The single largest threat to the US in the Western Hemisphere is transnational terrorist criminal organizations, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This point of view is consistent with the US National Security Strategy that places the Western Hemisphere, America’s backyard, as a priority for geostrategic emphasis. To that end, the Trump administration has adopted a robust and many-faceted set of actions to address the threat.
Eliminating Transnational Terrorists in the Western Hemisphere
According to a Liberty Nation News report: “The top priority is the Western Hemisphere, identified as the ‘Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine,’ which outlines ‘a common-sense and potent restoration of American power and priorities, consistent with American security interests.’” Most recently, the US has begun operations in the Caribbean to blockade Venezuelan oil tankers as part of ongoing operations in US Southern Command’s (USSOUTHCOM) region of responsibility. To carry out the blockade, America’s Navy and Coast Guard have deployed an armada of surface warships, including the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its complement of support and escort vessels.
The US military operation targeting transnational criminal organizations and narco-terrorists is named Operation Southern Spear. USSOUTHCOM in a press release “announced the establishment of a new Joint Task Force (JTF) under II Marine Expeditionary Force today to synchronize and augment counter-narcotics efforts across the Western Hemisphere.” The JTF has as its objective: “Identifying narcotics trafficking patterns to interdict illegal shipments of narcotics before they reach the US and partner-nation territories using intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft.”
The JTF has taken on the responsibility of engaging and eliminating the narco-terrorist threat in a workman-like, methodical fashion. US joint forces have detected, identified, and engaged with lethal effect transnational criminal organizations’ fast boats carrying deadly drugs. According to a Military.com report, “As of Dec. 19, the Trump administration has disclosed 28 strikes, killing at least 103 people.” With this level of lethal response to the narco-terrorists, the question is, will the transnational criminal organizations run out of fast boats before running out of people willing to run the deadly gauntlet of the drug-running Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea routes?
Operation Southern Spear is the implementation of President Trump's Executive Order “Designating Cartels and Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” which states clearly the rationale for taking on the cartels with lethal force:
“The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs. The Cartels functionally control, through a campaign of assassination, terror, rape, and brute force, nearly all illegal traffic across the southern border of the United States.”
However, the US War Department and the other government agencies are not alone in their war on transnational narco-terrorist criminal organizations. In a press briefing on Friday, December 19, Secretary of State Marco Rubio lauded several South and Central American countries for their help in stopping criminal groups in their illegal pursuits. “The good news is we have a lot of countries in the region that openly cooperate and work with us to confront these challenges. Mexico, their level of cooperation is the highest it’s been in their history,” Rubio told reporters.
The Danger Is Real
The danger from these transnational narco-terrorist criminal groups is real. It’s no different in its impact on America than that of al Qaeda, ISIS, or any of the Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Previous US presidents have wasted no time in bringing the full weight of America’s military capability to bear on the terrorists. As an example, President Obama authorized and carried out 373 drone strikes in Pakistan against al-Qaeda terrorists. There is very little distinction in going after terrorists in Pakistan or the Caribbean.
Since these transnational terrorists are the largest threat in the Western Hemisphere, having congressional support for decisive action is helpful. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) made the point at a recent Reagan National Defense Forum, saying emphatically, "I am fine with killing drug [dealers], killing people that bring drugs to the country and try to kill my grandkids. I'm fine with it every day." We must understand there are enemies operating as geographic next-door neighbors who want to kill Americans.
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The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
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