Northern Command: A Relevant and Necessary Partner to Increase Security in Mexico
Abstract
Mexico is in chaos and everyone knows it. Since President Calderon took office in 2006 and declared a war on the cartels, 28,000 people have been killed. When compared to a large city like New York the killings are even more telling. For instance, during 2009, Juarez Mexico experienced 133 murders per 100,000 people. During that same period, New York City experienced 6 murders per 100,000 people. The United States (U.S.) should proceed with caution when offering assistance to Mexico. This is due to Mexican perceptions of history associated with U.S. expansion within the context of the Mexican American War. As a result, Mexicans are vehemently opposed to having armed U.S. military personnel within their territory. It is clear that the Mexican military and government need assistance to control the current situation which many believe represents an insurgency. Assuming that Mexico is facing an insurgency, Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) has a role and should leverage existing contacts to offer the Mexican military counterinsurgency training. That said, USNORTHCOM's role would be a supporting one to the Department of State. The object of this effort is to ultimately increase Mexico's stability which would, in turn, increase U.S. security particularly along the Southwest border.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 27, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA535618
Entities
People
- Neal F. Pugliese
Organizations
- Naval War College