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Admiral Craig Faller, in the center, takes command of Admiral Kurt Tidd, left, at a change of command ceremony at US Southern Command Headquarters on Monday, November 26, 2018, in Doral, Florida . (AP Photo / Brynn Anderson)
MIAMI – US Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Monday that the US military was providing stability to most Latin American countries through its Southern Hemisphere-led operations based on the Southern Command. at Miami.
Mattis spoke at a ceremony on Monday appointing Naval Admiral Craig Faller, the new commander of the command who oversees US military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. He is also responsible for the security of the Panama Canal and the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba.
Mattis said in a short speech that the Western Hemisphere was not as chaotic and conflict-prone as the rest of the world because of its strong military alliances and cooperation with most of the 31 countries in the region.
"There is more to this hemisphere that binds us than separates us," said Mattis. "The military forces of our hemisphere can be stabilizing forces."
Mattis singled out Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua as South Command countries where democracy is threatened or non-existent.
"Their people deserve better," he said.
Mattis did not mention the caravan of mainly Central American migrants who were trying to seek asylum in the United States. Outgoing Chief of Southern Command, Navy Admiral Kurt Tidd, said the caravan was an example of the kind of challenges that the US military is facing in the Western Hemisphere. as well as international criminal organizations, terrorist threats, powerful hurricanes and drug trafficking.
"We need to be more attentive to the threats to the hemisphere.What affects one concerns everyone," said Tidd, adding that anarchy and high crime rates in some countries "are the engines of migration from Central America".
Navy General Joseph Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also attended Monday's event. He did not talk to the public.
According to his biography of Navy, Faller recently held the position of Senior Military Assistant at Mattis. He previously led support forces for US operations in the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Faller, a native of Fryburg, Pennsylvania, now heads a Southern Command Headquarters with approximately 1,200 military and civilian personnel from all armed services. Military operations include bases in Florida, Arizona and Texas.
"As I see it, the Western Hemisphere is our neighborhood," said Faller. "Our links are permanent and we will work tirelessly to build that trust. "
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