[ad_1]
I spent more than three years as a 4-star Admiral and Commander of the South American Command from 2006 to 2009, responsible for all US military forces in Latin America and the Caribbean. Part of my job was traveling extensively from my headquarters in Miami to the Central American countries that had been separated by violence. I have traveled many times the most of the route taken by at least 5,000 migrants traveling in caravans or other groups – most of them fleeing Honduras, Guatemala. , El Salvador and Nicaragua – and at the head of the US armed forces in these areas. nations. When I look at the plan to deploy at least as many American soldiers to our southern border to end what President Trump mistakenly calls "an invasion," I think we are making a big mistake.
These troops on active duty are poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly organized for this mission. They are taught how to apply deadly combat power to the enemies of our country. The chances of them making a mistake in a tense situation, even if they are operating as support, are considerable. It is not necessary to impose this risk on what is clearly a law enforcement activity, an activity that should be left to civilians. If we need more officers from the Border Patrol, we should hire them – not throw the service army on the problem.
This situation would be aggravated by opportunity costs. Every day spent by these deployed troops at the border – far from their families, by the way, as the holiday season unfolds – is a day when they will not train and prepare. real mission: combat operations. When I look at the units selected for this mission, many of them will have to stop training for deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, where active fighting is underway. Instead, they could also be prepared to support US troops in Korea if the situation warms up again or train for deployment in the Persian Gulf, with America reimposing sanctions on Iran and the tension increasing. This so-called "deployment" will not only waste money, up to $ 200 million by the end of the year, according to an independent analysis, but also, dangerously, valuable training.
In addition, the probability of a real large-scale mission at the border is very small. Migrants are hundreds of kilometers away, mostly women and children. They are advancing very slowly and are only looking for an opportunity to argue their case for asylum and refugee status – which they probably will not receive from the United States. A much better solution than that of an active force is to expand our cooperation with Mexico, which handles the challenges facing caravans quite well and respects their national legislation and international policy on refugee movement. We could, for example, build refugee centers to treat asylum seekers in a humane and reasonable way, in collaboration with the border authorities of both countries.
What do we get from this action, then? The terrible US perspective essentially closes our border with the military force – while Mexico faces the refugees from Central America, while Colombia and Brazil face a real refugee crisis while the United States is facing a refugee crisis. they seek to host more than two million Venezuelans, most of whom suffer from malnutrition. reports. For a region that has suffered many US invasions and incursions by the US military over the past 150 years, it evokes worrying old ghosts.
We should control our border. But sending the military will not help this cause. And for many of the same reasons, a "big wall" will not work either. Frankly, we could build a 30-foot wall along the border (at a huge cost), but it's a secret I know because I'm an admiral: just to the left of the wall, there is an ocean. If all we do is try to block the entrances, people will try to get there in different ways, including by sea.
There are better ways. We should build a "smart" wall with high and solid barriers; a lot of unmanned surveillance in the air, on the ground and at sea; lighter obstructions when needed; artificial intelligence analyzing trends and predicting pressure points; and, above all, a well – financed, highly motivated border patrol force composed of volunteers working with local law enforcement. Alongside this smart wall, a regional effort should be undertaken to tackle the root causes of migration – crime, drugs, corruption and lawlessness – which includes the United States and Canada, as well as our neighbors to the south.
During my career, I have ordered our army to serve actively in many legitimate missions in Latin America and the Caribbean, from the fight against insurgents in Colombia to the fight against narcotics throughout Central America Help after earthquakes in the Caribbean. These were reasonable and profitable missions. This one is not, and the president should reverse the course.
Source link
