VOA标准英语2008年-US Navy Revives Command for Latin America, Cari

The U.S. military is reviving a naval¹ command for the Latin America and the Caribbean region, which has not been active since World War II. Officials say the re-establishment of the Fourth Fleet does not change the Navy's mission in the area. But VOA's Brian Wagner reports some regional leaders fear it will lead to an increased U.S. military presence.

The head of Southern Command, Admiral James Stavridis is to lead a ceremony Saturday for the re-establishment of the Fourth Fleet based in Mayport, Florida. The fleet was created in 1943 to guard against enemy boats, submarines and blockade runners, and was retired² shortly after the end of World War II. Since then, the Second Fleet based in Virginia has handled naval operations throughout the Atlantic Ocean.

But military officials say now it is time to renew the Fourth Fleet command to oversee³ ongoing⁴ operations in the Caribbean and Latin America, such as joint⁵ training, counterdrug operations and disaster relief.

Lieutenant⁶ Myers Vazquez, a spokesman for Southern Command, says the decision reflects the growth in naval activity in recent years.

"So effectively U.S. naval forces in Southern Command had been operating as a fleet organization command without the name. Basically it is just the name catching⁷ up to reality," he said.

Recent Southern Command operations include the visit last year by a navy hospital ship to 12 Latin American and Caribbean nations to provide free medical care. And this year, the aircraft carrier USS George Washington flowed into the area for an annual exercise aimed at boosting ties with partner naval forces.

Some Latin American leaders, however, see the carrier visit and the re-establishment of the Fourth Fleet as a new U.S. military push in the hemisphere.

At a recent trade summit, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the U.S. naval command could pose a threat to Venezuela's vast oil resources.
　
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez talks to reporters at the end of the 35th Mercosur summit in San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina, 1 July 2008

Chavez said Latin American leaders should ask the United States what the Fourth Fleet plans to do in Latin American waters, and said he sees it as a clear threat.

In a Cuban state newspaper, former leader Fidel Castro cited an Argentine newspaper article suggesting the U.S. fleet could be used to seize food and energy resources, as prices for those goods are soaring. Bolivia's President Evo Morales called it the Fourth Fleet of intervention⁸.

Military officials dispute the claims, saying the Fourth Fleet will not have a new mission or bring any new ships to the area. They note the George Washington carrier was only passing through Latin American waters to reach its new homeport in Japan.

General Barry McCaffrey, who led Southern Command in the late 1990s, says the criticism from leftist leaders is not surprising. He says the comments are unlikely to strain the Navy's ties with partner nations.

"I would think the professional navies of Latin America will welcome the increase in stature⁹ of the cooperative naval presence we will have in the region," he said.

Still, the words of leftist leaders like Mr. Chavez and Mr. Castro often carry considerable weight across Latin America and elsewhere. Frank Mora, professor at the National War College, says the criticism may create confusion about U.S. military goals.

"I think it is a public diplomacy¹⁰ issue or challenge for the United States not to give over the debate to Chavez, Morales and Fidel Castro, allowing them to shape the reason or motivation why the command was created," he explained. "When obviously it has nothing to do with that."

Mora says the revival¹¹ of Fourth Fleet was driven mainly by budget and command decisions inside the Pentagon, and not by political developments in Latin America.

Mora adds the new command helps bring attention to progress that Southern Command has made to engage partner nations and provide military training and technical support.

He said the command's leadership also deserves credit for expanding its outreach in Latin America and the Caribbean to non-military roles.

"Admiral Stavridis is trying to make a point of engaging more Latin America on issues that are non-kinetic, but have more to do with humanitarian¹² [aid], disaster relief, and dealing¹³ more with the non-traditional threats we are seeing in the region," he added.

Mora says some of those non-traditional threats include environmental degradation¹⁴ and gang violence issues that are plaguing some Central America nations. The revival of the Fourth Fleet may help advance those concerns even further.

　

 

1 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

7 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

8 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

9 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

10 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

11 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

13 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

14 degradation   

n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变

参考例句：

• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
• Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。