Reluctant Recruits: The U.S. Military and the War on Drugs

• NCJ Number: 177741
• Author(s): Peter Zirnite
• Date Published: August 1997
• Length: 51 pages
• Sale Source: Washington Office on Latin America
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report lays out the development of the Pentagon's antinarcotics role, attitudes within the armed services as to that role, and the array of programs undertaken by the Department of Defense (DOD) in the name of fighting illicit drugs.

Abstract

The U.S. Congress and the Clinton Administration have dramatically escalated the provision of security assistance to Latin America over the past 18 months in the name of fighting the war on drugs. The budget for international drug control programs doubled from the previous year, reaching $213 million. In addition, the administration approved a package of $112 million worth of military equipment and training to be provided to Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, and select Caribbean countries for antinarcotics purposes. The DOD is on the front line of the war on drugs in Latin America. The Pentagon's drug plan calls for the U.S. military to provide the intelligence, strategic planning, resources, and training needed for the region's security forces to carry out antinarcotics efforts. U.S. strategy depends on building close ties with Latin American militaries and strengthening their counter-drug capabilities, resorting in some countries to forming unholy alliances with armies that have deplorable human rights records. In Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, U.S. international drug control efforts -- including the provision of equipment, training, and direct assistance -- contribute to counterinsurgency campaigns characterized by gross violations of human rights. Moreover, the U.S. war on drugs has promoted a dangerous internal security role for Latin American militaries. Finally, it provides an on-the-ground role in the region for the U.S. military and expanded intelligence-gathering and surveillance, evoking concerns about national sovereignty. Some of the harshest criticisms of the Pentagon's antidrug mission come from within its own ranks, as military critics question why they were drafted for the mission, the tactics being used to execute it, and its overall effectiveness. Appended breakdown of the extent of the Pentagon's involvement in the drug war and data on U.S. antinarcotics assistance for 1986-1996