sector.
Why centering partnerships matters
While posture statements are presented to the U.S. Congress and emphasize U.S. priorities, Latin American and Caribbean policymakers and analysts also look to these documents as evidence of U.S. intentions and policy. This makes them both a useful descriptive tool, but also a policy instrument—meaning that how they are read and interpreted by allies in the region is important. Building on past SOUTHCOM posture statements, Richardson continued to emphasize the importance of partnership as central to SOUTHCOM’s strategy in the region. In the most recent written posture statement, Richardson mentioned “partner” or “partnership” 143 times—the most times it has been mentioned in a posture statement in the past 20 years—highlighting SOUTHCOM’s approach to the region.
SOUTHCOM’s efforts to center partnership are not only evident in the posture statement, but also in their actions and general communication strategy. SOUTHCOM regularly conducts exercises with regional allies and supports humanitarian efforts and disaster response in the region. It is also echoed in SOUTHCOM’s communication strategy which regularly emphasizes the role of importance and leverages the use of the hashtags #EstamosUnidos and #StrengtheningPartnerships on social media to highlight the centrality of cooperation in their relations with militaries in the region. Given the complicated history of U.S. intervention in the region, emphasizing partnership and collaboratively addressing threats is critical to improving relations across the region.
Caution on over-emphasizing U.S. concerns
It is also important that SOUTHCOM recognize that not all of its priorities may be shared by the region. One area where this is particularly evident is in its approach to China. While U.S. policymakers are concerned about growing Chinese influence in the region—a position shared by some Latin American leaders—many Latin American and Caribbean leaders view Chinese engagement as an opportunity. When the United States warns of Chinese engagement but provides no alternative, it is viewed negatively in the region. Importantly, the conversation surrounding China has shifted somewhat from the approach used during the Trump administration. While past SOUTHCOM commanders have raised the issue of China purely as a threat, Richardson often notes that concerns are not about all Chinese engagement in the region, but rather around extractivist activities and security threats. However, this posture statement saw a marked increase in discussion of China in the region. Despite this, the latest posture statement mentioned China more often than any previous statement.
Similarly, SOUTHCOM must be careful how it frames the issue of democracy in its relationship with the region. While there are clear threats to democracy across the region—including in the United States—caution must be used in how these are discussed, particularly given that during the Cold War the United States often framed issues in the region as “democracy” versus “communism” regardless of the democratic credentials and human-rights records of partner nations. This is particularly important as, as noted by Congressman Adam Smith during the House hearing, China leverages past problems in U.S. relations with the region in their messaging. This, coupled with inconsistent condemnation of human rights abuses and threats to democracy in the region, makes it imperative that the United States not make the issue appear to be ideological or about countering China, but about its support of democracy, human rights, and rule of law.
Changing defense priorities in the Western Hemisphere
Coming shortly after the introduction of the Americas Act, SOUTHCOM’s 2024 posture statement shows important steps toward strengthening U.S. relations with Latin America and the Caribbean as well as the beginning of a more comprehensive picture of U.S. strategy toward the region. The emphasis on supporting regional stability and economic opportunity as central to challenging growing Chinese influence in the region is quickly becoming the central feature of U.S. foreign policy toward the region. While Richardson noted in her remarks that the United States “remains the preferred and most trusted partner” in the region, to maintain this position, SOUTHCOM and the broader U.S. foreign policy establishment must embrace what it says and be a reliable partner and friend to the region.
