An Approach to the 40-Year Drug War
Abstract
In 1969, President Nixon started the now well-known "War on Drugs." The reason behind his "declaration" of war was the increasing national security threat posed by transnational drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). In 1990, the Southwest border supported only 20 to 30 percent of the drugs smuggled into the United States. However, the success of interdiction operations in the Caribbean forced DTOs to find an alternate smuggling route, and the alternate route chosen was the Southwest border. When DTOs shifted their primary smuggling route from the Caribbean to the Southwest border, the Mexican government decided to follow a strategy of appeasement, which allowed the DTOs to grow in strength. In 2006, when President Felipe Calderon took the office of the Presidency, he shifted the government's drug policy to one of direct confrontation. This has led to increased violence in Mexico and virtually no slowing of drugs coming across the Southwest border into the United States. Similarly, the strategy currently employed by the United States against DTOs also has been ineffective in achieving its stated goals. This monograph asserts that the application of operational art and selected elements of operational design can lead to an operational approach that creates shock across all aspects of the DTOs' activities. Employing these selected elements of operational design could enhance the current strategy of the United States and lead to the disruption, through operational shock, of the Mexican DTOs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 17, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA566588
Entities
People
- Dustin E. Phillips
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College