The Hoover Institution National Security Task Force hosted a roundtable discussion with Admiral Craig S. Faller, Commander of U.S. Southern Command

Describing an organizing principle of “by, with, and through partners,” Admiral Faller described both hemispheric issues for this combatant command—including immigration, natural resources, transnational criminal organization, climate change, and the health of young democratic institutions—and increasing global imperatives playing out surprisingly close to home across the region. Task Force participants discussed the roles of and bureaucratic barriers faced by the U.S. military in supporting partners in the region, and they reflected on that changing mission given China’s increasing diplomatic, economic, and security initiatives there. Discussants emphasized the need to keep a healthy and competitive U.S. field presence in order to offer regional partners an attractive alternative.