WEBVTT 00:04.823 --> 00:06.323 - Threat networks, 00:07.962 --> 00:10.870 whether in the form of transnational organized crime, 00:10.870 --> 00:13.521 trans-regional terrorist organizations, 00:13.521 --> 00:15.743 or violent extremist networks, 00:15.743 --> 00:18.121 are prevalent throughout the Western Hemisphere, 00:18.121 --> 00:19.633 and many have global reach 00:19.633 --> 00:23.216 far beyond Latin America and the Caribbean. 00:23.269 --> 00:25.653 U.S. Southern Command is a joint command 00:25.653 --> 00:29.820 comprised of more than 1,200 military and civilian personnel 00:29.903 --> 00:32.149 representing the Department of Defense, 00:32.149 --> 00:35.834 the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Marine Corps, 00:35.834 --> 00:39.768 Coast Guard, and several other federal agencies. 00:39.768 --> 00:42.410 It is in support of U.S. national security objectives 00:42.410 --> 00:44.650 throughout the Western Hemisphere, 00:44.650 --> 00:48.140 in cooperation with domestic and international partners, 00:48.140 --> 00:51.416 in order to foster security, ensure stability, 00:51.416 --> 00:55.583 and promote prosperity throughout Central and South America, 00:55.747 --> 00:58.497 the Caribbean and the global community. 00:58.497 --> 00:59.997 Admiral Kurt Tidd, 01:00.211 --> 01:03.855 whose extensive biography is in your program, 01:03.855 --> 01:07.243 is the commander of U.S. Southern Command. 01:07.243 --> 01:09.993 Admiral Tidd, the floor is yours. 01:12.202 --> 01:13.978 - Thank you very much. 01:13.978 --> 01:16.228 (applause) 01:17.505 --> 01:20.060 Well, good afternoon, buenas tardes. 01:20.060 --> 01:22.060 I am mindful of the fact 01:22.559 --> 01:25.939 that my role right now is somewhat the same 01:25.939 --> 01:27.356 as that of a body 01:29.615 --> 01:31.032 at an Irish wake. 01:34.413 --> 01:36.834 No one expects him to say very much, 01:36.834 --> 01:39.875 but the reception doesn't start without him. 01:39.875 --> 01:43.125 So, my comments will be, will be brief. 01:44.505 --> 01:46.905 I will be happy to take questions, 01:46.905 --> 01:49.234 and then also I look forward to an opportunity 01:49.234 --> 01:52.234 for further conversation afterwards. 01:52.257 --> 01:54.496 But first of all, thank you so very much 01:54.496 --> 01:57.829 for organizing this very important event 01:57.926 --> 02:02.093 and congratulations on publishing this important work. 02:02.810 --> 02:05.196 I'd like to thank the Complex Center for Operations, 02:05.196 --> 02:06.581 and especially the Perry Center, 02:06.581 --> 02:09.139 with whom we have a very close working relationship, 02:09.139 --> 02:12.154 for the invitation to be able to speak today. 02:12.154 --> 02:14.871 We value our academic partnership 02:14.871 --> 02:17.915 with the National Defense University, and we're excited 02:17.915 --> 02:19.832 about this publication. 02:20.072 --> 02:23.897 It's great to be here, and I look forward to our discussion. 02:23.897 --> 02:26.564 Now let me start with a premise. 02:27.109 --> 02:30.897 If I were to ask this audience for a show of hands, 02:30.897 --> 02:34.897 I suspect most people would say, if I asked you, 02:36.319 --> 02:39.091 What are the main security challenges that we face 02:39.091 --> 02:42.008 in Latin America and the Caribbean? 02:42.491 --> 02:46.658 And I suspect most of you would probably say drugs. 02:47.069 --> 02:49.906 Pretty much every problem in the region, 02:49.906 --> 02:54.073 from corruption, to homicide rates, to undergoverned spaces, 02:54.075 --> 02:58.242 has some sort of linkage to the drug trade, right? 02:59.559 --> 03:00.559 Think again. 03:01.577 --> 03:03.566 If you only talk about drugs, 03:03.566 --> 03:07.185 you're only talking about one part of the story. 03:07.185 --> 03:10.170 Contrary to what you might think about Latin America, 03:10.170 --> 03:14.337 drugs alone are not the principal security challenge. 03:15.388 --> 03:19.555 Nor are the millions of people who are trafficked, 03:19.701 --> 03:21.965 and the thousands more who are smuggled 03:21.965 --> 03:24.215 into and out of the region. 03:24.765 --> 03:26.823 Neither are the myriad illicit commodities 03:26.823 --> 03:28.847 that move through our hemisphere 03:28.847 --> 03:33.014 as part of a global flow of illegal goods and services. 03:33.409 --> 03:36.810 These illegal flows, and the violence and the corruption 03:36.810 --> 03:40.269 that these flows introduce at home and abroad, 03:40.269 --> 03:43.186 are just the visible manifestations 03:43.918 --> 03:47.835 of amorphous, adaptable, and networked threats. 03:49.518 --> 03:50.768 These networks, 03:51.797 --> 03:54.130 as a whole and in their parts, 03:54.130 --> 03:57.312 are woven into the fabric of our environment. 03:57.312 --> 04:00.811 And wherever they exist, and whatever form they take, 04:00.811 --> 04:04.644 be it extremist, criminal, or state-sponsored, 04:05.139 --> 04:07.572 threat networks pose a challenge 04:07.572 --> 04:09.804 to our security and stability, 04:09.804 --> 04:13.637 and that of our partners, allies, and friends. 