{"id":203135,"date":"2026-03-06T19:37:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T19:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/why-did-us-launch-military-operations-in-ecuador-heres-what-we-know-usa-today\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T19:37:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T19:37:01","slug":"why-did-us-launch-military-operations-in-ecuador-heres-what-we-know-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/why-did-us-launch-military-operations-in-ecuador-heres-what-we-know-usa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Why did US launch military operations in Ecuador? Here's what we know – USA Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United States’ military operations in Ecuador mark an embrace of past American strategies fighting drug traffickers in Latin America.
The U.S. Southern Command<\/a> said March 3 that Ecuadorian and American military forces launched operations in the country against \u201cdesignated terrorist organizations.” Ecuadorian officials confirmed the joint operations March 4.
Ecuador and the United States haven\u2019t specified whom they\u2019re targeting, locations of operations or the scope of military action.\u00a0
As details emerge, here is what to know about operations in Ecuador.
\u201cThe Ecuadorian people, along with other citizens across the region, have experienced the violence and corrosive consequences of narco-terrorism up close and in their neighborhoods,\u201d Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said in a statement March 4<\/a>. \u201cThe time is now for our partners in the Western Hemisphere to take decisive action against this scourge with the assurance that SOUTHCOM has their back.\u201d
The White House referred to Donovan\u2019s statement. The Pentagon referred questions to the Southern Command. In response to emailed questions, Steven McLoud, a spokesperson for Southern Command, said, “For operational security reasons, we will not provide specific details regarding the ongoing support for this operation.”
The Ecuadorian defense ministry and embassy in Washington, DC, didn\u2019t respond to requests for comment.
On March 2, President Daniel Noboa Azi\u0301n said his country would launch joint operations with the United States beginning in March as a new phase against \u201cnarcoterrorism and illegal mining.\u201d The president\u2019s office said<\/a> joint initiatives would include information sharing and operational coordination, such as at airports and ports.\u00a0
Led by Noboa, a conservative, Ecuador has emerged as an ally to President Donald Trump<\/a> as the United States seeks greater influence in Latin America. At the same time, Ecuador, an international cocaine trafficking hub, has seen crime skyrocket in recent years.
Cocaine seizures have reached record highs globally and specifically en route to the United States, according to the United Nations<\/a> and the U.S. Coast Guard<\/a>. Ecuador, situated on the Pacific Coast of South America, borders Colombia and Peru, the world\u2019s largest cocaine producers, according to the research group InSight Crime. Ecuador now ships about 70% of cocaine globally<\/a>, including to the United States.
\u201cEcuador sits on basically a river of cocaine,\u201d said Adam Isacson, director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights nongovernmental organization.
Ecuador has also seen increases in illegal gold mining, as well as illicit logging operations, said Douglas Farah, president of the security consulting firm IBI and a former foreign correspondent, adding Ecuador has struggled with criminal groups operating in other sectors.
Control of territory between criminal groups has led to spikes in violence, Farah said. In the past decade, Ecuador went from one of the safest countries in Latin America<\/a> to one of the most dangerous.
The country also has rampant corruption, Isacson said, which has allowed organized crime to flourish.
Since taking office in 2023, Noboa has taken a hard-line approach to fighting crime, similar to that of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele<\/a>, another conservative Trump ally who has overseen drops in crime with aggressive crackdowns that have suspended democratic and judicial norms in El Salvador. Noboa has been accused of human rights abuses<\/a>, but crime in Ecuador<\/a> has continued to rise.
Farah said militarized approaches to Latin American drug cartels can yield short-term gains. But, he added, drug traffickers typically seek to influence government rather than fight it, resulting in entrenched corruption among the military ranks.
American forces have struck several boats<\/a> suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. In 44 known strikes since September, at least 150 people have been killed, according to a New York Times tally<\/a>. The U.N. human rights chief has said the tactics violate international law<\/a>.
Operations on Ecuadorian land signal an escalation in American military strategy.
In September, two Ecuadorian criminal groups, the Choneros and Lobos, were designated foreign terrorist organizations<\/a> by Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a>. They are Ecuador\u2019s two largest criminal groups, according to the research group InSight Crime. Choneros began as a local gang before the Lobos splintered off. Both grew stronger inside prisons.
Mexican drug cartels also have fought for drug trafficking routes in Ecuador. News outlets have reported an increasing presence of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel Jalisco New Generation<\/a>, which was led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes<\/a> until his death in a Mexican military operation in late February. Both cartels, which also have State Department terrorist designations, operate with the Choneros and Lobos.
Along with criminal groups from the Western Hemisphere, Albanian criminal groups have operated in Ecuador to smuggle drugs to Europe.
Multiple news outlets citing anonymous American officials have reported American military personnel are in Ecuador<\/a> to advise and assist<\/a> but not participate directly in the operations.
It’s unclear what the operations consist of \u2212 whether they’re military attacks against suspected criminal groups or law enforcement raids to arrest wanted criminals. American officials have declined to provide information on the operations.
Ecuador has seen increases in American security aid<\/a>, putting it on par with Colombia, a country accustomed to American military support combating drug traffickers, Isacson said.
At a security forum March 4 in Ecuador\u2019s capital, Quito<\/a>, Gen. Henry Delgado, head of the country\u2019s armed forces joint command, said the first March 3 operation began a day after Noboa met with Donovan, of Central Command.
\u201cWe won\u2019t be frightened, nor is anyone going to intimidate us,\u201d Delgado said. \u201cBecause we are certain that what we\u2019re doing is precisely to benefit our beloved Ecuador.\u201d
The latest operations wouldn\u2019t be the United States\u2019 first time entering Latin American countries with the military in more than five decades since President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs<\/a>. Past administrations have sent aid and personnel to Colombia and Peru.
Experts said the efforts have largely failed to stem the flow of drugs. Actions in Ecuador risk the same fate.
\u201cIt is a reflection of how little we have absorbed the lessons of what works and what doesn\u2019t work in combating crime,\u201d Farah said. \u201cUsing a counterdrug strategy against a problem that is much more multifaceted than drugs is also not a way to get at a successful strategy.\u201d
\u201cI don\u2019t see how this is going to keep other armed groups from just filling the vacuum,\u201d Isacson said.
On March 4, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt<\/a> said the United States is hosting a weekend summit in Miami with a dozen Latin American countries, including Ecuador, to address drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Nearly all the countries have conservative or right-wing leaders aligned with Trump.
The White House didn\u2019t list Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, the three largest countries in Latin America, which also struggle with organized crime. All three have left-wing leaders. Leavitt said it\u2019s possible other countries would join the Miami summit.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at\u00a0emcuevas1@usatoday.com<\/a>\u00a0or on Signal at emcuevas.01.<\/em><\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States’ military operations in Ecuador mark an embrace of past American strategies fighting drug traffickers in Latin America.The U.S. Southern Command said March 3 that Ecuadorian and American military forces launched operations in the country against \u201cdesignated terrorist organizations.” Ecuadorian officials confirmed the joint operations March 4.Ecuador and the United States haven\u2019t specified […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":203136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-203135","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}