Use Of The United States Army National Guard In Latin America AUTHOR Major Bruce E. Davis, USARNG CSC 1990 SUBJECT AREA History EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TITLE: Use of The United States Army National Guard in Latin America THESIS: Use of The United States Army National Guard in Latin America For humanitarian aid and nation building projects offers a way to begin truly building the western hemisphere into a democratic and economic stronghold that could remain competitive with emerging economic coalitions. ISSUE: The focus of the United States has predominantly been on Europe and Asia since World War II. The Marshal Plan, economic assistance, the rebuilding of Japan, the threat of communism, and the delicate balance of trade have all contributed to this focus beyond our hemisphere. Attention on Latin America has been at the political level rather than the economic. As the world approaches a new century and the political and economic shape of the world changes the United States must look ahead and be prepared to not only survive these changes, but to exploit them to our benefit. The development of this hemisphere into an economic community that thrives within a stable political realm is critical to our survival as an economic leader and a world power. CONCLUSION: The efforts of The United States should be directed at a long term development of the nations within this hemisphere into a viable economic cooperative that can compete with the emerging coalitions of the world. Major efforts need to address nation building, goodwill, prosperity, and stability. The United States Army National Guard can be a significant contributor to this effort. USE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY NATIONAL GUARD IN LATIN AMERICA OUTLINE THESES STATEMENT. Use of the United States Army National Guard in Latin America for humanitarian aid and nation building projects offers a way to begin truly building the western hemisphere into a democratic and economic stronghold that could remain competitive with emerging economic coalitions. I. Current Military Humanitarian Programs A. United States B. Cuba II. United States Army National Guard Force Structure A. Engineer B. Medical C. Water Purification III. Expanded Program Potential A. Roads B. Communications C. Education D. Civil Affairs E. Sanitation F Medical Aid USE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY NATIONAL GUARD IN LATIN AMERICA The United States Army National Guard is made up of approximately 425,000 Civilian Soldiers. The major units of The Guard consist of 10 Divisions, 16 Separate Brigades, 2 Armored Cavalry Regiments, 2 Special Forces Groups, and 3 Round-Out Brigades. In addition to the elements organic to these combat units there are many combat support and combat service support units that when mobilized perform their mission at the Corps and Echelon Above Corps levels. It is the combat support and combat service support units at the division, corps, and echelons above corps levels that would provide the preponderance of the direct action assistance that is the topic of this paper. Engineers, communications personnel, medical activities, civil affairs specialists, educators, and water purification teams are all available to support an expanded effort to assist in the development of the Latin American neighbors in our hemisphere. Click here to view image The United States Army National Guard currently enjoys a fairly active, but limited assistance program focused mostly within the region of Central America. The current efforts involve road building, medical assistance, and disaster relief. Worthy projects, but limited in scope. United States Army National Guard medical units have provided assistance in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras since 1987 as part of medical civil action missions.1 During these missions a unit will provide both medical and dental aid in support of the national health programs. The selection of missions and assistance areas are usually chosen by the host nation government officials to ensure the most needy are helped. For example, an Oklahoma Army National Guard medical unit treated 6,417 medical patients and 805 dental patients during just one medical civil action mission in Guatemala during May of 1989. The tangible benefits of this assistance are obvious. Not only do the host nation citizens benefit, but so do the United States Army National Guard personnel that provide the medical assistance. They are able to treat ailments not always seen in training exercises in the United States. The United States Army National Guard has been fairly active in nation building projects as well. Most of this effort has been directed towards road building in Honduras. Since 1984 approximately 41,000 United States Army National Guard Citizen Soldiers have participated in this project alone. Units rotate through at 17 day intervals. In addition to road building, the units also construct schools and medical centers in the area of the project as it proceeds. The United States Army National Guard accomplishes a great deal, but unfortunately, much more could be done. What makes this so unfortunate is that our major competitor in the area is Cuba.2 The dilemma this presents is obvious. The people of Latin America are being presented a choice between 2 spheres of influence, ours and Castro's particular flavor of communism. In 1976 Cuba began to send construction workers, technical advisers, teachers, physicians, dentists, and other public health personnel to assist developing nations in Central America. Admittedly, this was done in part to reduce the