Green Berets Activated

War On The Cartels

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Are Green Berets

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It's getting busy along the U. S.-Mexican border

On February 20, 2025, the Department of State designated seven Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).

And so, it begins

The U.S. has historically partnered with Mexico to combat drug cartels, providing billions of dollars since the early 2000s to modernize Mexican security forces, reform its judicial system, and fund development projects aimed at reducing migration and drug trafficking. This cooperation intensified with the Mexican government’s declaration of war on cartels in 2006, though success has been limited, with over 460,000 homicides reported in Mexico since then. Bilateral efforts have included joint task forces, intelligence sharing, and operations like the one on February 19, 2025, where U.S.-provided evidence led to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office dismantling a cartel-linked human smuggling ring in Juarez.

The Mexican drug cartels have finally attracted the attention of the new United States government. The Trump government is not pleased and the cartels are about to feel the pressure of the wealth and power of the United States.

Being declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) is a bitch. Entities and individuals identified as terrorists are denied access to the U.S. financial system and other resources needed to conduct "business." Their property and interests in property are tied up in red tape and basically, life is made difficult.

These seven cartels have all been tied to mass killings and mass gravesites, widespread kidnappings, extortion, arson, beheadings and torture. As part of their enforcement actions, the cartels have all been tied to the indiscriminate use of explosives, which have killed and injured innocent victims as well as spread terror through Mexico.

Together, they span almost the entirety of Mexico. One of them, the Sinaloa cartel, is considered among the biggest criminal forces in the hemisphere, primarily trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other narcotics internationally. Jalisco New Generation, another targeted group, has a reputation for its excessive use of violence; it shot down a Mexican military helicopter in 2015.

Trump's bold plan began with designating the Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, Next will follow an anti-drug ad blitz to highlight the dangers of drug use in the U. S., and finally to deploy special forces and cyber warfare in support of Mexico's cartel operations -- and that's where we are.

The President of Mexico is a little nervous, since Mexico has traditionally been very guarded when it comes to letting in American troops -- ever since the U.S. took half of Mexico in 1848 (but we paid them for it).

Drone Operations

The United States has been conducting drone operations with the knowledge and tacit approval of the Mexican government since 2009. In the past month, the U. S. has significantly intensified drone operations over Mexico surveilling the Mexican drug cartels identified as terrorist organizations. These operations involve the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) deploying MQ-9 Reaper drones in covert missions to gather intelligence on cartel activities, particularly focusing on locating fentanyl production labs.

The Reaper drones used in these missions are currently unarmed as the drones are focused on surveillance, not lethal strikes. The drones are adept at identifying fentanyl labs by detecting chemical emissions, and the intelligence gathered is shared with Mexican officials to support their interdiction efforts.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has acknowledged these drone flights, asserting they are part of a longstanding collaboration with the U. S. government, and framed them as coordinated efforts rather than unilateral U. S. actions.

In addition to the Reaper flights, the U. S. Air Force has been conducting surveillance missions over the southwestern U.S. and Mexico’s Baja Peninsula using airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms. These daily RC-135 Rivet Joints and U-2S/TU-2S flights represent a significant intelligence-gathering operation, though their full scope remains classified.

That the Air Force is using these sophisticated aircraft is a measure of how serious Team Trump is on putting the cartels out of business. Cartel members can't take a leak without being captured by one or more of these flying Peeping Toms.

The 7th Special Forces are on a "training" mission

The 7th Special Forces Group, based out of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, specializes in unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counter-terrorism, and special reconnaissance, primarily focused on Central and South America and the Caribbean. A Mexican Senate commission approved the entry of 11 "A Team" members of the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces into their country starting last Monday.

Note: the standard "A Team" consists of 12 members. It is assumed that a Mexican Marine officer will be filling the twelfth slot.

The mission is to train the Mexican Navy’s Infantería de Marina (Marines) on conventional and non-conventional types of combat. It is not a "combat" mission, but since any of these "training exercises" could turn into a live-fire operation, the "Green Berets" will arrive fully armed, locked, and loaded.

The Green Berets function as "force multipliers." This small group can greatly enhance the effectiveness and lethality of an existing force, such as the Mexican Marines by providing tactical, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support of missions such as hunting down drug labs and engaging lab security forces.

