Transnational Criminal Organizations present complex transnational threats to the resilience of Latin America and the Caribbean and U.S. public health and national security. These well-resourced companies traffic drugs, weapons, counterfeit things, money and people. This insidious web of criminality threatens citizen security, undermines basic human rights, disables the rule of law through corruption, corrupts good governance, and hinders economic development. The U.S. military operates with federal agencies and partners in the region to counter these threats.
The US is committed to operating with partners to counter transnational criminal organizations that jeopardise safety and stability in the region. Their approach supports the 2011 White House Strategy to Fight Transnational Organized Crime and complements the U.S. Strategy for Central America, the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), and the Merida Initiative. This system recognizes the leading role of other federal agents in the effort to counter illicit trafficking and leverages capabilities — Title X detection and monitoring, backing to law enforcement interdiction operations, and capacity to conduct network analysis — to defend the southern approaches to the United States.
They focus on security cooperation actions where they are most effective while placing priority on improving maritime, air, and land field awareness capabilities in the Northern Tier countries of Central America where the danger and disruption posed by transnational criminal organizations is greatest. In the Caribbean, they continue to sustain the development of a regional maritime interdiction strategy. U.S. Southern Command also supplies equipment and training to improve regional maritime and air domain awareness.
Currently focused on maintaining the security capacities of partners in Central America. As the lead U.S. agency responsible for controlling illicit trafficking detection and monitoring activities, SOUTHCOM is undertaking active and tactical activity in support of whole-of-government measures to counter transnational organized crime in the maritime
The DoD is the main federal agency in efforts to catch and monitor aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs towards the United States. The major West, Fla.-based Joint Interagency Task Force South is the National Task Force that catalyzes integrated and synchronized interagency counter-illicit trafficking operations, and is liable for the detection and monitoring of suspect air and maritime drug activity in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific. JIATF South also gathers, processes, and disseminates counter-drug information for interagency and partner nation functions. The U.S. military executes a variety of forces in the region to support detection and monitoring efforts.
Normally, the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and fellow nation (British, French, Dutch, Canadian and Colombian) vessels patrol the waters in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific on a year-round basis. Undertaken on the U.S. and at times allied nation naval vessels, are Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachments that take the authority during operations to board suspected vessels, seize illicit drugs, and apprehend suspects. These forces also operate closely with other regional ally nation coast guard and naval forces to provide backing to board, search and seizure operations within partner nation territorial waters.
