U.S. Deploys MQ-9 Reapers to 2 Andean Nations as Cartel Offensive Expands
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 6
U.S. Deploys MQ-9 Reapers to 2 Andean Nations as Cartel Offensive Expands
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 6
Summary
U.S. officials said the military has shifted a number of MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa to Colombia and Ecuador, marking a sharper counternarcotics push under the Trump administration.
The redeployment supports a broader campaign against Latin American trafficking groups as Washington prepares to widen operations from strikes on boats to strikes on land, according to Gen. Francis Donovan.
MQ-9s are high-value assets—costing up to $50 million each—and remain in short supply after at least 45, roughly a quarter of the U.S. fleet, were destroyed in the Iran war.
Francisco Palmieri, a former U.S. diplomat involved in counternarcotics strategy, called the move an unmistakable political signal of deeper U.S. commitment and expanded cooperation with regional partners.