04:14.825 --> 04:16.977 I would argue that the trans-regional 04:16.977 --> 04:19.727 and transnational threat networks 04:19.739 --> 04:22.446 are pressing problems that we as a government 04:22.446 --> 04:26.613 and an international community don't fully understand, 04:26.638 --> 04:30.805 especially as it relates to the world that we live in today. 04:31.172 --> 04:33.360 Not the world that we envision, 04:33.360 --> 04:35.447 or that we strive to achieve, 04:35.447 --> 04:39.614 but the complicated and entangled one that we live in today. 04:40.025 --> 04:42.942 And, in that world, these networks, 04:43.108 --> 04:47.275 and the growing illegal economies that support them, 04:47.671 --> 04:51.325 undercut our national interests in multiple nations, 04:51.325 --> 04:54.825 multiple continents, and multiple regions. 04:56.355 --> 04:58.366 There are as many different networks 04:58.366 --> 05:01.197 as there are disparate goals and creative methods 05:01.197 --> 05:04.023 for conducting illegal activities. 05:04.023 --> 05:07.191 Some networks, like violent extremist ones, 05:07.191 --> 05:10.285 are ideologically or politically motivated. 05:10.285 --> 05:13.113 They focus on spreading their influence, 05:13.113 --> 05:16.280 and moving money, weapons, and people. 05:17.347 --> 05:19.603 Criminal networks are focused on accumulating 05:19.603 --> 05:22.005 wealth and power, by satisfying a demand 05:22.005 --> 05:25.005 for an illicit service or substance. 05:25.851 --> 05:27.920 Some networks smuggle desperate people 05:27.920 --> 05:30.726 from all over the world into our country, 05:30.726 --> 05:34.893 where they go on to find jobs or refuge from a conflict, 05:35.036 --> 05:38.127 while other networks specialize at moving individuals 05:38.127 --> 05:42.294 with questionable backgrounds, worrisome intentions, 05:42.312 --> 05:44.686 and possible ties to terrorism 05:44.686 --> 05:48.404 through the region and into the United States. 05:48.404 --> 05:50.145 Some networks have cornered the market 05:50.145 --> 05:51.951 on cocaine trafficking, 05:51.951 --> 05:55.294 and some dabble in poly-crime activities. 05:55.294 --> 05:59.461 Others focus on the production, on the production side, 05:59.538 --> 06:02.955 working with corrupt businessmen in China 06:03.664 --> 06:05.657 to smuggle precursor chemicals 06:05.657 --> 06:08.279 into Central America and Mexico, 06:08.279 --> 06:10.612 to make heroin and fentanyl. 06:10.970 --> 06:15.137 Many networks prey on the disadvantaged and the disaffected. 06:16.041 --> 06:19.347 Many glamorize violence and use it as a tool 06:19.347 --> 06:22.601 to intimidate local populations and inspire 06:22.601 --> 06:24.268 legions of wannabes, 06:25.121 --> 06:27.967 and from Central America's MS-13 gang 06:27.967 --> 06:32.134 to Mexican cartels and especially to groups like ISIL, 06:33.290 --> 06:37.408 many networks exploit social media and popular culture 06:37.408 --> 06:40.257 via slick, high-quality videos and music 06:40.257 --> 06:44.424 that promotes killing, intimidation, and a code of silence. 06:45.785 --> 06:48.779 Many more have established local franchises 06:48.779 --> 06:51.653 that have spread like viruses through our communities, 06:51.653 --> 06:54.792 and in some cases, across communities, 06:54.792 --> 06:56.959 countries, and continents. 06:57.934 --> 06:59.724 So what does this mean for us, 06:59.724 --> 07:03.297 and for our partners in Latin America and the Caribbean? 07:03.297 --> 07:07.047 Well, for one thing, it means that we require 07:07.127 --> 07:10.568 a different way of thinking about these challenges, 07:10.568 --> 07:14.568 both regionally, trans-regionally, and globally. 07:15.647 --> 07:18.364 Now I'm not talking about viewing threat networks 07:18.364 --> 07:21.781 in Latin America in terms of convergence, 07:22.120 --> 07:25.203 or a nexus, or a hybrid super-threat, 07:25.845 --> 07:29.762 or whatever today's term du jour happens to be. 07:29.797 --> 07:32.866 I'm entirely uninterested in that debate. 07:32.866 --> 07:34.677 What I am interested in 07:34.677 --> 07:37.719 is conditioning us to think differently, 07:37.719 --> 07:40.802 and to challenge our own assumptions. 07:40.948 --> 07:42.115 As an example, 07:42.668 --> 07:45.535 plenty of folks dismissed the possibility 07:45.535 --> 07:47.822 that violent extremist organizations 07:47.822 --> 07:50.962 and criminal networks would actively collaborate, 07:50.962 --> 07:53.568 especially in this part of the world. 07:53.568 --> 07:56.019 They're likely correct when they say that drug traffickers 07:56.019 --> 07:59.196 may be reluctant to risk working with terrorists, 07:59.196 --> 08:01.389 especially to move something like 08:01.389 --> 08:05.139 a weapon of mass destruction or an operative. 08:05.801 --> 08:07.975 Now, the narco-traffickers aren't stupid. 08:07.975 --> 08:10.224 They know it would be bad for business. 08:10.224 --> 08:13.224 And, terrorists are great at op-sec. 08:13.359 --> 08:16.554 No way that they are going to collude with some group 08:16.554 --> 08:20.539 outside of their tight circle of trusted extremists. 08:20.539 --> 08:23.462 But here's the issue that I have with that assertion. 08:23.462 --> 08:26.546 It presumes that criminal networks exercise 08:26.546 --> 08:30.669 absolute oversight and control over their smuggling routes. 