US military moving drones to South America ahead of anticipated counternarcotics operations
The transfer supports anticipated counternarcotics and counterterrorism operations, with officials saying most of Africa Command’s MQ-9 drones may move.
- The Trump administration intends to deploy MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to South America to bolster counterterrorism operations, with the remotely piloted aircraft costing $56 million apiece supporting the Pentagon's focus on the Western Hemisphere.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prioritized the Western Hemisphere in the National Defense Strategy, forging security partnerships with Colombia and Ecuador to target what officials term "narco-terrorism networks."
- Military leaders warn that transferring assets from Africa could hinder operations against groups like ISIS and al-Shabaab, which continue to flourish as US presence decreases in recent years.
- On Thursday, the US Embassy in Panama announced the delivery of more than $6 million in long-range drone systems for border monitoring, while the US military continues interdicting vessels.
- Expanding operations to land-based targets is intended to intensify the campaign against cartels, though experts question the effectiveness of these strikes, suggesting cartels may simply adapt by establishing new trafficking routes.
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MQ-9 Reaper are long-range drones used for surveillance, intelligence gathering and precision attacks.
The US military is moving most of its MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to South America to strengthen its fight against drug trafficking and terrorism, despite concerns about missions in Africa.
Move is reportedly part of broader deployment of military equipment to South America for possible counternarcotics
The U.S. Army is reducing its presence not only in the Middle East, where the United States military will withdraw from Iraq before the end of the month, but also to rebuild Iranian-torn military bases in other countries of the Persian Gulf of Pentagon, apparently not intended to.
The move is part of a battery of military deployments with which Washington seeks to strengthen its presence in the region. CNN reports it. The post US moves drones from Africa to South America for its operations appeared first on La Silla Empty.
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