ZeroFox Intelligence Brief - U.S. Counter Narcotic Actions in Latin America

ZeroFox Intelligence Brief - U.S. Counter Narcotic Actions in Latin America

Product Serial: B-2025-09-08a

TLP:CLEAR

In this intelligence brief, ZeroFox researchers report on how the U.S. counter-narcotics strategy in Latin America is part of a national security focus toward the region and away from elsewhere.

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Executive Summary

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has likely begun shifting its national security focus towards Latin America, prioritizing the fight against increasingly militarized drug cartels as other global security threats to the United States have reportedly lessened. This shift is marked by recent military actions, including a strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug vessel and the deployment of naval forces to the South Caribbean. The Trump administration views Venezuela as a key player in drug transit and one of the countries most responsible for the lawlessness that has spread across the region in the last five years.

The U.S. State and Defense Departments are likely asking allied states to provide the most obvious on-the-ground military presence, with U.S. troops focused on reconnaissance, intelligence, and surveillance capabilities. However, it is unclear how even a limited U.S. military presence will be interpreted by the host countries or if those host countries can convince the Trump administration they have the military capabilities required to control the threat.