08:30.669 --> 08:34.599 It presumes that they have their own version of TSA, 08:34.599 --> 08:37.293 that they conduct thorough background checks 08:37.293 --> 08:40.571 and screen everyone and everything that moves along 08:40.571 --> 08:44.731 their illicit superhighways that traverse the region. 08:44.731 --> 08:47.284 It presumes that just because witting collaboration 08:47.284 --> 08:49.034 might not take place, 08:49.046 --> 08:51.546 unwitting collaboration could. 08:52.450 --> 08:55.386 It presumes that even if paid enough, 08:55.386 --> 08:58.803 the reward would never outweigh the risk. 09:00.235 --> 09:02.648 What keeps me up at night is thinking about 09:02.648 --> 09:05.253 the many illicit pathways that thread 09:05.253 --> 09:07.752 throughout the Western Hemisphere, 09:07.752 --> 09:10.347 picturing that interlocking system of arteries 09:10.347 --> 09:13.097 that can move just about anything 09:13.183 --> 09:16.054 and imagining a scenario that may not be likely 09:16.054 --> 09:18.554 but is not totally impossible. 09:19.454 --> 09:22.429 That members of violent extremist organizations 09:22.429 --> 09:26.346 are thinking about those illicit pathways, too. 09:26.870 --> 09:30.958 And the truth is, whether criminal and extremist networks 09:30.958 --> 09:33.763 collaborate or keep their distance, 09:33.763 --> 09:36.846 in Latin America and everywhere else, 09:37.000 --> 09:39.276 threat networks of all stripes 09:39.276 --> 09:41.943 inhabit the same illegal orbits. 09:42.379 --> 09:44.583 They all benefit from exploiting 09:44.583 --> 09:46.727 the same vulnerable populations, 09:46.727 --> 09:47.975 and the demand for something 09:47.975 --> 09:50.768 that people could get nowhere else. 09:50.768 --> 09:54.301 They all use key facilitators, like lawyers, 09:54.301 --> 09:56.912 accountants, and corrupt officials, 09:56.912 --> 10:00.963 to exploit weaknesses in our financial and security sectors. 10:00.963 --> 10:03.713 And, they all excel at harnessing 10:03.982 --> 10:06.649 the very tools of globalization: 10:06.720 --> 10:09.387 free and open trade, technology, 10:10.010 --> 10:13.680 and globally-integrated financial, communications, 10:13.680 --> 10:15.930 and transportation systems. 10:16.083 --> 10:19.410 They've made our societies more prosperous, 10:19.410 --> 10:23.410 more interconnected, and sadly, more vulnerable. 10:24.832 --> 10:27.437 So thinking differently about threat networks 10:27.437 --> 10:31.270 goes beyond challenging long-held assumptions. 10:31.409 --> 10:33.295 It also applies to those of us 10:33.295 --> 10:35.834 that make up the friendly networks: 10:35.834 --> 10:37.785 the U.S. government and our fellowship 10:37.785 --> 10:40.285 of partner nations and allies. 10:41.752 --> 10:43.883 Collectively, we would all benefit 10:43.883 --> 10:46.790 from a better understanding of one another. 10:46.790 --> 10:49.412 While we are integrated well in certain areas, 10:49.412 --> 10:51.412 we can always do better. 10:52.183 --> 10:55.188 Different players have different pieces of the puzzle. 10:55.188 --> 10:59.355 But it's not always clear how those pieces all fit together, 11:00.021 --> 11:03.069 especially as we try and figure out how 11:03.069 --> 11:07.236 the not-so-friendly networks operate and interact. 11:08.447 --> 11:11.447 We have glimpses of financial flows, 11:11.496 --> 11:14.602 a partial understanding of the centrality 11:14.602 --> 11:17.185 of particular routes and nodes, 11:17.342 --> 11:21.365 an expanding knowledge base about how threat networks work, 11:21.365 --> 11:22.948 at least in theory, 11:23.862 --> 11:27.193 and we have a shared recognition that corruption is a 11:27.193 --> 11:31.126 huge part of the problem that allows networks to flourish. 11:31.126 --> 11:33.629 And we have a nagging sense that we're using 11:33.629 --> 11:37.796 20th-century approaches to fight 21st-century threats. 11:39.545 --> 11:43.184 Broadly speaking, everyone in the friendly network 11:43.184 --> 11:45.517 knows what needs to be done. 11:45.783 --> 11:49.099 We need to increase regional cooperation, 11:49.099 --> 11:51.494 real-time information sharing, 11:51.494 --> 11:53.994 and multi-national operations. 11:54.064 --> 11:57.254 We need to continue building and reinforcing 11:57.254 --> 12:01.421 bonds of trust across and between our own military, 12:02.891 --> 12:07.058 law enforcement, diplomatic, and intelligence communities, 12:07.834 --> 12:12.001 fusing these bonds both bilaterally and multilaterally 12:12.230 --> 12:14.063 with our key partners. 12:15.015 --> 12:17.974 We need to explore innovative technologies 12:17.974 --> 12:22.031 that don't just make us smarter, but make us better. 12:22.031 --> 12:26.198 We need to build, expand, and coordinate more effectively, 12:26.686 --> 12:30.853 among and across agencies, departments, and ministries. 12:32.064 --> 12:36.231 At U.S. Southern Command, we're looking to do exactly that. 12:36.531 --> 12:38.808 We're also going one step further, 12:38.808 --> 12:41.146 and we're seeking to develop a networked view 12:41.146 --> 12:45.313 of the environment, and a networked view of ourselves. 