branch works through the roles and missions of various military and civilian agencies for the nation's cyber security, are you working with other agencies to to determine what roles and missions would be appropriate for northcom and norad with regard to the cyber security. >> chairman, we're working closely particularly with the good partners with the homeland security and also cyber com and strat com. >> we face a number of for many types of cyber activity from hackers to criminals to intrusions to steal intellectual properties and secrets to also the possibility at least of an attack that could interrupt or damage or destroy our infrastructure, be the

infrastructure. they told you that the most strategic are the toing distinguishes 2009 seesher espinage intrusions and providing timely warning of cyber threats and incidents. now, are you involved in an effort to distinguish between these various types of cyber activity in order to determine whether and when our nation is under a cyber attack and to provide timely warning of such an attack. can you give us a status report as to where those discussions are, hoe clous are we to reaching criteria to make that kind of distinction? >> xharm, these are important subjects you've raced with regard to cyber. my principal responsibility in the cyber domain is consequence

management in the event of a catastrophic cyber attack on this country, northcom could be called upon to provide support to civil authorities in the recovery. we think our role is broader than that. as you mention, we have some work to do in defining what's an attack in the cyber domain. it's a very collaborative process we're doing as combat tant commander along with cyber command. that's a work in progress. however, in the end i believe it will be a matter of policy to clearly define what is an attack or what isn't an attack. until then i continue to work closely, particularly with general alexander and cybercom, to ensure we have ample warning to understand if there's a cyber attack or malicious psycher activity taking place. we have good cooperation across the department of defense and with our partners in the department of homeland security

to axhooef that end. >> i think we can all understand why it's a work in progress gin the complexity of the issue. would you say that we would have some way of bringing it to a resolution, that issue, so we can have some criteria to determine when the nation is under an attack, military attack that needs a response or a military-like attack that requires a response? do you believe we'll have that kind of sense or identification, criteria, for instance, within a year? is that a reasonable expectation? >> senator, i don't think that's an unreasonable expectation. i wouldn't want to put an exact time limit on it, but i think there's momentum. there's a moment tuum across th department and across the government. we appreciate the support of this committee and senate in helping us think through this. i know you had a suggestionful tabletop exercise, lots of good feedback from that.

continued efforts like that to inform, to educate and understand will help us get more quickly it to that end state where we can define better the criteria which would determine whether we're under an attack or not. >> general jacoby, as the combatant commander responsible for the arctic, do you support the law of the sea convention, and if so, why? >> chairman, yes, i do. it's the department's position that we support a session to the convention on law of the sea. >> is it your position as well? >> senate xharm, that's correct. it is my position, and as the commander responsible for the arctic in my area of responsibility, it would be very helpful to have a seat at the table as we begin the lengthy and i'm sure long process of determining continental shelf and all of the attributes to the arctic that competing nations will be competing in.

>> do you support the current missile defense agency plan to conduct two flight tests on the gmd system to verify a fix to the xo atmospheric kill vehicle that failed in the last flight test before resume production or refurbishment of the ekvs? >> chairman, yes, i do. >> do you believe or do you agree with general o'reilly of the missile defense agency that it's essential to have operational prukdz quality kill vehicle hardware on the intercept flight test planned to gain confidence that the system will work properly and reliably in the future? >> yes, i do. i support general o'reilly's test program. >> there's suggestions by some in congress we could deploy a ground based interceptor on the east coast of the united states to defend the homeland against a

possible future long-range iranian missile threat. you're the combatant commander that establishes the requirement for homeland missile defense capability. is there a requirement for deploying an east coast gbi site, and are you seeking to deploy such a site on the east coast? >> chairman, today's threats do not require an east coast missile field, and we do not have plans to do so. >> thank you. senator mccain. >> thank you, mr. xharm chairman, and thanks to the witnesses. general jacoby, as you know nearly 50,000 mexican citizens have lost their lives as a result of drug-related violence since 2006, nearly 13,000 last year alone, which shows an increasing trend according to those numbers. what is your -- i note that recently the state department

