Near and Present Danger: SOUTHCOM Commander ADM Faller on U.S.-China Strategic Competition in the Western Hemisphere

The Project 2049 Institute is pleased to present the following conference: 

Tuesday, June 15, 2021
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Location: Virtual

The People’s Republic of China (PRC, China) is actioning a ten-year plan to be the dominant economic player in Latin America and the Caribbean. Behind the financial support related to domestic infrastructure, port construction, and COVID-19 relief, the PRC is establishing global logistics and basing groundwork in the Western Hemisphere. This allows the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to project and sustain military power closer to the American homeland. Given the current global health crisis instigated by COVID-19, if the United States fails to engage Latin American political, military, and business leaders, the region’s susceptibility to the pandemic could prove a Trojan Horse for PRC cyber infiltration and political influence. Already, the CCP is using COVID-19 medical support, vaccine deployment, and other economic incentives to expand its fifth-generation wireless network technology (5G), which could be used to bolster CCP intelligence and surveillance capabilities.

U.S. influence in the region is on a downward trend. However, there is still a margin—albeit a closing one—between the U.S. and PRC. Like-minded regional support for liberal democratic values, such as the rule of law, transparent governance, and respect for human rights, are in jeopardy. Going forward, there are two questions that demand urgent attention. (1) What are the CCP’s coercive activities in the Western Hemisphere? And (2) What is the role of the United States and its global allies in supporting Latin American and Caribbean partners to repel this threat? During this livestream event, Project 2049 Institute Chairman Randall Schriver hosted a conversation with U.S. Southern Commander, Admiral Craig S. Faller. Following ADM Faller, Chairman Schriver engaged with Dr. Rebecca Bill Chavez, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Yuko Mukai, Political Correspondent at the Yomiuri Shimbun. The speakers answered these two questions, providing their expertise on the present situation and recommending actionable steps towards a safer future for the United States, the Western Hemisphere, and the international community at large.

SCHEDULE & SPEAKERS

1:30 pm – 1:35 pm
Introduction & Opening Remarks

John Gastright Jr.
The Project 2049 Institute

The Honorable Randall G. Schriver
The Project 2049 Institute

1:35 pm – 1:50 pm
Keynote Speaker

Admiral Craig S. Faller
Commander, United States Southern Command

1:50 pm – 2:10 pm
Panel Discussion

Dr. Rebecca Bill Chavez
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs

Yuko Mukai
The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:10 pm – 2:30 pm
Q&A

View the event on our YouTube page here.
Follow @Project2049 and #P2049Live on Twitter for more analysis.