12:46.559 --> 12:49.301 And so, at U.S. SouthCom, we're lifting our sights 12:49.301 --> 12:51.169 from an exclusive focus 12:51.169 --> 12:54.252 on a single illicit commodity, drugs, 12:54.705 --> 12:57.705 and instead, we're asking ourselves, 12:57.855 --> 13:01.281 what can we do differently to be better partners 13:01.281 --> 13:03.948 to the rest of the inter-agency. 13:04.373 --> 13:07.044 Part of this decision comes from a candid recognition 13:07.044 --> 13:09.258 that for years we've been triaging 13:09.258 --> 13:11.431 the symptoms of the problem, 13:11.431 --> 13:14.570 rather than addressing the root problem itself. 13:14.570 --> 13:18.153 And, in that time, that problem has adapted 13:18.781 --> 13:20.781 and grown in complexity, 13:21.068 --> 13:24.485 while our efforts to address it have not. 13:25.097 --> 13:29.180 What's really for SouthCom changing, is our goal. 13:30.753 --> 13:34.920 Until now, we've focused on what we can diminish or degrade. 13:35.063 --> 13:38.300 How many metric tons of cocaine can we disrupt? 13:38.300 --> 13:40.241 How many coca or marijuana plants 13:40.241 --> 13:43.158 can we help our partners eradicate? 13:43.347 --> 13:45.617 And while that remains important, 13:45.617 --> 13:49.075 it's time we start building something, too. 13:49.075 --> 13:52.756 What we're driving towards is better integration, 13:52.756 --> 13:56.089 better understanding, and better support 13:57.027 --> 13:59.277 to law enforcement efforts. 13:59.402 --> 14:02.735 Ultimately, we want to help our partners 14:03.011 --> 14:05.023 in the U.S. government and across 14:05.023 --> 14:07.382 Latin America and the Caribbean 14:07.382 --> 14:11.549 to build a network that is stronger, more adaptive, 14:11.830 --> 14:14.631 and more inter-connected than any threat network 14:14.631 --> 14:16.298 can ever hope to be. 14:17.749 --> 14:19.509 And the network that is assembled by 14:19.509 --> 14:23.525 the National Defense University, represented here today, 14:23.525 --> 14:25.692 is a great place to start. 14:25.781 --> 14:28.022 So with that, I'd like to stop, 14:28.022 --> 14:31.355 and I'd be happy to take your questions. 14:33.030 --> 14:35.280 (applause) 14:45.466 --> 14:47.633 - Admiral, good afternoon. 14:47.648 --> 14:49.609 I am very interested in your remarks. 14:49.609 --> 14:51.230 My name is Carlos Alvarez, 14:51.230 --> 14:54.147 I'm from the Colombian War College. 14:55.626 --> 14:59.209 Colombia was, before, a source of migration 15:00.008 --> 15:03.728 towards the state, the United States and the world. 15:03.728 --> 15:06.217 But now, we have become a preferred bridge 15:06.217 --> 15:09.467 of illegal migration from Africa, Asia, 15:09.676 --> 15:11.426 even the Middle East. 15:14.663 --> 15:17.913 We don't still regard illegal migration 15:19.129 --> 15:21.046 as our emerging threat. 15:21.340 --> 15:22.673 But as you said, 15:23.015 --> 15:25.348 it can become a real threat, 15:26.740 --> 15:29.892 not only for Colombia but for the region. 15:29.892 --> 15:32.809 In that sense, my question is this: 15:33.341 --> 15:35.718 What kind of strategy do you think 15:35.718 --> 15:39.301 would be necessary to implement in Colombia 15:39.446 --> 15:41.779 to raise up the awareness of 15:43.484 --> 15:45.434 illegal migration as a threat, 15:45.434 --> 15:48.578 as a national threat for, for the Colombian state? 15:48.578 --> 15:49.578 - Of course. 15:50.338 --> 15:53.290 I think this is a, it's a classic case where you occupy 15:53.290 --> 15:55.373 a key piece of geography. 15:55.594 --> 15:58.952 Where it is a funnel, and if people are moving overland 15:58.952 --> 16:01.535 from any place in South America 16:02.790 --> 16:05.629 up into Central America and North America, 16:05.629 --> 16:07.174 they must pass through Colombia, 16:07.174 --> 16:09.223 there is no alternative, unless they go by sea, 16:09.223 --> 16:11.306 out across the Caribbean. 16:12.495 --> 16:16.087 In the past, migration, the movement of people 16:16.087 --> 16:19.041 was simply that, it was the movement of people 16:19.041 --> 16:23.208 largely driven by interest to seek something different, 16:24.510 --> 16:27.510 perhaps seek circumstances or a life 16:28.447 --> 16:30.512 that provided economic opportunity 16:30.512 --> 16:32.470 that might not have been available 16:32.470 --> 16:34.277 where people were leaving from. 16:34.277 --> 16:37.669 What's different now is, there are other people 16:37.669 --> 16:40.187 who seek to use those same pathways. 16:40.187 --> 16:42.731 And the concern that I think we share 16:42.731 --> 16:46.754 with many of our law enforcement and intelligence partners 16:46.754 --> 16:48.921 from across the region is, 16:49.079 --> 16:51.737 within those networks that have specialized 16:51.737 --> 16:53.987 in illegally moving people, 16:54.415 --> 16:58.582 that can serve as a mask, that can serve as a conduit 16:58.886 --> 17:01.636 for individuals who are intent on 17:03.206 --> 17:05.666 perhaps more dangerous activities. 17:05.666 --> 17:09.833 Who see that as a pathway for entry into North America, 17:10.391 --> 17:12.242 and perhaps into our country, 17:12.242 --> 17:14.113 in order to conduct an attack. 17:14.113 --> 17:16.363 And so why is it important? 