The two communications specialists on the team is connected directly to the U-2S "Dragon Lady" operated by the U.S. Air Force. The U-2S is a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying above 70,000 feet. It provides day-and-night, all-weather ISR, collecting signals intelligence (SIGINT), imagery intelligence (IMINT), and measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT). Equipped with advanced sensors -- such as electro-optical cameras, synthetic aperture radar, and SIGINT suites -- the U-2S can transmit data in near real-time via satellite or line-of-sight links to ground stations or command centers.

In operational contexts, communications between the Green Berets -- the SFO advisors -- and the U-2S would likely occur indirectly through established military command and control (C2) structures rather than direct radio chatter between a Special Forces team and the aircraft. Here’s how it might work:

Mission Planning and Intelligence Sharing: Before an operation, the U-2S could be tasked to overfly a target area -- say, a drug cartel stronghold in Oaxaca or a terrorist training camp in a remote region. The aircraft’s sensors would gather detailed imagery or intercept communications, which are then processed by analysts (often at Beale AFB or a joint intelligence center). This intelligence is disseminated through secure channels (e.g., SIPRNet) to the SFO advisors for mission planning.

Real-Time Support: During an operation, if the SFO advisors requires updated ISR, the U-2S could loiter at high altitude, relaying live data to a forward operating base or a joint task force headquarters. The U-2S’s network-centric communication systems allow it to act as a data node, transmitting via satellite to commanders who then relay actionable intel to the SFO team on the ground, possibly through secure tactical radios or data links.

Communications Relay: The U-2S has demonstrated capability as a communications hub. In a scenario where the SFO advisors are operating in rugged terrain with limited line-of-sight communications, the U-2S could serve as a high-altitude relay, bridging the gap between the team and distant command elements.

Post-Mission Analysis: After a mission, U-2S data might be used to assess outcomes, such as confirming a target’s destruction or identifying new threats, which would be briefed back to the 7th Special Forces command for follow-on operations.

This is a big-time operation and it's a combined-arms operation. Everybody has skin in this game. The State Department, the Defense Department, Homeland Security -- and you know the CIA is a BIG player.

How big is this and how big can it get?

This move could mark the beginning of a broader deployment of U. S. Special Forces in Mexico, aimed at dismantling drug cartels responsible for the drug death catastrophe of 100,000 Americans per year. Beyond military action, there is also the possibility that the Trump administration could launch financial hybrid warfare -- applying pressure on Mexican banks to disrupt cartel operations. Additionally, Beijing may soon face more pressure from Trump in its role in subsidizing fentanyl precursor exports to Mexico. 

The extent of U.S. anti-cartel operations in Mexico is multifaceted and involves a combination of intelligence-gathering, law enforcement cooperation, military surveillance, and occasional proposals for direct military action, though the latter has not been fully implemented as of this week.

On the intelligence and surveillance front, the U.S. Air Force has escalated its efforts dramatically, as we can see, and law enforcement operations also play a major role.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is conducting significant disruption operations. The Justice Department’s Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), established in 2021 and elevated in 2025 under Attorney General Pamela Bondi, has facilitated over 350 arrests and 300 convictions of smuggling and trafficking leaders, often in collaboration with Mexican authorities. These efforts focus on disrupting cartel networks involved in drugs, human smuggling, and organized crime, with notable seizures of cash, firearms, and drugs.

Proposals for direct U.S. military intervention have surfaced but remain unrealized. President Trump has threatened to use special operations forces or airstrikes against cartels, with plans discussed in early 2025 involving covert “soft invasions” to assassinate cartel leaders.

Mexico’s government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, has firmly opposed such actions, warning on Thursday that any U.S. military incursion would be an intolerable violation of sovereignty.

In practice, U.S. operations are constrained by Mexico’s sovereignty and the cartels’ adaptability. Cartels like Sinaloa and CJNG operate across vast territories and they employ advanced technology like drones and tunnels, complicating efforts to dismantle them.

While U.S. surveillance and law enforcement have intensified, the lack of large-scale, unilateral military deployment means the operation’s extent is significant, but not an all-out war. Instead, it’s a sustained, evolving campaign relying heavily on partnership, intelligence, and targeted strikes within legal and diplomatic boundaries.

The full scale is hard to quantify precisely due to classified elements and ongoing developments, but it encompasses extensive surveillance, robust law enforcement coordination, and a persistent push for escalated measures, tempered by Mexico’s resistance to direct intervention.

One might say, it's a Mexican standoff.

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