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By American Forces Press Service
Central America remains a hotspot of instability caused by violent
criminal organizations that use drug money to undermine legitimate
governments, the commander of U.S. Southern Command said Wednesday.
The commander, Air Force Gen. Douglas M. Fraser, said the northern
triangle formed by Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras is possibly the
most violent place on Earth today. Criminal organizations involved in
illegal activities in the area — including
drug trafficking — realize a global profit of $300 billion to $400 billion, he said.
Fraser used United Nations figures to back up his point at a Pentagon news conference.
"If we look at Iraq in 2010, the violent deaths per 100,000, according
to U.N. numbers, was 14 per 100,000," he said. "In Honduras last year,
it was 77 per 100,000. In El Salvador, it was 71 per 100,000."
The region has some very capable militaries, the general said, noting
that El Salvador sent troops to Iraq that American partners rated among
the best in that battle. But the governments of the region are
overmatched, he added.
"If you look at the transnational criminal organizations, it's a
well-financed, capable capacity — an enterprise, if you will," he said.
"Our estimates are anywhere from, on an annual basis, on a global
basis, the transnational criminal organizations bring in $300 billion
to $400 billion a year. That's a significant number when you put it
against the capacities of the governments that we're talking about."
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Douglas M. Fraser
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One example of the technology these criminal organizations use is
self-propelled, fully submersible vessels. These subs typically are 100
feet long, manned by a crew of four, and they can carry 10 tons of
cocaine, he said. They do not dive far below the surface and can
transit between the northern parts of South America to the northern
parts of Central America and into Mexico.
Militaries are not built to handle law enforcement activities, but many
have been called upon to aid police in the effort, and U.S. Southern
Command helps this effort, Fraser said.
"Because of the concern from a law enforcement standpoint — and I'll
use El Salvador as an example, the president, to address this issue,
has asked and brought the military in to support law enforcement, very
much in the same manner that we talk about within the United States,"
the general said. "Within their authorities, they work with the law
enforcement to address the issue. But almost half of the military of El
Salvador is working to address the violence. And we're seeing the same
things — not to the same level — happen within other parts of the
region."
Southern Command is working hand in hand with the State Department, the
U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. law enforcement
agencies and others to address this issue, Fraser said. Southern
Command personnel are part of the solution, but not the entire
solution, he added.
"It's much more complex than that," Fraser said. "And we have to
address it, in my mind, on a regional basis, and not just on a
country-by-country basis." Toward that end, he said, the Central
American Regional Security Initiative and the Caribbean Basin Security
Initiative are aimed at improving the ways countries work together,
helping to empower the law enforcement and judicial systems. "It's a
multi-pronged effort," Fraser added.
But the foundation for these initiatives is building and sustaining
military-to-military relations with partner militaries in the region,
the general said.
"We engage with our partners to build that security capacity," Fraser
said. "Our efforts include military-to-military engagements, exercises,
training, subject-matter expert exchanges wherever we can, to help
build capacity within our military partners."
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