17:16.525 --> 17:20.692 We all share a responsibility to ensure that people 17:21.158 --> 17:23.744 who are intent on illegal activities 17:23.744 --> 17:26.649 that can harm the security of the entire region, 17:26.649 --> 17:29.222 that we must contribute, we must work together, 17:29.222 --> 17:32.480 we must share information more effectively. 17:32.480 --> 17:34.730 We have mechanisms in place 17:35.016 --> 17:36.183 to be able to, 17:37.196 --> 17:40.504 to have better understanding of who actually is moving 17:40.504 --> 17:42.125 within those pathways. 17:42.125 --> 17:45.035 As people move through, through and across borders, 17:45.035 --> 17:46.957 as they move through transit zones, 17:46.957 --> 17:48.707 as they check through 17:49.987 --> 17:52.707 immigration facilities at various countries 17:52.707 --> 17:56.207 all along the way, there is an opportunity 17:57.365 --> 18:00.282 to understand exactly who they are, 18:00.556 --> 18:02.058 where they are coming from, 18:02.058 --> 18:04.996 and what purpose they have in traveling. 18:04.996 --> 18:06.732 That flies in the face of 18:06.732 --> 18:09.973 what these illegal networks are intent on doing, 18:09.973 --> 18:11.890 which is to move people 18:12.373 --> 18:14.598 without, without law enforcement having 18:14.598 --> 18:16.587 any knowledge or awareness of it. 18:16.587 --> 18:17.886 But this is one where, I think, 18:17.886 --> 18:19.532 we have a shared responsibility, 18:19.532 --> 18:23.255 as opposed to perhaps just moving the problem along 18:23.255 --> 18:27.422 so that it doesn't stop in my particular neighborhood. 18:28.514 --> 18:30.269 I think we all have a shared responsibility 18:30.269 --> 18:32.983 to safeguard the security of our entire region. 18:32.983 --> 18:34.621 That's a team sport, that's not one 18:34.621 --> 18:38.788 that any of us can afford to try to accomplish on our own. 18:42.532 --> 18:46.532 Better not go too far from my trusty translator. 18:46.825 --> 18:48.158 Other questions? 18:52.921 --> 18:53.999 - Hi, good afternoon. 18:53.999 --> 18:55.864 Lea Spinoza, from Peru. 18:55.864 --> 18:58.724 I have a question, is how to adapt or redesign 18:58.724 --> 19:01.156 in Latin America the strategies to tackle 19:01.156 --> 19:04.989 the new criminal networks, taking into account 19:05.041 --> 19:07.629 these social networks that are new, 19:07.629 --> 19:10.643 like the deep Web that could be a new sphere 19:10.643 --> 19:14.055 that permits interaction between criminal networks. 19:14.055 --> 19:17.805 So, for instance, the deep Web has spaces to, 19:17.865 --> 19:22.032 not just communicate but also make economic transactions, 19:22.886 --> 19:24.969 or briefly, how to tackle 19:26.097 --> 19:27.957 this dark side of the globalization. 19:27.957 --> 19:28.790 Thanks. 19:29.410 --> 19:33.577 - I mean, you've put your finger exactly on the challenge. 19:33.698 --> 19:37.865 And it's the challenge, every single technological means 19:39.802 --> 19:43.302 that has been developed to facilitate our, 19:45.597 --> 19:49.035 our ability to communicate, our ability to interact, 19:49.035 --> 19:52.535 our ability to conduct legal transactions. 19:54.082 --> 19:56.699 There will always be those who look for ways 19:56.699 --> 20:00.366 to take advantage of them for illicit means. 20:00.675 --> 20:04.425 And, you know, this is not something that we, 20:06.058 --> 20:07.808 that's new or modern. 20:08.265 --> 20:10.848 We, we had this similar problem 20:11.639 --> 20:15.391 back in the 1800s with the development of the telegraph. 20:15.391 --> 20:16.902 And there were people who were using 20:16.902 --> 20:19.900 the information that was available on the telegraph 20:19.900 --> 20:22.230 to get advanced understanding 20:22.230 --> 20:24.877 and make trades on the stock market 20:24.877 --> 20:27.755 based on information that was not yet available locally. 20:27.755 --> 20:30.137 So they were basically cheating the system 20:30.137 --> 20:32.841 by using the technology for illicit means. 20:32.841 --> 20:35.871 So this has been happening, and I suspect 20:35.871 --> 20:40.038 as long as there are technological advances being made, 20:40.273 --> 20:43.181 there will be people who will seek to use them 20:43.181 --> 20:44.598 for illicit gain. 20:45.469 --> 20:48.418 That's, that's the nature of the challenge we have. 20:48.418 --> 20:52.335 We talk about the, all of the enormous benefits 20:52.416 --> 20:56.583 that have occurred across a wide selection of our region 20:58.016 --> 20:59.795 because of globalization. 20:59.795 --> 21:01.787 But there is, as has been pointed out 21:01.787 --> 21:04.075 in the panel discussion previously, 21:04.075 --> 21:05.806 there is a dark side to globalization. 21:05.806 --> 21:09.690 There is an exploitative nature of globalization. 21:09.690 --> 21:12.403 And that's where we have to work together, 21:12.403 --> 21:15.340 and where there is a positive, beneficial role 21:15.340 --> 21:17.674 for governments to play, in order to 21:17.674 --> 21:21.493 try and protect those who are least well-protected. 21:21.493 --> 21:22.879 But I don't think you can, 21:22.879 --> 21:25.715 you can't take away the technology. 21:25.715 --> 21:27.232 We've never been very successful 21:27.232 --> 21:29.837 when we try to, to turn back the clock. 