US Northern Command
Area of Responsibility
Overview
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Area of Responsibility
Family
Language
Economic Systems
US Interests
Area of Responsibility
• Geography
– Majority of North American continent
including CONUS, Alaska, Canada, Mexico,
surrounding water out to 500 nautical miles
– Includes air, land and sea approaches, Gulf of
Mexico, Straits of Florida, portions of the
Caribbean including Bahamas, Puerto Rico,
US Virgin Islands
– 4 nations: US, Canada, Mexico, The Bahamas
Family
• Nuclear family based
• Kinship based on “Eskimo kinship”
– Based around nuclear family where husband and wife
are biological parents of children
– Adopted children assume same status as biological
children
– Non-biologically related parents,
children, siblings result in new
terms (stepbrother, stepsister,
stepfather, half-brother, etc.)
Family
• Families favor “neolocal” residences
– Upon marriage, people separate from childhood
nuclear family and form a new nuclear family
• Modified version of neo-local residence
includes single-parent families
– Most commonly single mothers
– Single “bread-winner” often means low income
and time management challenges
Family
• Nuclear family focus driven by
pioneering & industrial history
• Dislocation caused by westward
expansion and industrialization
also contributed to single-parent
household acceptance
• Contributed to growth of “fictive
kinship”
Family
• Fictive Kinship:
– Religiously or economically based
– Fill gaps in real kinship networks
– Broadens mutual support, creates sense of
community, enhances social control
– Established by voluntary
consent of both parties
– E.g.: godparenthood
(compadrazgo in Mexico)
Family
• Modern USNORTHCOM families
almost exclusively consuming, rather
than producing, unit
• Public agencies serve role historically
filled by families (caring for sick or
aged, educating children, recreation)
• Technological advancements make it
possible for couples to decide if and
when to have children
Language
• 3 primary languages: English, French, Spanish
• US is only nation in USNORTHCOM without
one or more official languages
– US has 5th largest Spanish-speaking population in
world
– By 2050, general US population is estimated to be
near 30% Hispanic heritage
– 27 of 50 states have official-language laws, mostly
passed since 1970s w/increase in immigration
debates
Economic Systems
• 3 of the largest economies in the world
• Wealthiest nation in the Caribbean
• Affluence of region due in part to free-market
economies and high reliance on free trade
agreements
• 90% of Mexican trade under free trade
agreements w/over 50 countries
Economic Systems
• NAFTA:
– Signed 1993, implemented 1 January 1994
between US, Canada, Mexico
– Removed most barriers to trade and investment
– Created world’s largest free trade area, linking 450
million people producing $17 trillion in
goods/services
– Canada and Mexico are top 2 purchasers of US
exports and 32% of overall US exports, 2nd and 3rd
largest suppliers of US imports
Economic Systems
• NAFTA, Cont.
– US absorbs approximately three-fourths of
Canadian exports each year
– Canada is largest foreign supplier of energy to US
including oil, gas, uranium, and electricity
– Canada is number one export nation for goods
from US and number two nation for imports to US
Economic Systems
• Poverty
– Poverty defined in highly industrialized/affluent
societies such as US and Canada differs from other
nations; rates of 9-12% in US, Canada & The
Bahamas can be misleading
– Poverty rate in Mexico is estimated at 18% based
on access to food and basic supplies; asset-based
poverty rate closer to 47%
– Poverty & income disparity in Mexico lead to high
crime rate, unemployment, other economic
problems
Economic Systems
• Crime
– Illegal drug trade is sophisticated, multi-national
business est. at $300-$400 billion worldwide
– US is single largest market for illegal drugs
• Typical weekend in New York City equates to $16
million/week or $832 million/year for illegal drug trade
• Drug production is cheap: lose 90% of profits and still
be profitable
– Money spent on drugs returns to cartels and turned
into extortion, homicide, government corruption,
arms trade, and other criminal activity
Economic Systems
• Crime, Cont.
– Highly potent marijuana smuggled in
from Canada
– Canada increasingly a source for
ecstasy entering US
– Canada and The Bahamas vulnerable
to money laundering because of
mature financial sector
– The Bahamas serve as transshipment
point for cocaine and marijuana into
US and Europe
Economic Systems
• Crime, Cont.
– 90% of annual cocaine
movement into US stops in
Mexico
– Mexico is largest foreign
supplier of marijuana and
meth into US
– US-Mexico border violence
result of powerful, violent
drug cartels responding to
government pressure
US Interests
• Geographic challenges
– US is world’s 4th largest nation geographically
w/3.5 millions square miles of land, 88,000 miles
of tidal shoreline
– 11.2 million trucks, 2.2 million railcars, 7,500
foreign-flagged ships in 51,000 calls cross borders
or enter ports each year in addition to people
– Huge traffic flow and freedom of movement
presents national defense challenges enemies will
exploit
US Interests
• Close partnerships with
Canada, Mexico, and The
Bahamas necessary to control:
– Illegal Drug Trade
– Illegal Immigration
US Interests
• Immigration:
– Controlled immigration began in US in 1875
– Current immigration debate dates back to 1920s
– In CA alone, illegal immigration cost to taxpayers
approximately $9 billion/year
– National Guard actively involved in border control
Summary
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Area of Responsibility
Family
Language
Economic Systems
US Interests