Analyzing the Operational Factors of Space, Force, and Time in United States Southern Command's Counter Drug / Counter Narcoterrorism Mission

Abstract

United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) faces a multi-faceted, financially powerful, and tireless opponent in its ongoing struggle against drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). Operating in a secondary theater of war and faced with budget and asset constraints, SOUTHCOM must efficiently leverage its resources against highly sophisticated narcotics-trafficking networks or risk losing effectiveness in the narcotics interdiction realm. Disrupting the various DTOs and their sophisticated production and transportation networks is a complex task and interdiction goals are not being met by SOUTHCOM. This paper examines SOUTHCOM's interdiction mission through analysis of the operational factors of space, force, and time, specifically focusing on the difficulties that Venezuela presents in the realm of space, advantages that unmanned aerial vehicles present in terms of force and the impact of time regarding the beneficial long-term effects of bilateral agreements and partner-nation aid packages.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 03, 2010
Accession Number
ADA525110

Entities

People

  • Daniel J. Leonard

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Aircrafts
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Drug Trafficking
  • Governments
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • South America
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States
  • United States Southern Command
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Vehicles
  • Venezuela
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse Science in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs
  • Space