Illicit Trafficking in the Western Hemisphere: Developing an Operational Approach to Defeat Smuggling within the Region
Abstract
The most significant threat to U.S. national security within the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility is the increasingly effective illicit trafficking activities of transnational criminal organizations. The destabilizing effect of this phenomenon influences the region, as well as global security. Transnational organized crime signifies a substantial, complex, and asymmetric threat to national security. Transregional organized crime networks conducting illicit trafficking have become a phenomenon that requires a unity of effort and unity of action in order to challenge and overcome them. Conservative estimates place the cost of illicit trafficking at over 10 percent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Illicit trafficking is pervasive and impacts everyone in the U.S., regardless of financial status or station, every day in overt, as well as very discreet ways. From a strategic perspective, illicit trafficking is a destabilizing activity threatening social and political stability. The threat is currently so pervasive that solving it is impossible without significant strategic reframing. A design approach will offer a better understanding of the functions and systems used for illicit trafficking. An operational design will be useful for developing a plan for discreet targeting that will provide potential operational approaches to create boundaries to smuggling.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 31, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1032568
Entities
People
- Jeffrey L. Hammond