 Good morning. Good morning. It is truly a pleasure to join you today at the Caribbean Nation Security Conference. I bring the warm greetings of my boss, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. My office has the responsibility for U.S. defense and security policy for the 34 nation region that encompasses Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America and of course the Caribbean and right now there's nowhere I'd rather be than with you at this conference. I would like to thank Prime Minister Mia Motley for being here today and for her leadership both at a regional and global level. Also, thank you to Commodore Shirland and to General Richardson for hosting this important security conference and and I very much want to thank as well the all the work done by the team of Ambassador Tagliatella and of course Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Lovell and others and most importantly thank you to all of the delegates who are either streaming in from home and managed to figure out their video connections and of course those of you who figured out your flight connections to be here today. I know it wasn't the easiest trip for everyone, but we truly do appreciate your presence. The ties between the United States and the Caribbean are lasting diverse and deep. We are not just partners but friends. We share a bond that is based on a belief in democracy, rule of law and the responsibility of government institutions to serve the people. And while today we meet in a zone of peace here in the Caribbean, we also meet against the backdrop of war. I would like to commend our Caribbean partners for condemning the Russian aggression in Ukraine. We must stand together against war and for peace. The prosperity and security of the United States are linked to the growth and prosperity and security of the Caribbean. CANSEC is a clear demonstration of the Department of Defense's commitment to strengthen these bonds and partnerships. Department of Defense's substantial engagement with the Caribbean demonstrates our dedication to strengthen these relationships and to address shared interests and threats. We seek to remain the trusted defense and security partner of Caribbean nations. Our focus includes such areas as climate change, response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including $32 million in assistance, disaster resilience and health assistance efforts, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and counter and narcotics trafficking to name just a few issues. At the Pentagon, Secretary Austin has directed the Department of Defense to align priorities and capabilities to address a changing and dynamic threat landscape. This includes the role of external state actors, such as China and Russia, of course, the health threats from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also other health threats that we face, malicious cyber activities, as well as the challenges posed by climate change. Secretary Austin has recognized the importance of the Caribbean in his remarks last fall at Southcom's Change of Command ceremony in October 2021, where I know many of you were able to attend the ceremony for General Richardson, where Secretary Austin stated that our neighborhood is central to integrated deterrence. Integrated deterrence is Secretary Austin's vision for 21st century security that pulls together technology, operational concepts and capabilities, all woven together and deeply networked so that we can continue to deter conflict seamlessly across every domain throughout every theater and from every foe. On this note, I would like to note of particular relevance for the Caribbean, we have an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of our partnerships and our ability to work together as a team against transnational criminal threats through the Treaty of San Jose on maritime cooperation. This treaty provides all states with a valuable legal mechanism to facilitate international cooperation against TCOs operating in our region. I would also like to encourage those countries who have not already signed or ratified the San Jose Treaty on maritime cooperation to do so, so that we can more effectively continue our fight against illicit trafficking. Let me end today where I began. Today, we are very fortunate that the Caribbean is a zone of peace, but we cannot take this peace for granted, and we all know that while peace exists in the region, it's an uneasy peace in the sense that we have the challenges posed by transnational criminal networks and other networks that undermine the security of our citizens. The challenges before us are many, but the way forward is through trust and cooperation, only through building trust and deepening cooperation will we be able to meet these challenges successfully. And here in this room, I think that we have the Caribbean's most important resource, which is friendship. Friendship among the Caribbean countries and between the United States and the Caribbean is a renewable resource, and it's one that we will seek to renew here today through communication, collaboration, concentration, and of course, conversation. With that, I would like to again, thanks our hosts in Barbados. I think that today we will really begin the work of deepening our friendship and the trust that's required to make sure that we are able to adequately confront all the vital challenges.