Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, strengthened through regional cooperation and support from strategic partners, are increasingly shaping how Central American countries detect, track, and respond to transnational criminal activity. Across the region, the integration of advanced monitoring technologies, information-sharing systems, and multinational coordination is improving authorities’ ability to monitor illicit activity across air, maritime, and border corridors frequently exploited by criminal organizations.
As transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) continue adapting trafficking routes, maritime tactics, and cross-border logistics networks, regional security forces are increasingly relying on shared situational awareness and real-time coordination to detect suspicious activity earlier and reduce the operational gaps traffickers have historically exploited between jurisdictions.
Historically, sustained monitoring of maritime and air routes used by organized crime represented a major operational challenge. However, the expanded use of aerial platforms, maritime surveillance systems, radar capabilities, and real-time information sharing has strengthened regional monitoring and reduced operational gaps exploited by traffickers.
“The strengthening of ISR in land, air, and maritime domains has enabled continuous monitoring in critical areas, which facilitates the identification of illicit patterns and improves the ability to anticipate organized crime,” Guatemalan Army Major Ann Marie Argueta, spokesperson for the Guatemalan Army, told Diálogo. “This approach has also optimized control of airspace, coastlines, and border areas, increasing the effectiveness of interdiction operations and weakening criminal networks that use these territories as logistics corridors and storage points.”
Concrete actions and tangible results
Regional cooperation and the expansion of ISR-related capabilities have contributed to increasingly coordinated countercrime operations in countries such as Guatemala and Honduras, where shared intelligence and multinational coordination continue to strengthen interdiction and law enforcement efforts.
Recent multinational maritime counternarcotics operations in the region have also demonstrated the growing importance of coordinated ISR capabilities. In February 2026, Costa Rica led a multinational maritime operation supported by regional partners and Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), focused on coordinating maritime interdiction and monitoring efforts against illicit trafficking routes in the region.
A key component supporting regional coordination has been the Cooperative Situational Information Integration System (CSII), which facilitates the exchange of operational information and improves real-time situational awareness among participating countries. By improving coordination and information sharing involving air, maritime, and land activity, the system has strengthened authorities’ ability to identify suspicious movements, support interdiction efforts, and respond more rapidly to evolving criminal activity.
The growing integration of ISR capabilities is also helping regional forces shift from reactive operations toward earlier detection and more coordinated responses. By improving the ability to identify suspicious air and maritime activity before traffickers reach national borders or transfer cargo between jurisdictions, authorities are increasingly able to pressure criminal logistics networks across multiple domains simultaneously.
ISR and multinational training
Multinational exercises also continue to play an important role in strengthening interoperability and operational coordination among regional security forces. The 2026 edition of CENTAM Guardian, hosted by El Salvador, brought together more than 1,200 civilian and military personnel from Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and the United States.
The exercise included hostage rescue scenarios, operations in complex environments, cybersecurity activities, and interagency coordination training designed to improve interoperability among participating forces.
Retired Guatemalan Army General Luis A. Maldonado Galeas, an expert in security and defense, highlighted to Diálogo the importance of these combined training exercises in strengthening coordination capabilities. “The interoperability achieved through joint exercises enhances ISR and interdiction. Training based on agreed-upon doctrines and interagency operations allows us to address real-world situations more effectively.”
He also emphasized the importance of designing exercises that realistically simulate operational conditions faced by regional security forces.
Challenges and the role of international cooperation
Despite advances, important challenges remain, particularly regarding the availability of ISR assets, technological integration, and sustained operational coordination among partner nations.
According to Gen. Galeas, one of the principal limitations continues to be the availability of ISR capabilities within member countries, as well as the need to further strengthen combined operational doctrine and coordination mechanisms across the region.
However, sustained international cooperation continues to support regional modernization efforts.
“The support of our main strategic partner, the United States, has enabled us to improve our ISR infrastructure. This includes the incorporation of aerial platforms and advanced technological systems that have increased coverage and precision in monitoring air and maritime space,” said Maj. Argueta, emphasizing that this type of cooperation not only strengthens national security but also contributes to regional stability.
As criminal organizations continue adapting trafficking methods and exploiting the complexity of regional air and maritime corridors, Central American countries are increasingly relying on shared ISR capabilities, real-time information exchange, and multinational coordination to strengthen interdiction efforts and disrupt criminal activity before traffickers can exploit operational gaps between jurisdictions.