number of unemployed within Cuba and in some cases to generate income transfers back to Cuba, but the underlying reason was to spread Castro's ideology to the mainland of the Americas. Cuba provides monetary foreign aid as well as assistance programs, but it is the assistance programs that have a tangible impact on the people of the Latin American nations. It is from the people that insurgent movements originate.3 They provide the manpower of revolutions. They are the ones most accessible to Cuba's assistance programs. Due to their poverty and general needy conditions they are also the easiest to convince that there is a better way through armed conflict. This is what the United States must counter. Since 1959 Cuba has supported and encouraged armed conflicts in Nicaragua, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Panama, Venezuela, Columbia, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, and El Salvador. It is obvious that Cuba intends to export its ideology to the Latin American mainland through whatever means it can employ. Click here to view image The United States must focus efforts on the overall economic improvement of the nations of Latin America. North America presents a strong economic entity to compete with the industrialized nations of the world, but as super coalitions are formed in Europe and Asia the United States must take action to ensure we maintain this economic well being. The potential exists to even improve rather than retain the status quo. An economic coalition made up of the nations of this hemisphere would be a formidable opponent in any economic arena. Raw materials, natural resources, agriculture, services, manufacturing, and financial services are all available in abundant amounts. The challenge that faces the United States is not one that can be addressed successfully in the near term. It must be addressed by a long term, long range program to build economic and political stability throughout Latin America while at the same time improving relations with those nations. Unfortunately, The United States track record is not very good when it comes to long range efforts. Politicians are re-elected based on short term track records. Presidential administrations and the agenda they bring with them change every 4 to eight years. This is one challenge that must be solved if we are to succeed. There are several ways that the long range plan could be managed. One way is through The Federal Trade Commission. Their charter could be expanded to cover the economic aspect of assisting is the development of Latin America. The State Department would be a key player as well. The stability of several of the fledgling democracies is of primary importance. Even the perception of instability would impede the development of a viable coalition. The Department of Defense would be involved in the employment of The United States Army National Guard in the areas of nation building and development of goodwill The problem with this method of managing the effort is obvious. There is no one person or agency managing and coordinating the efforts of all participants. The risk of failure, waste, and mismanagement as well as disjointed efforts is too great to allow the current system to be responsible for so important an undertaking. I suggest that a Presidential Cabinet level position be created along the lines of the European Economic Community representative system. The person filling this position would report directly to the administration in power, but the agency would continue regardless of the party of the person in office. This agency would be responsible for the development of a coordinated effort by the United States to assist on a long term basis the nations of Latin America. Their charter would run the spectrum; tourism, manufacturing, raw materials, conservation, agriculture, and so on. They would be the executive agent for all United States efforts. I also suggest that the United States not wait to create an economic alliance based on the European and Asian models. The immediate pursuit of this goal would not detract in any way from our efforts. In fact, I believe it would lend credence to our commitment. The nations of Latin America would be able to see the efforts of the United States turn into something tangible. They would be able to join in the effort at the beginning and have some say in the development of the alliance. It is important that all nations perceive it as just exactly that, an economic alliance directed at the improved prosperity and economic growth of member nations. This may be a little tough for the United States to accept. Our philosophy of the purse-string has not helped our reputation in Latin America up to this point. We know that it is a matter of competing priorities in most cases, but it is perceived to be vacillation on our part when scrutinized by other nations. The initial stages of the United States effort to assist Latin America is where the United States Army National Guard can be the most useful. The spectrum of possibilities is almost limitless. Sanitation, water purification, construction, road building, and bridge construction are just a few of the examples of what the United States Army National Guard can do immediately. Before I get into detail on the future possibilities I think it is important to cover some of the background on the history of Latin America and how it has become what it is. The original inhabitants of Latin America were Mongols that crossed the Bering Straits Land Bridge 20,000 years ago.5 The development of the different tribes varied. Some remained savage and nomadic while others