The U.S. government announced on Thursday, August 12 that air and naval forces be deployed to the southern Caribbean in order to combat threats posed by Latin American drug cartels.
The Caribbean, and specifically the southern Caribbean, has been a key route for illicit shipments bound for the U.S. and Europe. The decision to deploy troops marks a significant display of American force in the region, and underscores the Trump Administration’s growing concern over transnational drug trafficking and its threat to U.S. national security.
Reporting from CNN revealed that the U.S. military is deploying more than 4,000 marines and sailors to waters in the region.
According to Reuters, one U.S. official speaking anonymously, stated that military assets deployed to the Caribbean region would include P-8 spy planes, at least one warship and one attack submarine.
Additionally, the official said the plans would develop over several months and assets would utilise international airspace and international waters.
On Friday, the U.S. Navy announced the deployment of the USS Iwo Jima (IWO), the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and two additional ships from the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), but did not clarify where they would be sailing.
The deployment of military assets is expected to involve cooperation from regional governments, though it is still unclear which countries have agreed to participate.
A central goal of President Trump’s second term has been cracking down on drug cartels as part of a wider effort to limit migration and secure the U.S border.
In February, Trump designated drug groups such as Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, and Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua as global terrorist organizations. Shortly after, the U.S. military increased airborne surveillance on Mexican drug cartels to determine how to best counter their activities.
Earlier this month, Trump secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon, instructing the leveraging of military force against these newly-designated global terrorist organizations, as per the New York Times.
Trump previously offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to combat drug cartels, but Mexico firmly refused, citing concerns over sovereingty. However, the plan to utilise U.S. troops on international airspace and international waters clears those diplomatic concerns.
Featured image credit:
Source: The U.S. National Archives
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
