The Mexican government has intensified efforts against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) operating across the hemisphere. These actions include drug seizures along maritime routes, arrests of members of these groups, and expanded coordination with international partners. “This shift reflects an adjustment in security strategy observed since late 2025, focused on dismantling [ … ]
News
Bolivia’s Role in South America’s Drug Networks Deepens as Trafficking Dynamics Evolve
Drug-related violence in Bolivia is escalating, with executions and score-settling highlighting intensifying competition for international trafficking corridors. These dynamics are increasingly linked to disputes over access to routes and control of cocaine flows, rather than isolated criminal acts. This trend reflects greater coordination among transnational networks, as international cooperation efforts [ … ]
Southern Vanguard 2026: Strengthening Regional Cooperation in the Amazon
As Southern Vanguard 2026 approaches, the annual multinational exercise highlights a defining feature of today’s security landscape: complex threats require collective responses. Sponsored by U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and led by U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH) in partnership with regional allies, Southern Vanguard brings together U.S. and partner nation forces to [ … ]
LAMAT 2026: US Air Force Medics Deliver Care in the Amazon
U.S. Air Force medical teams operated in a remote Amazonian environment, delivering care alongside Surinamese healthcare professionals while sharpening expeditionary readiness under real-world conditions. Working from the Medische Zending Primary Health Care Center in Brownsweg, U.S. and Surinamese medical teams executed Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2026, an Air [ … ]
Chancay Port: A Geopolitical Challenge for Peru
The case of the Port of Chancay, developed by the Chinese state-owned company COSCO Shipping, has sparked legal and political controversy in Peru. Following a court ruling that excludes it from oversight by the Supervisory Agency for Investment in Public Transport Infrastructure (Ositrán), risks to the country’s sovereignty, geopolitical stability, [ … ]
Peru Under Pressure: Illegal Mining, Illicit Exports, and China’s Role in Expanding Criminal Supply Chains
An investigation into the illegal trafficking of gold and mining tailings from Peru to China has exposed a sophisticated criminal network involving multiple companies, millions of dollars in illicit flows, and significant environmental damage. The investigation highlights how illegal mining is increasingly integrated into formal export channels — and how [ … ]
CENTAM Guardian 2026 Strengthens Readiness and Interoperability
Military and civilian personnel from Central America and the United States concluded CENTAM Guardian 2026 (CG26), a multinational exercise aimed at enhancing regional security cooperation, disaster response, and interoperability among partner nations. During the CG26 closing ceremony, participants from all partner nations came together to mark the successful completion of [ … ]
Colombia-Brazil Cooperation in the Amazon Delivers Results Against Transnational Crime
A newly formalized intelligence-sharing agreement between Colombia and Brazil is already translating into operational gains across the Amazon, as both countries deepen coordination against narcotrafficking and illegal mining along their shared waterways. Colombia and Brazil have formalized procedures for the exchange of intelligence information through a bilateral protocol supported by [ … ]
Chile Bolsters Space Leadership with First National Space Center
Chile marked a major milestone in late 2025 with the inauguration of its first National Space Center (CEN). The facility is designed to strengthen the country’s satellite and space support capabilities in the coming years and advance the development of its own systems in a field critical to national security [ … ]
Ecuador, Kentucky Guard Share Disaster Response Tactics
Seven members of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces visited Kentucky recently to learn more about how the Kentucky National Guard responds to emergencies and to share their own disaster response techniques. The Ecuadorian service members attended capabilities briefings with the Guard’s 41st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD-CST), at [ … ]
China’s Space Expansion in Latin America Raises Strategic and Transparency Risks
A network of ground stations and satellite tracking centers linked to China is expanding in Latin America. Although many of these projects are presented under the banner of scientific or commercial cooperation, their development coincides with the advancement of China’s space capabilities, raising concerns about their potential dual-use nature and [ … ]
From Skills to Security: How Partnerships Support Ecuador’s Response
Ecuadorian-led operations against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) have intensified in 2026, supported by expanded training and coordination efforts that are strengthening how national forces plan and execute missions. The effort, described by Daniel Noboa as “a new phase against narcoterrorism and illegal mining,” signals a shift toward more coordinated, intelligence-led [ … ]