issued a traveler's advisory and literally every one of the northern states of mexico. what's your assessment of the current security situation in mexico. >> nor, i concur with the numbers you mentioned and violence went up against in 2011. it began to trail off as the year concluded, but i don't think there's any conclusions yet to be drawn from that. so the mexicans are in a tough fight with a brutal, adoptable enemy. to my estimation, they haven't blinked. they're taking fight to the transnational criminal organizations, but there's a lot of work to be done. and tweeo continue to provide support to them as they request in that fight. >> last year they had 13,000, which is a high number. does that indicate -- and the

travelers advisory that had been ish ued. does that indicate we're winning or losing or stalemate? what's the basic situation here? >> senator, i think it's too soon to make an estimation on winning and losing. i know they made an extraordinary decision to put the military on the street. >> i appreciate courageous decisions. i thought we ought to have an assessment as to whether we are succeeding or failing and whether the mexican government is succeeding our failing, because then we ought to look at what strategies we are using. so i guess i'm asking, general, is has the violence gotten worse or better? you think we are succeeding or failing? i really appreciate that assessment. >> right. i think that violence has continued to increase. it wasn't a tremendous jump this year, but those are unacceptable numbers. as evidenced the in the decision in the nuevo laredo where we

issued a travel advisory, that's indicative of the security problem. i believe that the decapitation strategy has been successful at that. 22 out of the top 37 trafficking figures that the mexican government has gone after have been taken off the board. it's not had an appreciable effect, an appreciable, positive effect. i agree that there are other things that need to be done, and the mexican military is working on trying to establish security by reducing the violence across the communities, particularly in the northeast. i think that's the correct strategy it to follow. >> your assessment of the situation along the border, the u.s.-mexico border? >> right. the situation along the border we see all the bad things attributed to a transnational criminal organization appearing at the border. we know from our experiences in

afghanistan and iraq that at the border weak institutions are exploited by malicious activity and illicit activity. so the illicit activity that is really the heart and soul of the economic engine of the transnational criminal organization express themselves on the border with elicit trafficking of human beings, wips, cash and drugs. >> as you are aware a great portion of that goes across the arizona/mexico border, including a large percentage of the drugs which get up to phoenix and then are distributed nationwide. isn't that a correct assessment? >> senator, that's correct. >> so is it your view that we still need to -- we have improved border security, but we need to take additional steps on the issue of border security? >> it's my view, senator, that we need to continue our efforts along the border. >> i.e., additional steps? >> senator, what we do on the

border as the department of defense is to provide support to the lead agencies, department of homeland security primarily, justice department's organizations as well. we're eager to provide that support. it's mutually beneficial to both the agencies and the soldiers and sailors and marines training. we look for every opportunity to meet their requirements. >> maybe for you and general frazier, we have identified a lot of the cartels and their leaders, guzman's name and others are very familiar to us. according to your -- to the assessment released by the justice department, the car tell us now have presence in over 1,000 u.s. cities. why don't we know those names? maybe that's kind of an elementary question, or maybe ask general frazier and know the names of the cartel leaders and

don't know the names of the people running the drug rings in over 1,000 cities, or do we know them? >> senator, my estimation would be that we know to some leveled the members of the cartels that are operating within the united states, i have spoken to several agencies within the united states about this issue, and i think that we have loose connections with some of the cartels in mexico. i know we have our own gang problem initiatives within the united stahink they're fed off the criminal organizations. we recognize this as a problem, and i know that our federal agencies and department of justice are working. >> maybe for you and general frazier both, guatemala has declared its quote, second military state of sooiege to de

with the violence from mexican drug cartels operating within its borders. how serious is this problem in guatemala, general frazier, of the mexican cartels extending their operations into not just guatemala but into central and south america? >> senator, it is an effort that we see that is moving down through central america as mexico increases their pressure. you see that the networks are moving into central america or guatemala. that's obviously that first location, but we see the footprints further down into central americans as well. >> you believe in some cases the cartels are better trained and equipped than the security forces in some of these countries? >> senator, i think they have some better equipment. as you look at some of the armored suvs and high-powered

