Ecuador and the United States: Testing a New Security Strategy in the Pacific

The deployment of U.S. military personnel to the Ecuadorian base in Manta marks a new chapter in the fight against drug trafficking and reflects a broader search across the region for new ways to confront criminal networks that operate on an international scale.

For years, Ecuador was largely seen as a transit country within the global drug trade. More recently, however, rising violence and the growing reach of criminal organizations have strained the country’s institutional capacity.

Against that backdrop, Ecuador’s government has moved to deepen its security cooperation with Washington. Earlier this year, the United States confirmed the temporary deployment of Air Force personnel to the Manta air base as part of a joint operation with Ecuadorian forces targeting drug trafficking networks.

According to U.S. Southern Command, the mission is intended to strengthen the capabilities of Ecuador’s armed forces in confronting criminal groups operating inside the country. “This mission is a key part of our enduring security partnership with Ecuador,” the command said in reference to the deployment.

U.S. authorities also emphasize that operational cooperation takes place through multiple levels of coordination with Ecuadorian forces. In comments to La Tilde, the Department of Defense said there is “robust collaboration on many levels between U.S. and Ecuadorian forces,” based on constant communication and coordination as operations require. U.S. officials also noted that Ecuador regularly participates in multinational exercises with U.S. forces, including programs led by U.S. Southern Command and the Special Operations Command South.

This type of cooperation forms part of a broader strategy to confront drug trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific, where criminal organizations use a wide range of vessels, including submarines, luxury yachts, cargo containers, and fishing boats.

The return of U.S. military personnel to Manta also carries symbolic weight. The base had served as a key hub for counter-narcotics operations until 2009, when Ecuador chose not to renew the agreement that allowed the United States to operate there.

More Than Military Cooperation

Although the military deployment has drawn most of the attention, the relationship between Ecuador and the United States extends well beyond security operations.

According to data from the official portal ForeignAssistance.gov, U.S. assistance to Ecuador totals roughly $130 million and supports programs in areas such as basic health services, humanitarian food aid, and environmental governance.

Part of this work is carried out in partnership with international organizations. The World Food Programme, for instance, provides food assistance to vulnerable populations in Ecuador while running initiatives aimed at tackling malnutrition and strengthening food systems so they can better withstand economic and climate shocks.

The underlying logic is straightforward: confronting organized crime cannot rely solely on policing or military operations. It also requires functioning institutions and communities with viable economic opportunities.

A Case the Region Is Watching

Ecuador’s shift has not gone unnoticed across the region. Colombia remains one of the world’s leading cocaine producers, while Panama occupies a strategic position along the maritime routes linking Latin America to global markets.

The challenges Ecuador faces are therefore not entirely new to the region. But they do reflect a broader trend: the consolidation of increasingly complex maritime routes within the global drug trade.

An analysis by the European Parliament notes that the surge in cocaine trafficking toward Europe has turned several Latin American countries into key logistical nodes within transnational criminal networks.

“Illicit drug trafficking is also affecting the European Union as never before. In 2021, authorities in EU Member States seized 303 tonnes of cocaine, the largest amount ever confiscated in Europe. Today, the drug trade orchestrated by organized crime poses one of the most serious security threats to the EU. Nearly 40 percent of the criminal networks active in the EU are involved in the illegal drug trade. Around 50 percent of all homicides in Europe are connected to drug trafficking,” the report states.

Within that context, Ecuador’s strategy combines two elements: confronting criminal organizations directly while expanding international partnerships to strengthen state capacity.

More Than a Single Operation

The deployment in Manta does not signal a return to the large U.S. military bases that once defined earlier phases of the relationship between Washington and Latin America. What is emerging instead is a more flexible form of cooperation aimed at confronting criminal networks that operate across borders.

Whether these initiatives will prove effective remains uncertain. What the Ecuadorian case does show, however, is how the region’s response to organized crime is evolving toward models that combine military cooperation, institutional support, and development programs.

More than an isolated episode, the operation in Manta points to something broader: an effort to rethink how countries cooperate against a criminal phenomenon that no longer respects national borders.