America’s War On Cartels Gets A War On Terror Makeover
Washington is applying two decades of hard-earned battlefield experience to combat the enemy in America’s backyard, but this tactic may not destroy cartels at the root.
Jillian Butler · Oct 9, 2026 · 4 min read
Washington is applying two decades of hard-earned battlefield experience to combat the enemy in America’s backyard, but this tactic may not destroy cartels at the root.
On Monday, the U.S. military moved a number of MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to Colombia and Ecuador, the New York Times reported. Additionally, American Special Forces have been partnering with and training law enforcement to combat illicit drug networks.
Nicknamed the “hunter-killer,” the Reaper drone was commonly used in drone strikes against al-Qaida, al-Shabaab and the Islamic State during the Global War on Terror (GWOT).
“Based on our assessment of what needs to be done, this plan focuses on five core lines of effort: dismantling illicit networks, attacking network logistics, preventing adversary regeneration, bolstering partner sovereignty and security, and building a strong coalition,” United States Southern Command SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan told the Hill.
Since President Donald Trump entered office for his second term, 20 Latin-American based cartels have been categorized as foreign terror organizations.
“Yes, I think that is the direction both in the language and in the approach,” George Mason University professor and organized crime expert Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera told the Daily Caller News Foundation when asked if the Pentagon was using the GWOT model on cartels.
“Intelligence gathering and drones alone do not make something a counterterrorism campaign. But when criminal organizations are defined as military enemies, and success means eliminating their leaders or striking their operations, we are moving into that framework,” Correa-Cabrera continued. “The administration’s strategy explicitly brings together counterterrorism, military strikes and leadership targeting.”
“For operational security reasons we cannot disclose the locations of aircraft or any future planning regarding their locations,” United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) told the DCNF. The Pentagon and SOUTHCOM did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Similar to GWOT-era operations, America conducts joint operations with partner forces and uses special operations forces to train local military and law enforcement groups. This is most prominent in Ecuador, where the American military partnered with the Ecuadorian military in an operation that killed a Tren De Arugua leader in early March.