weapons we have in cases they are better equipped in their military and law enforcement counterparts? >> obviously with this much money washing around, this issue of corruption remains a very serious one. >> corruption is still very serious throughout much of central america. >> thank you very much. mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator mccain. senator lieberman. >> thanks to you both for your service and thank you for really a remarkable career of service to our country and wish you god sfeed in the chapters ahead. obviously, this set of hearings that we hold in this committee is all to inform as we act on our authorization bill. we're acting in the context of a new defense strategic guidance which suggests calls for a

rebalancing toward the asia-pacific, although not ignoring the middle east, which continues to be very active and has a lot of threats to us there. but it strikes me as your two commands come before us, those you don't get as much attention publicly as the central command, for instance, as the question of chairman levin or mccain indicate you're involved to matters important to the security of the united states and to the people of the united states. i'm concerned about the text he not to which the cuts in funding in the defense budget, the pressure on the defense budget is con stricting your ability to do the job than we need you to do. general frazier, i noticed that last week you told reporters

that southcom at this point can only check the transiting in the region en route to the united states because of what i take to be insufficient assets or personnel. i'm going to quote you. we interpret abocept about 33% we know is out there. that's a limitation on the number of assets. more is getting through, end quote. i wanted to ask you just to amplify for a minute, in a very specific way p if you would indicate to the committee what specific assets would you like to see more of at southcom, which would help you and your successor fulfill the mandate, the responsibility that we've given you? >> senator, the figures you quote are correct. those are figures from our task

force south, which is our organization that conducts that operation. that is availability of department of defense ships, but u.s. coast guard and other assets. what we are working with the navy today is how we can -- they can make available other capacities which are not necessarily the traditional capacities we ask for. for marine vessels, offshore patrol vessels, capacity of that type. so it really is a maritime environment issue that we're focused on initially. we're also working with our partner countries in the region and providing them with interceptor capacity because it's not only the united states that has a role in this effort, it is all the partner nations that we have. we're working with them in providing some interceptor vessels all the way along central america to provide them with the capacity to also intercept these vessels. that is an ongoing effort as we

speak. >> yeah. so my concern is -- you illustrated that there's tremendous demand in a lot of sections of the world for our maritime capabilities. on obviously, now we're focused on the iranian threat in the middle east and strait of hormuz, and we're moving more assets there. of course, some assets have been engaged in afghanistan, for instance. so can you get a little more specific? for instance, on the mc-12 aircraft and the needs that you think are there in your area of responsibility? i know that obviously a number of those have been occupied in afghanistan and they're slated to become -- to come to air national guard squadrons in not the coming year but fiscal year

'14. so tell me about the need for those aircraft as you see it in the southern command. >> senator lieberman, as those aircraft become available, we see a great opportunity for use of those airplanes in support of our partners throughout the region. many of our partner nations take captured drug trafficking aircraft that are very similar in form and they then transfer them with equipment that they perform a role very similar. we think the mc-12 is a great companion to that effort. i'm comfort with the fact that the mc-12s are focused in a place we need them right now. as those become available, we have opportunities to make use of them. >> am i correct to assume that the command is affected by the

radio tirmt of the perry class frig gets what was a mainstay of the efforts before >> that is one of the issues we are seeing with the availability of naval ships is the retirement of those frigate, this has been gap that we have seen for a few years now coming, so the combat ship will have a great capacity to support our mission as well in the future. >> i may have questions for you or have our folks talk to your folks, i think we are not giving the command the assets you need to get the job done that we want you to do. -- job done that we want you on do, that is not your fault, it's our fault, if you will, or the budget's fault. can i ask you a different kind of question. i was struck in your statement about what you had to say about iranian activity in the area of responsibility of the southern command. we are all aware of this really

remarkable story just within the last year of the iranian connection to the mexican slati try to kill the saudi ambassador here in washington. i want you or general jacoby to talk more broadly about the national coming together, it seems almost inevitable that if someone wants to do us damage, terrorist group, extremist group, islamist group that they will find their way to these transnational criminal groups that have become quite good at getting into the u.s. and getting stuff and people into the u.s. so i wanted to invite you both to talk more broadly about that problem and if you could describe for the record here, some of what you say in your posture statement about the quite methodical movement of

