Republican defense bill would move Mexico under US Southern Command
By Bryant Harris
Jun 16, 04:32 PM
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are trying to give U.S. Southern Command authority over military relations with Mexico, which currently lies within the jurisdiction of U.S. Northern Command.
The $826 billion Pentagon funding bill, which the House defense spending panel advanced along party lines on Thursday, contains a provision that would give SOUTHCOM authority over all military activities related to Mexico within six months after the bill becomes law. Republicans hope that doing so will enable the Defense Department to play a more active role in cracking down on fentanyl trafficking.
“No threat in the world today is claiming more American lives than the fentanyl crisis,” House defense appropriations Chairman Ken Calvert, R-Calif., told Defense News in a statement. “To prioritize combatting the trafficking of fentanyl by Mexican drug cartels, we are transferring Mexico from the jurisdiction of NORTHCOM to SOUTHCOM, which has a long history of successful international and interagency counter drug operations.”
Fentanyl is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Nearly 71,000 Americans died from fentanyl and opioid-related overdoses in 2021 — comprising about 67% of all overdoses — according to data compiled by the National Institutes of Health.
https://www.airforcetimes.com/congress/budget/2023/06/16/republican-defense-bill-would-move-mexico-under-us-southern-command/