21:29.837 --> 21:32.732 That progress will continue being made. 21:32.732 --> 21:35.885 But we just, it's a collective sense of responsibility 21:35.885 --> 21:37.843 for us to work together, that we have 21:37.843 --> 21:40.887 a mutual responsibility to each other 21:40.887 --> 21:42.838 for the security of the entire region 21:42.838 --> 21:46.718 that will ultimately benefit far more of the population 21:46.718 --> 21:49.468 than the corrosive and corruptive 21:50.114 --> 21:52.531 effects of criminal behavior. 21:52.753 --> 21:54.086 Maybe I'm naive. 22:09.517 --> 22:10.895 - Good afternoon, Admiral. 22:10.895 --> 22:13.152 Nataria Efera from Colombia. 22:13.152 --> 22:15.443 Organized crime networks have shown 22:15.443 --> 22:17.930 they adapt very quickly to the different 22:17.930 --> 22:20.421 strategies governments develop, 22:20.421 --> 22:23.113 which are in most cases consequence of a mix of 22:23.113 --> 22:25.946 politics and operational planning. 22:26.439 --> 22:29.689 How we can balance these two scenarios, 22:29.909 --> 22:32.742 politics and operational planning, 22:33.932 --> 22:36.017 to face or being able to close 22:36.017 --> 22:38.905 the advantages sometimes they have. 22:38.905 --> 22:41.155 (laughter) 22:42.725 --> 22:44.140 - Fantastic question. 22:44.140 --> 22:45.668 And I think that's why, 22:45.668 --> 22:49.088 that is an enormous challenge that we all struggle with. 22:49.088 --> 22:49.921 Because 22:52.376 --> 22:55.293 in many respects, I'm not an expert 22:57.196 --> 23:01.363 on the development of the Colombian political system, 23:02.244 --> 23:04.161 but in our own country, 23:04.617 --> 23:06.330 if you go back and you read the writings 23:06.330 --> 23:08.330 of our Founding Fathers, 23:09.418 --> 23:11.487 they intentionally designed our political system 23:11.487 --> 23:12.987 to be slow-acting, 23:13.755 --> 23:17.922 so that, so that we don't make decisions too rapidly. 23:18.711 --> 23:21.517 And that poses a challenge, because it, 23:21.517 --> 23:25.684 it assumes that both leaders as well as those led, 23:28.195 --> 23:30.365 will be working essentially for the common good 23:30.365 --> 23:32.357 of the entire organization, 23:32.357 --> 23:34.572 and perhaps that's not always the case. 23:34.572 --> 23:37.884 But that's why we have, we have legal systems in place. 23:37.884 --> 23:39.793 That's why it's so important that 23:39.793 --> 23:42.293 the legal system be viewed as, 23:42.962 --> 23:44.379 as incorruptible. 23:46.129 --> 23:48.709 Because it has to be viewed as being a system that 23:48.709 --> 23:52.292 is fair and benefits the entire population, 23:53.706 --> 23:55.871 and that ultimately, eventually the legal system 23:55.871 --> 23:58.382 will catch up to people who are trying to break the law. 23:58.382 --> 23:59.215 But, 24:00.736 --> 24:04.903 depending on how far back you want to go in history, 24:05.192 --> 24:07.541 there have always been criminals who will seek 24:07.541 --> 24:11.162 to exploit the advantages that may be available 24:11.162 --> 24:14.504 in the legal systems, that will take advantage of the weak 24:14.504 --> 24:16.920 and that will take advantage of, 24:16.920 --> 24:20.173 of weak governance or of insufficient governance, 24:20.173 --> 24:22.590 or judicial systems that are, 24:22.968 --> 24:25.156 are not capable of providing for 24:25.156 --> 24:29.136 the safety and the security of the entire population. 24:29.136 --> 24:31.469 And so, that's the, I think, 24:31.735 --> 24:34.652 the role of good governments to try 24:35.522 --> 24:37.526 to root out that corruption where it exists, 24:37.526 --> 24:38.359 and to 24:40.042 --> 24:43.292 try to maintain a system that is viewed 24:43.905 --> 24:45.322 at least as fair. 24:46.033 --> 24:49.116 Not necessarily that provides equally 24:49.118 --> 24:51.145 for every member of the population, 24:51.145 --> 24:54.231 that, but at least provides an equal opportunity 24:54.231 --> 24:55.827 for every member of the population. 24:55.827 --> 24:58.590 That's kind of the basis of our system. 24:58.590 --> 25:01.542 And then, and then the countries themselves 25:01.542 --> 25:04.045 have to work together, as I've said before, 25:04.045 --> 25:06.990 share information on criminal networks 25:06.990 --> 25:10.807 that span boundaries and borders between countries, 25:10.807 --> 25:14.890 that seek to exploit differences in legal systems 25:14.993 --> 25:17.892 in one country as opposed to in another country, 25:17.892 --> 25:20.515 so that we can try to suppress that. 25:20.515 --> 25:24.182 But it's a, that's a completely insufficient 25:24.851 --> 25:28.018 answer to a problem that is as old as, 25:28.981 --> 25:32.148 as civilization itself, and ultimately 25:32.656 --> 25:35.620 underpins why civilization exists is to try to provide 25:35.620 --> 25:39.787 a means for us to collectively take care of ourselves 25:39.955 --> 25:42.440 and to be able to look out for each other 25:42.440 --> 25:44.122 and improve the quality of life 25:44.122 --> 25:46.622 for the population as a whole. 25:47.324 --> 25:49.570 So, keep studying at the War College, 25:49.570 --> 25:50.727 and come up with a better answer 25:50.727 --> 25:53.144 than the one that I gave you. 25:55.248 --> 25:56.081 Yes. 26:00.241 --> 26:01.378 - Good afternoon. 