U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on U.S. military posture and national security challenges in North and South America.
Chairman Rogers' remarks as prepared for delivery:
Today we kick off our posture hearings with NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM.
I want to thank our witnesses for being here and for their service to our nation.
In recent weeks, the American people saw first-hand that China's aggression knows no geographic boundaries.
China's spy balloon violated U.S. sovereignty and challenged U.S. homeland defense.
Unfortunately, this should come as no surprise.
The Chinese Communist Party has long been expanding its influence in North and South America.
25 of the 31 countries in the SOUTHCOM A.O.R. have welcomed infrastructure investment from the CCP.
21 have formally joined the CCP's Belt and Road Initiative.
The CCP is backing projects to build new, or operate existing seaports in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Jamaica, Argentina, Panama, Mexico, and the Bahamas.
This is concerning because the CCP is leveraging these investments to gain strategic footholds in our backyard.
Many of these countries host port calls, buy military equipment, and receive training from the PLA.
Sadly, the number of South and Central American countries willing to enter into partnerships with the CCP is only growing.
We need to take action to reverse that trend.
Unfortunately, the CCP is not the only malign influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Russia recently deployed troops to Nicaragua and Venezuela and continues to prop up Cuba's communist regime.
Now even Iran is gaining a presence in South America.
Just two weeks after President Biden welcomed Brazil's new President to the White House, two Iranian warships were allowed to dock in Rio.
We must stop being so complacent about our adversaries growing influence in our hemisphere.
We need to do more to build and enhance partnerships in the region.
Beyond the growing presence of our adversaries, many areas of South and Central America continue to be havens for transnational criminal organizations.
These brutal criminal gangs prey on thousands of vulnerable men, women, and children.
They steal their money and endanger their lives with perilous attempts to gain illegal entry at our borders.
They are also the main source of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs smuggled across the border.
We are seeing the consequences on streets across America.
Over 100,000 are dying each year from fentanyl overdoses.
At our southern border, a record 2.76 million migrants illegally crossed in 2022.
That blew away the previous record by more than 1 million.
Communities in our border states and throughout the country are struggling as a result.
NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM are doing their best to provide support to civilian authorities to address the border crisis, but the real solution rests with the President.
He needs stop the excuses and secure our border.
Finally, I am very concerned about the Secretary's decision to go along with the Commerce Department's plan that will lead to the auctioning off of critical DoD spectrum.
This spectrum is used for the vast majority of our military radar systems, including our early warning, homeland and ship borne missile defense.
I am having a lot of trouble understanding the rationale for this decision.
Especially when Russia has suspended the New START treaty, North Korea is launching more ICBMs, and China is sending hypersonics around the globe.
I expect the DoD to explain to this committee how it is in our national security interest to auction off this vital spectrum.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and getting their best military advice on how to overcome the security challenges we face.