developed advanced civilizations. Examples are the Aztecs in Mexico, the Mayans in Central America, and the Incas in western South America . However, with the discovery by Columbus and the subsequent exploration of Latin America, conquest of all of Latin America was complete at the close of the 16th Century. Five European powers colonized Latin America with an emphasis on extracting wealth for export to Europe. Indigenous people became slave labor. Very little effort was made at long term development and economic growth. Most of the limited road networks created by the original inhabitants of Latin America soon were reclaimed by the jungle resulting in even fewer available markets. This was to be the situation for most of Latin America well into the 19th Century. The United States entered into the Latin American political arena with the publishing of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. We officially recognized the independence of Latin America and announced that interference from powers outside the western hemisphere would not be tolerated. This did not preclude United States intervention and expansion in Latin America as our prominence in the world grew. Strategic geography and the need for raw materials became important factors that influenced our Latin America strategy.6 "Gunboat Diplomacy" became the standard throughout the Caribbean and Central American nations. The United States had in effect become the only major world power exercising external influence on the internal rule of Latin American nations. The protection of United States agricultural and mining interests in Latin America became the basis for episodes of military intervention that continue to serve as obstacles to improved relations with several Latin American countries. The current United States National Security Strategy states "By maintaining an environment of reasonable stability and open trade and communication with Latin America, political, economic, and social forces should eventually work to our advantage." This constitutes a passive strategy based on hope and ignores the reality of the Latin American debt, the drug situation, insurgency movements, and especially the plight of the majority of Latin American people. The per capita income of Latin America has declined over the past 20 years. The population is growing faster than almost any other region of the globe. Land reform in most countries remains an elusive objective. The economic picture in Latin America appears dismal. Heavy borrowing to create a manufacturing base, to develop oil and mineral deposits, and to begin needed social programs was initiated in almost every country. The profits and revenues that were expected from oil production were not realized when the price fell on oil. The lack of markets within the Western Hemisphere for agricultural products drove Latin America into direct competition with the United States in European and Asian markets. Social programs tended to benefit only the urban populace. Lack of a land reform program has resulted in the inability of many rural inhabitants to feed themselves and has driven hundreds of thousands more people into the urban centers overburdening the already overwhelmed social programs. The United States strategy ignores the current and future implications of this dilemma. This brings us to the one specific area of the contribution that The United States Army National Guard can make to this complex plan. I will address several major areas of support that is available individually beginning with road building. The United States Army National Guard has a substantial amount of Engineer units. They consist of both combat and general purpose Engineers with all the equipment necessary to provide a modern transportation road network throughout those areas of Latin America that are lacking in this vital area. The United States has trouble relating to the problems that the lack of an adequate road system presents to the people of Latin America. In an agricultural society all depends on getting the produce to a market. In many places in Latin America this is not possible. Villages can become little more than self sustaining without the opportunity to sell crops for the hard currency to establish schools, medical centers, and social programs. The result is a countryside of villages on the very edge of survival. The other side of this coin is just as troublesome. Land use remains the same year after year, harvest after harvest. No crop rotation takes place, so nutrients are taken from the soil every year. The lack of hard currency and the inaccessibility of the farm land due to a lack of roads prohibits the use of fertilizers and other modern techniques, equipment, and products that would make the land more efficient and better able to support more people. Just the one small area of road building would reap immeasurable benefits to the Latin American nations. Very few United States Army National Guard Engineer units actually deploy to Latin America though. The reasons for this will be covered later when I address how the current training in Latin America is managed, but let it suffice to say that much more can be done. Much progress has been made with only a fraction of the available units employed. This could change overnight to be expanded to a much greater effort by the United States Army National Guard Engineer units. Another area is communications. Many areas of Latin America don't even have rudimentary communications capabilities. This creates the kind of societal isolation in the countryside that impedes development and improvement of the quality of life. It also enforces