activities and personnel, into latin america, which is obviously not good for us. >> iran is engaged in the region, and they have doubled their embassies and have 11 cultural centers in seven different countries, they are trying to build cultural awareness and trying to get around international sanctions that are on their economy and on their activities and they are seeing an opportunity with some of the anti-u.s. focus countries within the region as a method on being able to do that. our concern remains their traditional connections with hezbollah and hamas, they are depending on financial support

to the middle east but they have solved in elicit activity, that is what we look for, the connection between the activity and the potential path way to the united states. >> general jacoby, did you want to add anything to that? >> senator, there's an extraordinary amount of attention looking for that with the transnational criminal organizations, so we have our eye on that closely. it's a matter of great importance to the home land and it reflects what is an intimate relationship between the home game and away game. what is being done in the gulf is important to us, so making the intelligence connective tissue is important. it's a lot of money in the transnational organizations' coughers and we will be watching

that closely. and working with good mexican partners to that end. >> thank you, very much. >> thank you, senator chandlis. >> thank you very much gentlemen, and thank you both for your service. general fraser you been a great friend and we wish you the best. general jacoby, in your written statement you note that legacy fighters are aging and recapitalizing our fighter, and tanker early morning aircraft will remain a requirement. the plans delay now on the f-35, are you confident that you'll have the resources for the aerospace alert system over the next ten years and there a risk that we may not be able to provide that same level of

aerospace control coverage as before based on a reduced number of aircraft? >> no, i'm not concerned about the aircraft,. whether it's -- we go through a rigorous process of inspections and tests and exercises to ensure that all of our alert sites can meet the standard required for the air control mission. i know the air force had to made tough calls but i have faith that they will provide capable aircraft for us to use in the future. i know that it includes challenges of recapitalization, and i'm a big fan of the air force continuing those efforts, but i have trust and confidence that the air force will give me what i need to get the job done. >> general frazier, both you and general jacoby mentioned the institute tore security cooperation and acknowledged the importance of this program and

building enduring military to military relationship. i'm pleased to serve on the board with both of you, and general fraser you've been an asset there and you've put a lot of time and provided great leadership to that institution. i would appreciate any thoughts you have regarding how the training with the mexican and south american military personnel have felt about being able to confront these transnational organizations that are active in the region. and as we fox on strengthening our partners in south and central america, what additional role can we play to increase the operation and also as i've done in the past, i would like your opinion on releasing the names that train in winsec.

>> thank you for your support and continued support. it remains a very, very important organization for us. we have had almost 14,000 people trained and educated in winsec over the last 12 or 11 years and we find, and i've talked with many of the graduates that many could through the institution. we find that two things, one it's not only a partnership with the united states, and an understanding as we work through winsec of the respect for civil authority as chairman you asked that we address respect for human rights and respect for the rule of law and other training capacity. so, it's that partnership with the united states and our ability from a military standpoint to work with them. but, i also and they also mention that the partnerships that they form with one another from this institution is very important as well.

and as we lock to the situation of transnational organized crime and working with law enforce pt partners, the partnerships that they form with one another as well as those to the enter marshal community are critical to our success, and the release of the names issue. >> that was a question that department of defense studied and it was determined that we did not intend to release those names and i support that position. >> and general, last year, we discussed a year for improved isrs, for a requirement for south com and you noted the need for signals intelligence and moving target indicators and management tools and bio metrics, are you getting the kind of support that you need from d.o.d. and the intelligence community in terms of requiring

those asses and has the need changed in any way? >> it's a complex undertaking that we work. i have the same requirements as we look into the future, i'm comfortable with all the assets as we approach the multitude of requests and requirements that there are on our isr, architecture. we are continuing to take roads and path ways down, opportunities in the information that is available there's a lot of social media blogs and information that is available and we are looking deliberately into those areas as well as working with law enforcement and other agencies to figure out how to take advantage of all those that are there in a different way. we will continue those efforts as well as continues to work with the entire department of defense to continue to foster and builr