Miami
11 July 2008
The U.S. military is reviving a naval command for the Latin America andthe Caribbean region, which has not been active since World War II. Officials say the re-establishment of the Fourth Fleet does not changethe Navy's mission in the area. But VOA's Brian Wagner reports someregional leaders fear it will lead to an increased U.S. militarypresence.
The head of Southern Command, Admiral James Stavridisis to lead a ceremony Saturday for the re-establishment of the FourthFleet based in Mayport, Florida. The fleet was created in 1943 to guardagainst enemy boats, submarines and blockade runners, and was retiredshortly after the end of World War II. Since then, the Second Fleetbased in Virginia has handled naval operations throughout the AtlanticOcean.
But military officials say now it is time to renew theFourth Fleet command to oversee ongoing operations in the Caribbean andLatin America, such as joint training, counterdrug operations anddisaster relief.
Lieutenant Myers Vazquez, a spokesman forSouthern Command, says the decision reflects the growth in navalactivity in recent years.
"So effectively U.S. naval forces inSouthern Command had been operating as a fleet organization commandwithout the name. Basically it is just the name catching up toreality," he said.
Recent Southern Command operations includethe visit last year by a navy hospital ship to 12 Latin American andCaribbean nations to provide free medical care. And this year, theaircraft carrier USS George Washington flowed into the area for anannual exercise aimed at boosting ties with partner naval forces.
SomeLatin American leaders, however, see the carrier visit and there-establishment of the Fourth Fleet as a new U.S. military push in thehemisphere.
At a recent trade summit, Venezuelan President HugoChavez said the U.S. naval command could pose a threat to Venezuela'svast oil resources.
Chavez said Latin American leaders shouldask the United States what the Fourth Fleet plans to do in LatinAmerican waters, and said he sees it as a clear threat.
In aCuban state newspaper, former leader Fidel Castro cited an Argentinenewspaper article suggesting the U.S. fleet could be used to seize foodand energy resources, as prices for those goods are soaring. Bolivia'sPresident Evo Morales called it the Fourth Fleet of intervention.
Militaryofficials dispute the claims, saying the Fourth Fleet will not have anew mission or bring any new ships to the area. They note the GeorgeWashington carrier was only passing through Latin American waters toreach its new homeport in Japan.
General Barry McCaffrey, wholed Southern Command in the late 1990s, says the criticism from leftistleaders is not surprising. He says the comments are unlikely to strainthe Navy's ties with partner nations.
"I would think theprofessional navies of Latin America will welcome the increase instature of the cooperative naval presence we will have in the region,"he said.
Still, the words of leftist leaders like Mr. Chavez andMr. Castro often carry considerable weight across Latin America andelsewhere. Frank Mora, professor at the National War College, says thecriticism may create confusion about U.S. military goals.
"Ithink it is a public diplomacy issue or challenge for the United Statesnot to give over the debate to Chavez, Morales and Fidel Castro,allowing them to shape the reason or motivation why the command wascreated," he explained. "When obviously it has nothing to do withthat."
Mora says the revival of Fourth Fleet was driven mainlyby budget and command decisions inside the Pentagon, and not bypolitical developments in Latin America.
Mora adds the newcommand helps bring attention to progress that Southern Command hasmade to engage partner nations and provide military training andtechnical support.
He said the command's leadership alsodeserves credit for expanding its outreach in Latin America and theCaribbean to non-military roles.
"Admiral Stavridis is trying tomake a point of engaging more Latin America on issues that arenon-kinetic, but have more to do with humanitarian [aid], disasterrelief, and dealing more with the non-traditional threats we are seeingin the region," he added.
Mora says some of thosenon-traditional threats include environmental degradation and gangviolence issues that are plaguing some Central America nations. Therevival of the Fourth Fleet may help advance those concerns evenfurther.