a tendency to look inward within the communities where this is prevalent rather than a more national perspective that is needed for nation building. United States Army National Guard communications units are capable of establishing communications networks throughout even the most remote areas of Latin America given the time and materials. One area that may be controversial is education in democratic ideals and concepts. United States Army National Guard Civil Affairs units are more than capable of establishing this program to inform the citizens of Latin American nations of their role, responsibility, and power in a democracy. This in conjunction with reliable communications, local authorities, and accessibility by outside law enforcement agencies will assist in expelling the tendency for the strong to rule the weak. It will also assist in shifting the focus of the people to a more national level. Water purification may seem a simple area until you realize that lack of clean potable water is one of the greatest health problems in many areas of Latin America. The requirement for medical assistance could be greatly reduced if simple sanitation measures were taught and practiced. A good beginning would be the United States Army National Guard reverse osmosis water purification units. The equipment and personnel are available to use on current water sources while Engineers dig new wells away from sewage areas and other contaminating areas. Finally, medical assistance is one of the most significant areas of aid we could possibly provide. The tangible results are healthier people. The intangible result is the goodwill it promotes. United States Army National Guard doctors and nurses are scheduled as fillers during leave time for active component personnel at Army Hospitals in CONUS. A shift in priorities is all that would be necessary. I have listed just a few major areas where significant assistance and positive results could be achieved. From this list alone a great deal of nation building could take place, but my point is it is only the tip of the iceberg. With a little imagination and a redirection of some of the money we spend questionably as foreign aid we could realize a truly significant return on our investment of sweat and United States dollars. We could also be seen as a partner in the development of Latin America while at the same time countering the Cuban influence there as well. One area that would definitely need changing is the way the program of United States Army National Guard training Latin America is managed. I don't mean to insinuate there is something wrong with it now. In fact, it works very well within the current scope of operations. Only units with a primary or contingency mission in Latin America currently deploy on training exercises to Latin America. This serves to keep the available pool to draw from fairly small. An expanded program of United States Army National Guard involvement would require an expansion of the management system that supports it. Currently only a handful of full time Guardsmen at National Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C. and in Panama manage the entire program with the assistance of support agencies throughout the United States. This would not work with a full scale effort by an increased number of United States Army National Guard units deployed to multiple areas throughout Latin America. I am not encouraging the creation of a massive headquarters to control this, just an expansion of what currently works. To bring this all together under an umbrella framework I need to remind the reader of the basic reason why I feel all of this is important and necessary. The Future. We have the opportunity to shape the future now, or be shaped by it later. I prefer to do the shaping. It may seem a bit pompous to advocate helping Latin America now that it is perceived that they may be needed in the future, but that's reality. To tell the leaders of Latin America that our motivation is anything less than a common interest would be doing them and us a disservice. I think it should be sold to the American people just this way as well. Hiding our true reasons behind flowery slogans and political posturing leaves us vulnerable to failure down the road. I think history has shown us that mutually beneficial arrangements succeed more often than handouts and charity. ENDNOTES 1"The National Guard in Latin America," National Guard Magazine, Gwen R. Rhodes and Steven S. Collins, (Mar, 1990), p.24. 2James D. Rudolph, Cuba, A Country Study, American University Press, Washington, D.C., (1985), p.211. 3Frank McNeil, War and Peace in Central America, Charles Scribner and Son, New York, (1985) p.34. 4James D. Rudolph, Cuba, A Country Study., American University Press, Washington, D.C. (1985) p.312. 5Jan Read, The New Conquistadores, Evans Brothers LTD, London, (1980) p.10. 6William Jeffries, Geography and National Power, United States Naval Institute Press, Anapolis, MD, (1958) p.29. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. The White House. National Security Strategy of The United States. Washington, D.C., 1988. 2. McNeil, Frank. War and Peace in Central America. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988. 3. Read, Jan. The New Conquistadors. London: Evans Brothers Limited, 1980. 4. The American University. Cuba, A Country Study. Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, 1985. 5. Jeffries, William. Geography and National Power. Annapolis, Maryland. United States Naval Institute, 1958. 6. National Guard Association of The United States. National Guard Magazine. Washington, D.C., March 1990.