26:01.378 --> 26:03.841 Marta Verbetik, Woodrow Wilson Center 26:03.841 --> 26:05.841 in Gallaudet University. 26:06.567 --> 26:10.069 I would like to go back to, to your discussion 26:10.069 --> 26:12.652 of immigration and trafficking, 26:14.073 --> 26:16.380 and I'm thinking about Europe right now, 26:16.380 --> 26:19.447 which is where I originally come from. 26:19.447 --> 26:22.958 And as you know in Europe, there is a great division 26:22.958 --> 26:26.374 inside Europe and even within some countries 26:26.374 --> 26:30.541 as regards the migrants crisis and how to deal with this. 26:30.907 --> 26:33.861 And I think that one of the reasons why Europe 26:33.861 --> 26:38.028 has a hard time dealing with this crisis is also our beliefs 26:40.079 --> 26:42.799 that we have in liberal democracies 26:42.799 --> 26:45.147 of giving everybody a chance, 26:45.147 --> 26:48.822 of respecting certain laws for asylum and so on. 26:48.822 --> 26:51.739 So I'm ask, I guess my question is, 26:53.286 --> 26:57.134 I would like a little bit of your input on this challenge, 26:57.134 --> 27:00.097 and what I say a challenge of balancing security 27:00.097 --> 27:01.514 with our beliefs. 27:01.575 --> 27:04.317 I think we actually deal with this question 27:04.317 --> 27:07.268 in one form or another for quite a while, 27:07.268 --> 27:09.851 but I think the refugee crisis, 27:11.118 --> 27:14.429 the migrants crisis presents new challenges 27:14.429 --> 27:17.330 and security challenges and within Europe, 27:17.330 --> 27:20.413 it's very difficult, divisive issues. 27:20.978 --> 27:25.145 And I think the full consequences we will see only later. 27:27.168 --> 27:29.947 - OK, so I'm going to give you a response that you will find 27:29.947 --> 27:33.030 completely and wholly unsatisfactory. 27:33.232 --> 27:35.601 But I am standing up here in my capacity 27:35.601 --> 27:37.351 not as a policymaker. 27:38.374 --> 27:42.541 I'm, my capacity is as a member of our security enterprise. 27:43.249 --> 27:47.416 And so my responsibility is, once the policy is decided, 27:49.214 --> 27:52.375 then to the best of our abilities to put in place 27:52.375 --> 27:56.542 the mechanisms to be able to, to carry out that policy. 27:56.658 --> 27:59.139 That means to build the relationships 27:59.139 --> 28:01.139 of trust and confidence, 28:01.627 --> 28:04.857 not just within the members of the U.S. armed forces, 28:04.857 --> 28:07.638 but between the U.S. armed forces and partner nation 28:07.638 --> 28:10.257 armed forces with whom we work very closely, 28:10.257 --> 28:12.643 but also with the U.S. armed forces and members of 28:12.643 --> 28:15.019 our law enforcement, our diplomatic corps, 28:15.019 --> 28:17.505 our intelligence corps, so that we can 28:17.505 --> 28:20.443 best efficiently, effectively implement 28:20.443 --> 28:24.610 whatever policies our political leaders put in place. 28:24.958 --> 28:27.050 They decide, we implement. 28:27.050 --> 28:29.722 So it's not the answer that you're looking for, 28:29.722 --> 28:32.150 but that's, that's my role of it, 28:32.150 --> 28:35.885 is to make sure I do everything that I possibly can do 28:35.885 --> 28:38.970 to establish those relationships of trust, 28:38.970 --> 28:43.137 to be able to reach out across a network of our own 28:44.160 --> 28:47.973 that can be more effective and has greater reach, 28:47.973 --> 28:52.140 and has the opportunity to be able to successfully 28:54.626 --> 28:58.543 defeat the efforts of these adversary networks. 29:00.139 --> 29:00.972 Thank you. 29:03.710 --> 29:04.543 Yep, sir. 29:05.369 --> 29:07.538 - [Juan] Juan Belikof, van com-mun-dee-el. 29:07.538 --> 29:09.038 I will do the question in Spanish. 29:09.038 --> 29:10.621 - Hold on a second. 29:12.382 --> 29:16.299 Alright, trusty translating team, back to work. 29:18.470 --> 29:21.470 (speaks in Spanish) 31:24.312 --> 31:27.312 (speaks in Spanish) 32:51.022 --> 32:53.772 - First, let me start by saluting 32:57.522 --> 33:01.022 the incredible hard work, professionalism, 33:01.443 --> 33:05.473 bravery of the armed forces and national police of Colombia 33:05.473 --> 33:09.640 for the terrific work that they have done over decades now, 33:10.204 --> 33:13.744 to bring Colombia to the point of standing at the, 33:13.744 --> 33:17.244 literally at the door of a historic peace. 33:17.912 --> 33:19.579 I fully expect that, 33:21.834 --> 33:23.839 the Colombian people will arrive at the right solution 33:23.839 --> 33:27.006 for them, that will result in a peace. 33:27.102 --> 33:28.942 The types of activities that you have pointed out 33:28.942 --> 33:31.794 that, in addition to drug trafficking, 33:31.794 --> 33:35.142 that FARC has been engaged in previously, 33:35.142 --> 33:37.559 that ELN has been engaged in, 33:37.765 --> 33:41.932 that other criminal elements and illegally-armed groups 33:43.819 --> 33:45.855 are currently engaged in, 33:45.855 --> 33:49.188 are now, or will be, criminal activities 33:49.437 --> 33:51.104 that must be treated 33:51.800 --> 33:55.684 as the significant challenges to internal security 33:55.684 --> 33:56.851 that they are. 33:57.828 --> 34:01.078 You talk about the problem of impunity, 34:01.322 --> 34:04.072 and that addresses the point that 34:04.911 --> 34:08.494 arriving at a final satisfactory resolution 34:10.556 --> 34:14.095 will require more than just the work of the armed forces. 