Narcosurgents: Applying Counterinsurgency Lessons in Mexico

Joint Task Force-North supports the US’s efforts to counter the threat from transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and the illicit drug trade by working with US law enforcement agencies. They recognize that military force is not the only applicable tool for this situation, and asked for an outside perspective for a set of recommendations that the US Government can feasibly implement to degrade Mexican TCOs. The Capstone team compiled lessons learned from efforts to combat organized crime around the world, the incentive structures of actors in Mexico, and the economic and diplomatic tools available to the US. The five main recommendations are: 

1. Develop an information operations campaign against TCOs to curb recruitment and degrade overall support for TCOs operating within Mexico and US border states.

2. Use cyber components to disrupt illicit online TCO operations in addition to deploying Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF) "Hunt Forward" teams to aid Mexico in exposing TCO activities.             

3. Force the Mexican government to change its policy to be more aggressive towards TCOs by using the threat of sanctions and tariffs on Mexican trade combined with diplomatic incentives.

4. Increase US engagement and cooperation with Mexican state and local governments and increase funding for State, USDFC, and USAID to increase investment in Mexico and raise the US’s standing with the rural population.

5. Legalize select illicit substances to reduce TCOs’ access to the US market. Coupling this with a comprehensive rehabilitation process could support a reduction in the user base in the US.

The Capstone team believes that implementing these recommendations will significantly degrade TCO operations and make Mexico and the US safer. All of the recommendations provided will have direct relevance and benefits to policy makers and policy implementers.