On March 3rd, the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced the participation of U.S military assets and personnel in a joint operation launched against organized criminal entities in Ecuador alongside local security forces. Alongside the recent ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S Special Forces and the ongoing targeting of alleged narcotics trafficking vessels by the U.S Navy in the Caribbean, the Ecuadorian operation represents another example of the evolution of the Trump administration’s increasingly interventionist posture in Latin America.
Footage released by the Southern Command shows Ecuadorian formations and rotorcraft conducting a raid against the facilities of what SOUTHCOM has identified as Designated Terrorist Organizations, in this case encompassing various narcotics trafficking organizations, with U.S aerial surveillance assets appearing to act in a supporting role. The day before the announcement of the latest operation, SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan was dispatched to Quito to meet and coordinate with incumbent Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and Ecuador’s military leadership. Signaling further commitments, Donovan reaffirmed the United States’ strong commitment to supporting the nation’s [Ecuador’s] efforts to confront narco-terrorism and strengthen regional security”.
The elevated deployment of U.S personnel and assets comes amidst a period of nearly unprecedented crisis for Ecuador. Long insulated from the kind of violent criminal competition seen across much of the rest of the region, Ecuador’s security environment has witnessed a marked and alarming deterioration over the post-pandemic period as shifting dynamics within the regional narcotics trade both empowered local gangs and rendered the country an increasingly important transit point for transnational criminal entities. The 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio marked a watershed moment for the country’s domestic security environment, but the effects of the rising criminal influence are being felt across the whole of society. Despite ongoing efforts by the government to contain the violence, 2025 instead marked a grim pinnacle for the country, logging a record of over 9,000 homicides.
A lifelong enthusiast of armored vehicles, Thomas serves as an analyst on Forecast International's Military Vehicles Forecast product. In addition, Thomas is responsible for updating the reports and analysis within Forecast International's International Military Markets – Latin America & Caribbean product. He also provides analysis for Forecast International's Airborne Retrofit & Modernization Forecast. Before this assignment, Thomas served as a research assistant for Forecast International's analytical team and has made written contributions to the Civil Aircraft Forecast, Military Aircraft Forecast, and Rotorcraft Forecast services. Thomas derives his knowledge from a multidisciplinary background, with a strong emphasis on the history and politics of Russia and the former satellite republics of the Soviet Union. He has studied in the Russian Federation at Saint Petersburg State University and is proficient in the Russian language at an advanced level.
