March 17, 2020
United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM),
Countering threats by increasing cooperation and
headquartered in Miami, FL, was officially established in
information sharing with allies and partners to
1963. Prior to that, U.S. military elements in the Western
understand and counter threats from transnational
hemisphere had been organized under the U.S. Caribbean
criminal organizations, violent extremist organizations,
Defense Command. SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility
and malign actors.
(AOR) begins at the southern Mexican border and contains
the remaining elements of Central and South America,
Building SOUTHCOM capabilities by prioritizing a
adjacent Atlantic and Pacific waters, as well as the
workforce that is trained, highly competent, educated in
Caribbean Sea, ultimately encompassing 31 countries and
the history and cultures of the region, and capable of
16 dependencies and areas of special sovereignty. The
shifting from warfighting to security cooperation tasks.
region represents about one-sixth of the landmass of the
world assigned to regional unified commands.
DOD is not the lead U.S. government agency for many of
SOUTHCOM is led by U.S. Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller.
the activities that fall under this mission set. As a result,
SOUTHCOM has designed its posture to support, rather
Figure 1. U.S. Southern Command
than lead, other agencies and countries in the region.
Security cooperation—a term describing DOD
engagements with other countries to improve their
respective defense capabilities and capacities—is used by
SOUTHCOM to advance U.S. objectives in the region.
The Evolving Geopolitical Context of the
Southern Hemisphere
Despite its geographic proximity to the United States, and
despite periodic incidents that have attracted the attention of
U.S. leaders, the SOUTHCOM AOR has generally
remained a lesser priority for DOD relative to other
strategic challenges, particularly after World War II.
Looking at recent trends, though, some observers contend
that Latin American should factor more greatly into U.S.
strategic plans. In the Trump Administration’s view,
effectively competing—economically, diplomatically and
militarily—with Russia and China is the most pressing
national security challenge the United States faces today.
According to SOUTHCOM, both these actors appear to be
gaining a greater foothold in the region—particularly in
Venezuela—raising the question as to whether
Source: Congressional Research Service.
SOUTHCOM’s AOR is, or will become, a key arena for
strategic competition. Other observers, however, contend
SOUTHCOM and National Strategic Priorities
that Chinese and Russian activities in Latin America do not
During the Cold War, SOUTHCOM undertook a variety of
rise to the level of strategic concern given the extent and
missions intended to prevent the Union of Soviet Socialist
depth of U.S. engagement across the region. Regardless,
Republics (USSR) from gaining a strategic foothold in the
contending with various manifestations of strategic
Western hemisphere. After the end of the Cold War, the
competition has become a mission for the command that is
command pivoted its focus to containing and/or countering
in addition to other extant regional priorities, such as
narcotics trafficking and humanitarian assistance missions.
countering the trafficking of narcotics.
Today, SOUTHCOM states that the command seeks to
advance national strategic objectives in three primary ways:
SOUTHCOM Posture Review?
On January 23, 2020, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper
Strengthening partnerships with other countries and
initiated a COCOM-by-COCOM review to determine
agencies in the region through activities including (but
whether the posture and resourcing in each are sufficient to
not limited to) building their respective security
meet extant and emerging challenges. The review of U.S.
institutions and capacities, humanitarian assistance and
Southern Command is underway; a central question in this
disaster relief, and advancing human rights.
analysis is whether USSOUTHCOM has sufficient
resources and capabilities to counter increasing Russian and
https://crsreports.congress.gov
United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
Chinese investments and activities in the Western
September 2019, 20 countries also send liaison officers
Hemisphere. Other questions include whether
or other representatives to JIATF-South.
SOUTHCOM has sufficient assets (ships, information,
surveillance and reconnaissance assets, and so on) to
SOUTHCOM Funding
perform interdiction missions.
DOD budget documentation does not break out total
funding by combatant command. Forces and operations
SOUTHCOM Subcomponents
assigned to the commands are, in general, funded by the
As with other COCOMs, SOUTHCOM is a headquarters;
military services (either in their base budgets or with
no military units are permanently assigned. SOUTHCOM
funding designated for Overseas Contingency Operations,
operates through component commands—one for each of
or OCO). Combatant command funding is, with some
the U.S. armed services, along with a joint special
exceptions, limited to Operation and Maintenance (O&M)
operations component. Each component command may or
accounts for headquarters and mission support activities.
may not have military forces assigned to it in theater.
In the case of SOUTHCOM, the U.S. Army is the
U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH) is located at Ft. Sam
Combatant Command Support Agent (CCSA) and primarily
Houston, TX.
responsible for funding its headquarters. For FY2021, the
Army requested $197.8 million in the O&M subactivity
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth
group for U.S. Southern Command, all of which was
Fleet (COMUSNAVSO/ COMFOURTHFLT) is
requested in the base budget, according to DOD. The
located in Mayport Naval Base in Florida.
FY2021 request is $11.3 million (5.4%) less than the
FY2020-enacted amount of $209.1 million.
Air Forces Southern/Twelfth Air Force (AFSOUTH)
is located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
For FY2021, the command requested additional funding for
civilian compensation, personnel for the Identity
U.S. Marine Forces South (USMARFORSOUTH) is
Intelligence Program to assist other agencies and partner
located in Miami, FL.
nations in countering threat networks, and travel and
training; and decreased funding for Military Information
Special Operations Command South
Support Operations to local audiences and personnel to
(USSOCSOUTH) is located at Homestead Air Reserve
support the establishment of U.S. Space Command, among
Base near Miami, FL.
other program changes.
Three task forces also report to USSOUTHCOM:
Further Reading
Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo), Soto Cano Air
CRS In Focus IF10982, China’s Engagement with Latin
Base, Honduras. JTF-Bravo organizes multilateral
America and the Caribbean, by Mark P. Sullivan and
exercises and supports, with U.S. partner nations,
Thomas Lum
humanitarian and civic assistance, and counterdrug,
contingency, and disaster relief operations in Central
CRS Report R44313, What Is “Building Partner
America.
Capacity?” Issues for Congress, coordinated by Kathleen
J. McInnis
Joint Task Force Guantanamo, U.S. Naval Station
Guantanamo Bay (GTMO), Cuba. TF-Guantanamo
CRS In Focus IF10460, Latin America and the Caribbean:
conducts some detention and interrogation operations in
U.S. Policy Overview, by Mark P. Sullivan
support of U.S. counterterrorism operations, coordinates
and implements detainee screening operations, and
CRS Report R45120, Latin America and the Caribbean:
supports law enforcement and war crimes investigations,
Issues in the 115th Congress, coordinated by Mark P.
as well as Military Commissions for Detained Enemy
Sullivan
Combatants. JTF-Guantanamo is also prepared to
support mass migration operations.
CRS In Focus IF10580, Transnational Crime Issues:
International Drug Trafficking, by Liana W. Rosen
Joint Interagency Task Force South, Key West,
Florida. JIATF-South is an interagency task force—
often viewed as a model for interagency cooperation—
that serves as the catalyst for interagency counter-drug
operations and is responsible for the detection and
Kathleen J. McInnis, Specialist in International Security
monitoring of suspect air and maritime drug activity in
Brendan W. McGarry, Analyst in U.S. Defense Budget
the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern
IF11464
Pacific. JIATF-South also collects, processes, and
disseminates counter-drug information for interagency
operations. According to public reporting, as of
https://crsreports.congress.gov
United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11464 · VERSION 1 · NEW