Top General Says U.S. Forces Are Carrying Out An 'Actual Campaign' Against Cartels: 'Total Systemic Friction'

The commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Francis Donovan, said forces are carrying out an "actual campaign" against cartels in the region, saying strikes against alleged drug vessels are "just a small part of that."

Speaking during a congressional hearing, Donovan said operations will "actually look at more systemically across the board from point of production to point of delivery."

He went on to say that the plan is "applying total systemic friction on these networks," noting that the "measure of success" of the operations is whether countries in the region "can actually create security environments."

In this context, a top Pentagon official made similar statements, not ruling out the possibility of using ground troops to take on the criminal organizations.

Joseph Humire, acting assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, said the strikes against alleged drug vessels that have already taken place are "just the beginning."

Democrats questioned the goals of the attacks, claiming it could lead to another "forever war" that has no end date, according to Politico. They also questioned whether the strikes effectively reduce the flow of drugs reaching the U.S.

Humire defended the actions, saying "deterrence has a signaling effect on narco-terrorists, and raises the risks with their movements."

President Donald Trump and other officials have been eyeing increased operations in the region. The president told Latin American counterparts earlier this month that the U.S. government "will do whatever is necessary to defend our national security."

"The epicenter of cartel violence is Mexico. The Mexican cartels are fueling and orchestrating much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere," Trump said during the Shield of the Americas Summit. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum did not take part in the event.

The topic was most recently part of the public conversation after the killing of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the longtime leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

President Donald Trump also signed a proclamation in a recent security conference with Latin American leaders saying that "criminal cartels and foreign terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere should be demolished to the fullest extent possible consistent with applicable law."