The Defense Department's No. 1 priority is defending the homeland, said Rafael F. Leonardo, who is performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs.
Leonardo testified on a panel today at the House Armed Services Committee on U.S. military posture and national security challenges in North and South America.
He said other priorities are developing new capabilities to support national security, helping federal, state and local partners through disaster response and security on the southern border, and advancing America's interests throughout the Western Hemisphere alongside allies and partners.
Sealing the borders is vital to stopping illegal immigration, human trafficking, drug cartels, criminal gangs and foreign terrorists, Leonardo said, adding that the flood of fentanyl into the U.S. has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths annually.
The department has worked to seal the border, and as a result, he said illegal border crossings have reduced by 97%.
Leonardo said other challenges include China's unprecedented military buildup and adversaries seeking to undermine the U.S. military advantage through asymmetric means.
The department is working to bolster its influence in the Arctic, where China, which is 900 miles from the Arctic Circle, is attempting to increase its influence and project military power, he said.
The creation of the Golden Dome, a next-generation missile shield, is one way the United States will defend the homeland, he said.
Leonardo said the department is also developing new technologies to detect, track and counter small unmanned aerial systems.
Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, said there are three overarching concerns regarding threats to the homeland.
The first concern, Guillot said, is the growing cooperation between China, Russia, North Korea and Iran to challenge the United States.
"While their cooperation does not approach the level of complete integration demonstrated by the United States and Canada, the transfer of weapons, military technology and basing access is cause for significant concern," he said.
The number of Russian bomber incursions into the U.S. and Canadian air defense identification zones has increased. Additionally, the Russian navy's surface and subsurface vessels conducted deployments off both U.S. coasts, including in the vicinity of Alaska. Guillot noted that the commands have been tracking these incursions as well as joint Russian-Chinese bomber patrols off the Alaskan coast.
Second, the general said that evolving technologies producing small UAS and cyberattacks against networks and critical infrastructure demand a whole-of-government approach to defeat these threats.
Third, transnational criminal cartels based in Mexico threaten U.S. territorial integrity and the safety of Americans. And, Guillot said, radical Islamic terrorist groups have rejuvenated attack planning and anti-American propaganda intended to inspire lone wolf attacks like the deadly New Year's Day attack in New Orleans this year.
He said that in addition to defending the nation against enemy threats, the commands have supported Americans facing natural disasters, such as hurricanes and wildfires, by deploying troops and delivering capabilities.
Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said the United States and its partners in Latin America and the Caribbean are linked, not simply by history or geography, but by culture, security, economic cooperation and a steadfast devotion to democratic values.
"The enduring commitment to these values is the cornerstone of our collective partnerships," Holsey said.
Threats in the Southcom region include strategic competition from China and Russia, the impact of transnational criminal organizations, natural disasters, eroding democracies, and food and water insecurity, he said.
Describing China as "our pacing threat," Holsey said it has continued its methodical incursion into shared neighborhoods — exerting diplomatic, informational, military and economic influence to export its authoritarian model to the region.
"[China's] predatory and opaque investment practices, resource extraction, potential dual use projects from ports to space, threaten the security and sovereignty of our partners while jeopardizing the United States' national security," the admiral said.
Russia supports its traditional partners in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, using malign propaganda, military engagements, arms sales and force projection, he said, noting that Moscow is attempting to undermine the United States' leadership, interests and influence in the region.
"Border security is a concern for us all," Holsey said. "Southcom recently stood up Joint Task Force Southern Guard at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, [Cuba,] in support of the Department of Homeland Security to safely and humanely hold illegal aliens until they are returned to their country of origin."