{"id":134413,"date":"2025-01-24T07:59:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T12:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=134413"},"modified":"2025-01-24T17:12:34","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T22:12:34","slug":"small-wars-journal-the-new-front-in-americas-national-security-combating-narcoterrorism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=134413","title":{"rendered":"(Small Wars Journal) The New Front in America\u2019s National Security: Combating Narcoterrorism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

President Trump\u2019s landmark executive order<\/a> designating major drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) marks a watershed moment in America\u2019s approach to national security and strategic competition against China. This reclassification acknowledges an uncomfortable truth: the fentanyl crisis is not merely a law enforcement challenge but a sophisticated form of irregular warfare targeting American society<\/a>, with cartels serving as proxies in a broader strategic campaign orchestrated by China against U.S. interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The devastating impact of this proxy warfare is reflected in stark statistics. According to the CDC\u2019s National Center for Health Statistics<\/a>, synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, were responsible for over 70,000 deaths in 2022. The Drug Enforcement Administration<\/a> has meticulously documented how Mexican cartels have industrialized fentanyl production using precursor chemicals sourced predominantly from China, creating what amounts to a chemical weapons supply chain targeting American communities. These aren\u2019t merely crime statistics \u2013 they represent casualties in an irregular war being waged through proxy forces, with networks stretching from Beijing through Sinaloa<\/a> and into every major American city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Brookings Institution<\/a> has documented how this crisis disproportionately impacts working-class communities, creating zones of social instability that strain local governments and emergency services \u2013 precisely the type of internal disruption that aligns with China\u2019s strategic objectives. The National Institute on Drug Abuse<\/a> estimates the economic burden of the opioid crisis exceeds $1 trillion, representing a significant drain on American resources and societal resilience. This continued deficit reduces our ability to reinvest in competition with China, while contributing to the ballooning national debt<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>

https:\/\/t.co\/T0XizEzRfs<\/a><\/p>— Small Wars Journal (@smallwars) January 22, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>