US Paying Attention to the "Soft Underbelly"
... and the Maritime threat.
This assessment comes from LTC Joe Myers; it's his opinion and I agree with it 100%.
Southcom has in some instances been a training ground and stepping stone to NATO related 4-star command given the military to military relations focus of Southern Command and peace support operations training that figures prominently in its exercise and resourcing programs.
However, beyond that, this signals in my opinion a renewed focus on Caribbean defense and maritime domain awareness...
Tensions with Venezuela and with Iran may have figured into this decision and the possibility of maritime born threats to the US homeland. The latter issue with Iran and the fact the terror networks of Hezbollah have important base and centers of operational support in Latin America may be related to this change. . Also, since we are bolstering Pacific maritime capabilities related to Taiwan having a naval admiral in the adjacent command on the Pacific Rim might have been a consideration.
...The better indicator will be any changes to the NAVSOUTH structure and capabilities.
On the other hand it may just mean Rumsfeld is promoting an aide and a person he believes is highly qualified.
The Admiral is an intellectual and strategic long-range planner. JCM
Admiral to take charge of Miami-based Southern Command
BY CAROL ROSENBERG
crosenberg@MiamiHerald.com
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld is dispatching to Miami anothersenior aide -- for the first time ever, a Navy admiral -- to run militaryoperations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Pentagon announced late yesterday that Navy Vice Adm. James G. Stavridis has been selected for a fourth star and the job of commander for the Southern Command -- the Pentagon's Miami-based headquarters for most Latin American military operations. He replaces Army Gen. Bantz Craddock, who became Southcom chief in November 2004 after doing the same job Stavridis has now -- senior military assistant to the secretary of defense.
No timetable has been set for the change of command.
A Southcom spokesman, Army Col. Bill Costello, said Stavridis would first need to undergo Senate confirmation.
The admiral's Navy biography says Stavridis, an Atlantic Beach, Fla., native, is a 1976 naval academy graduate. From August 2002 until May 2004 he commanded the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group in the Arabian Gulf -- which had a seaborne role in U.S. military operations in Iraq.
It was unclear this morning what job Craddock would get next. He is a 35-year career Army officer. As Southern Command chief, Craddock has been responsible for democracy
stability operations across the region as well as overseeing the detentioncenter at the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, housing about 490 captives -- many of them classified as ``enemy combatants.''
Vice Admiral James G. Stavridis
Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary
of Defense
Vice Admiral Jim Stavridis is a 1976 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a native of Florida. His initial sea tour was as the Antisubmarine Warfare Officer aboard USS Hewitt (DD-966). He was then selected for the Carrier Readiness Improvement Program, and served as
Propulsion and Electrical Officer in USS Forrestal (CV-59). Subsequent sea tours included service as Operations Officer in USS Valley Forge (CG-50) during Operation Ernest Will and Executive Officer in USS Antietam (CG -54) during Operation Desert Shield. He commanded USS Barry (DDG-52) from 1993
through 1995, completing deployments to Haiti, Bosnia, and the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Vigilant Warrior. Barry won the Battenberg Cup, USS Arizona Memorial Trophy, Ney Award, Golden Anchor, and Battle "E" under his command. Vice Adm. Stavridis assumed command of Destroyer Squadron Twenty-One in March 1998 and deployed to the Arabian Gulf as Sea Combat
Commander with Abraham Lincoln Battle Group. He received the Navy League's John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership for his tour as Commander, Destroyer Squadron Twenty-One. Ashore, he served in the Navy's
Strategic Concepts Group (N-513) as a strategic planner, on the CNO's Executive Panel Staff (N-00K) as a long range planner, as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, as Chief of the Policy Branch on the Joint Staff (J-5), and as Executive Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy. His
first Flag assignment was as Deputy Director for Long Range Planning (N-81). Following September 11, 2001, he became Director, Navy Operations Group (Deep Blue) at the start of the Global War on Terrorism. He commanded Enterprise Carrier Strike Group from August 2002 to May 2004, deploying in
support of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Arabian Gulf. Vice Adm. Stavridis earned a Ph.D. and MALD from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in international relations in 1984,
where he won the Gullion Prize as outstanding student in 1983. He is a 1992 distinguished graduate of the National War College. His decorations and awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (5),
Meritorious Service Medal (3), Navy Commendation Medal (4), Navy Achievement Medal, Adm. Arleigh Burke Award, Newport Navy League Award, and various campaign and unit decorations. He is author or co-author of current editions of Division Officer's Guide, Watch Officers Guide, and Command At Sea.
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