CNN is reporting the Latin American nation of Ecuador is actively working to secure U.S. forces deployed in-country to help fight transnational organized crime.
CNN reports of facilities being built at the Manta naval base to house and support U.S. forces.
According to a high-level Ecuadorian official familiar with the planning, construction of a new naval facility in the coastal city of Manta is part of that preparation, with barracks-style housing and administration offices designed to support sustained operations and US military personnel. The official requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, reported CNN.
“The expectation is that these will be eventually occupied by US troops,” the official told CNN.
The rapid pace of construction in Manta, the official said, reflects how soon Ecuador hopes international help might arrive.
The projects are supported by the United States, documents appear to show, and a US representative was present at the signing of the agreement, the Ecuadorian official said.
One rendering for a floating dock, dated August 2024, is labeled “Southcom Floating Dock,” an apparent reference to the US Southern Command, also known as Southcom. Another rendering, dated June 2024, has the US State Department’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) logo and the project name of “Equipped Containers for the Ecuador’s Antinarcotics Special Unit and the DEA” and describes the project as an “international collaboration with the US Embassy.”
Unlike Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has firmly rejected foreign troops’ involvement against cartels in her country, Noboa is actively seeking it. His face-to-face meeting with Trump this weekend is expected to be his most direct appeal yet for US backing, adds CNN.
The concern of deploying a small number of law enforcement or military from the United States to Ecuador will be force protection, as such personnel will be likely targets as the cartels work to confront American pressure from the Trump administration.
