Danger Room Interviews "The Thadmiral"

Okay, well that's not how Nathan Hodge refers to Signo 1; however, Mr. Hodge does have a great post at Danger Room about the Commandant's thoughts as he looks south of the border: [Service] Chief Eyes Narco-Navy Threat

Last week, the White House released a new counternarcotics strategy for the U.S.-Mexico border that calls for better intelligence and new surveillance technology to stem the flow of drugs, weapons and cash between the two countries. But according to the head of the [United States' smallest military branch], Mexico’s vulnerable southern border is an equally serious concern.

In a conversation with Danger Room, . . . Commandant Adm. Thad Allen said that between 75 percent and 80 percent of all the cocaine moving toward the United States – on go-fast boats, fishing vessels, and narco-submarines — first goes to Mexico, where it can be broken into much smaller packages that are harder to detect.

“The southern border that should be of concern to us as well is Mexico’s southern border, between Mexico, Honduras and that area with Belize,” he said. “Once those products get into Mexico, a couple things happen that really, really increase the problem set for Mexico and the United States. Everything gets distributed into smaller loads, and it’s much harder to identify and intercept. And number two, the drug trafficking organizations are increasingly paying off their transportation people and folks in Mexico with drugs instead of money. So they are creating a user population in Mexico that creates another corrosive effect.”

Good stuff. And if you don't check out Danger Room every once in a while, you should. Always something in the way of food for thought.