The U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon) is expanding its counternarcotics operations in Latin America. According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. military is using advanced UAVs to map smuggling networks and support ground operations. SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L. Donovan said the aim was to strengthen the efforts of countries in the region with U.S. support. On Monday, cartels were raided in Colombia using American drones. Last week, 50 U.S. military and law enforcement personnel took part in an operation in Ecuador targeting entities linked to a Mexican cartel; this was the first direct participation by U.S. troops in police operations in the country. The U.S. also supported an attack on Tren de Aragua in Venezuela. The shift in SOUTHCOM’s role shows that military involvement is increasing. The transfer of 52 million dollars in funding from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama is planned. Colombia, Paraguay and Jamaica have authorized a U.S. presence, while a proposal for a base in Ecuador was rejected. At least 231 people have been killed in 69 operations in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific since September 2025.
Why it matters
The development shows that U.S. support in the fight against drugs could extend beyond intelligence and training to become direct operational capacity in some countries. This highlights the differences in approach between countries such as Colombia, Paraguay and Jamaica, which cooperate on security, and Ecuador, which remains wary of a U.S. presence. The transfer of funding from programs in different regions to countries in Latin America raises questions about how resources are being prioritized and how this shift will affect other security needs. The loss of life reported in operations in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, meanwhile, calls for greater clarity regarding the oversight, legal framework and civilian consequences of military methods. How countries in the region will balance sovereignty and security concerns with the United States’ growing role remains unresolved.
Background
The Pentagon is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 5 reports mentioning the name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated September 15, 2026.