Brandon P. Buck, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, expressed concerns over President Trump's plan to deploy Special Forces to combat drug cartels. He argued that this approach is not a viable solution to curb drug flow and violence at the border and could introduce "new sets of problems." Buck shared his views in a blog post dated November 12.
"The further militarization of the drug war may score some political points, but it will not address the underlying causes of Mexico's governance problem or stem the flow of drugs across the US southern border," said P. Buck, research fellow in foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. "There is no doubt that the Mexican drug cartels are dangerous and depraved organizations whose command of the drug trade and other illicit activities has caused immeasurable suffering to the people of Mexico that is spilling over the border and into the United States. However, the solution to such issues cannot bear the risk of creating new sets of problems that would threaten further intervention."
In 2023, President-elect Trump announced his intention to "order the Department of Defense to make appropriate use of special forces, cyber warfare, and other overt and covert actions to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership, infrastructure and operations," as reported by Fox News.
Buck described the idea of deploying U.S. Special Forces into Mexico as a "perennial yet fanciful idea." He referenced Tom Homan's claim that Trump would use Special Forces against the cartels, calling it "the latest flowering of foolishness."
According to Buck, this strategy is perilous because cartels have evolved into a "near-peer competitor" with U.S. Special Operation Forces. Cartel members possess similar equipment and have been trained by defectors from the Mexican army who were initially trained by U.S. Special Forces. This equipment often gives them an advantage in defending their territory. If Special Forces were deployed in Mexico, Buck compared it to fighting the Taliban: they would likely "enjoy the direct or tacit support of the local populace and the luxury of hiding in punishing terrain."
Buck also questioned the effectiveness of targeting cartel leadership if it quickly regenerates. Without intervention from the Mexican government, such strikes may fail to address broader issues, drawing parallels with challenges faced during the war in Afghanistan.
The Cato Institute, founded in 1977 and based in Washington D.C., is a public policy research organization.