34:14.095 --> 34:16.529 More than just the work of the national police. 34:16.529 --> 34:19.862 It will require the same courageous work 34:20.799 --> 34:24.054 that the judicial system has engaged in, 34:24.054 --> 34:26.662 in order to suppress the criminal cartels, 34:26.662 --> 34:28.930 the drug cartels that you mentioned earlier. 34:28.930 --> 34:30.513 And it will require 34:30.984 --> 34:33.750 enormous capability and professionalism on the part 34:33.750 --> 34:37.917 of the penal system that is responsbible for incarceration, 34:38.790 --> 34:41.623 so that there is a high likelihood 34:42.130 --> 34:45.757 that if you commit a crime, if you are charged with a crime, 34:45.757 --> 34:47.840 you will receive a trial. 34:48.146 --> 34:50.505 If you are found guilty, you will be imprisoned, 34:50.505 --> 34:52.104 and that you will pay a penalty. 34:52.104 --> 34:56.088 And that penalty should, is enough to serve as a dissuasion. 34:56.088 --> 34:58.667 But that talks to the issue of, regardless of the country, 34:58.667 --> 35:02.584 and I'm not, this is not, this is not Colombia, 35:02.859 --> 35:04.114 this is not Central America, 35:04.114 --> 35:08.031 this is here in my own, my own country as well. 35:08.141 --> 35:10.776 All of the pieces have to work together. 35:10.776 --> 35:14.307 And the people have to have faith and trust 35:14.307 --> 35:16.739 that all of the system works together, 35:16.739 --> 35:18.612 and is fair and equitable. 35:18.612 --> 35:21.176 And that if you commit a crime, and you're found guilty, 35:21.176 --> 35:22.723 that you will go to jail. 35:22.723 --> 35:25.343 And that has to, I think, be something that is, 35:25.343 --> 35:26.881 that everyone can rely on. 35:26.881 --> 35:30.381 So they have faith that the government is, 35:30.580 --> 35:32.497 is taking care of them. 35:32.542 --> 35:34.734 That is a process, as has already been described, 35:34.734 --> 35:38.901 it's not, building that faith and that trust takes time. 35:38.997 --> 35:41.830 And it's not, it's not a matter of 35:41.906 --> 35:45.496 a single electoral cycle, or a single session 35:45.496 --> 35:48.209 of the legislature, it's something that 35:48.209 --> 35:51.799 will take place over the course of a generation. 35:51.799 --> 35:54.137 And that's, that certainly has been the experience 35:54.137 --> 35:57.324 that we've had, and we still have challenges to this day. 35:57.324 --> 35:59.394 So I think that it's, it'll be a problem 35:59.394 --> 36:02.061 that we'll all work on together. 36:05.680 --> 36:06.513 The hook. 36:06.832 --> 36:09.267 - I'm afraid if we ask Admiral Tidd any more questions, 36:09.267 --> 36:10.734 he'll never accept an invitation from us. 36:10.734 --> 36:12.674 So let's give him a break. 36:12.674 --> 36:14.397 Please join me in thanking him. 36:14.397 --> 36:16.169 (applause) 36:16.169 --> 36:17.586 Thanks very much. 36:17.776 --> 36:21.943 - Free (mumbles) after this, right? 36:23.548 --> 36:24.381 - So when, 36:25.319 --> 36:26.486 when we began, 36:27.377 --> 36:30.613 Miss Hollis mentioned our previous book, Convergence, 36:30.613 --> 36:32.719 published three years ago. 36:32.719 --> 36:36.302 Which we did produce quite a few copies of. 36:38.881 --> 36:40.548 It generated a lot of conversation, 36:40.548 --> 36:42.585 and frankly a lot of criticism. 36:42.585 --> 36:46.697 And for that reason, we actually thanked and acknowledged 36:46.697 --> 36:49.167 those people who criticized that book 36:49.167 --> 36:51.296 in our acknowledgements to Beyond Convergence, 36:51.296 --> 36:53.193 because it was their criticisms, 36:53.193 --> 36:55.464 and the questions that people raised, 36:55.464 --> 36:56.714 that led us to, 36:58.778 --> 37:01.688 to agree that we needed to do a follow-up book. 37:01.688 --> 37:04.690 So I encourage you, please read this book, 37:04.690 --> 37:07.334 Beyond Convergence, and criticize it, 37:07.334 --> 37:10.251 challenge it, share it with people. 37:11.309 --> 37:13.976 Tweet it, if that's what you do. 37:14.623 --> 37:18.363 But the point is to generate continuing question 37:18.363 --> 37:20.946 about how we're dealing with these, 37:20.946 --> 37:24.446 what Chris Fussell called wicked problems. 37:25.357 --> 37:28.898 Are we being innovative enough in our own structures, 37:28.898 --> 37:31.485 in our own processes, in meeting these challenges? 37:31.485 --> 37:35.226 Do we understand the problems clearly enough? 37:35.226 --> 37:39.393 Are we developing the right kinds of capabilities? 37:40.479 --> 37:43.279 Obviously, we can't answer all those questions here, 37:43.279 --> 37:46.112 so I'm going to suggest the wisdom 37:46.987 --> 37:50.429 of the great American strategist Homer Simpson, 37:50.429 --> 37:53.335 who said, "Alcohol is both the cause 37:53.335 --> 37:55.484 "and the solution to all our problems." 37:55.484 --> 37:57.974 And I invite you to join us in the north atrium 37:57.974 --> 37:59.438 for a wine reception. 37:59.438 --> 38:01.438 Thank you all very much. 38:01.503 --> 38:03.753 (applause) 38:07.007 --> 38:09.174 (chatter)