last year the city of san pedro sula overtook ciudad, juarez, in mexico as the most dangerous city in the world. the reach of the criminal organizations extends directly into north america, including the u.s. some land. homeland. we've seen the violence in mexico that continues to terrorize its citizens, president cold ecalderon has sh great fight, but it has come at a cost. in 2006 nearly 50,000 mexicans have been killed as a result of drug-related violence including 13,000 last year alone. such tragic figures serve as a stark reminder of the threat that these groups pose and underscore the need for continued u.s. support for our partners in mexico. the threat from these groups do the not end at the border, however. according to the 2011 national drug threat assessment released by the justice department, the car tells now maintain a presence in over 1,000 u.s. cities. general jacoby, i look forward to ture assessment on the each of the networks, what northern command is doing to assist its counterparts in combatting them and what can be done to improve and expoond this partnership. g