The United States military is making moves around the Mexican border in a fashion that should terrify drug cartels.
President Donald Trump vowed action on cartels during the campaign, and one of his very first actions in office was to designate them as terrorist organizations.
The designation allows the toolbox at Trump’s disposal to get considerably more full and deeper with options. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also made it clear all options are on the table when it comes to whatever action the United States might take.
It appears now the situation is developing at a rapid pace.
American spy planes flying border routes.
A bombshell report from Fox News states the United States military – the greatest fighting force in the world – “is flying surveillance aircraft along the southern border with Mexico to collect intelligence and conduct reconnaissance.”
Specifically, the military is flying U-2 and P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Both planes are designed to gather intelligence by monitoring communications.
There are two kinds of intelligence used to build a target package – human intelligence and signals intelligence.
Human intelligence is people on the ground and sources tied to the situation. Signal intelligence is the capture of communications and other information that is intercepted using highly advanced technology.
The United States reportedly is flying recon flights along the Mexican border. (Photo by Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
While the military hasn’t declared the cartels are being targeted, a statement from the Air Force left a lot up to interpretation.
“I can’t discuss the specific tracks/flight paths, but the aircraft are flying in support of a common problem to both of our sovereign nations. We respect Mexico’s sovereignty. We don’t need another nation’s permission to fly in international airspace,” an Air Force spokesperson told Fox News
The report from Fox News comes following social media erupting when it was discovered a U.S. Air Force RC-135V “Rivet Joint” Signals Intelligence Platform was flying on the west side of Mexico. There’s been confusion about whether or not the aircraft was in Mexican airspace.
An RC-135V is one of the most advanced signals intelligence aircraft ever built. It’s capable of relaying information in real-time. If there was an assault element on the ground, the plane could relay information to the Pentagon and the assault force in real-time so they could communicate without any delay.
To put it simply, this is a major step towards building packages and giving the decision-makers options. Now, that’s not to say assault elements are waiting to roll, but the first thing you do before you hit a target is develop an intel profile. To do that, you need SIGINT and HUMINT. That’s what all three of the aircraft do.
To make matters even more interesting, Mexico can’t do anything to impede these flights on either side of the border. It’s not hostile or contested airspace. It’s not at all like trying to fly spy missions over a country like Russia or Iran, where the danger is real and the risk is insanely high.
This is a potentially target-rich environment with zero resistance. It might be time for cartel leaders to start looking for places to hide because these planes aren’t a joke.
With information from OutKick.com
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