Ecuador's Noboa Hosts Kristi Noem to Assess Potential U.S. Bases In The Pacific

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa in the coastal city of Manta to examine the capacity of a former U.S. military installation that could support future joint operations.

Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said the visit included "a tour to learn about its operational capabilities, the condition of its facilities, the technical specifications of the runways, and the type of aircraft that can operate there."

Ecuadorian spokesperson Carolina Jaramillo described the stop as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation on security, migration, and development. She said the Eloy Alfaro Air Base in Manta, where Noem arrived, is considered strategically located and could host "potential bases" for U.S. agencies, as Infobae reports.

The review comes ahead of a national referendum on November 16, when Ecuadorians will decide whether to allow foreign military installations in the country for the first time since a 2008 constitutional ban. Jaramillo said that, if approved, U.S. security and defense agencies would be able to "operate jointly" with Ecuador's police and military at designated sites to combat organized crime.

Interior Minister John Reimberg and Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo also joined the visit. Loffredo said discussions focused on how technology and surveillance tools could help identify threats across Ecuador's maritime domain. He added that counternarcotics efforts "transcend borders" and require integrated strategies.

On Thursday, Noem is scheduled to tour a second site in Salinas, another former U.S.-linked military location.

Manta previously housed U.S. anti-drug aviation operations from 1999 to 2009 until the constitutional prohibition ended the mission. Salinas was used by U.S. forces during World War II; both sites are now under Ecuadorian military control.

The talks follow Noboa's announcement earlier in the week that Ecuador and the United States had ruled out installing a U.S. base in the Galápagos under Washington's anti-drug strategy. However, the president has said voters should decide on foreign basing more broadly.

The debate comes amid a surge in violence linked to narcotrafficking, extortion, and illegal mining. Noboa declared an "internal armed conflict" in January 2024 and labeled these groups "terrorists." Ecuador recorded 4,619 homicides in the first half of 2025, a 47% increase from the same period the previous year.