A new player in the U.S. Military’s decadeslong war on drugs announced itself on Sunday, providing intelligence that supported a Mexican military operation that killed the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes.
New Task Force and Operation Details
The operation, which triggered a spasm of violence leaving at least 70 people dead, was aided by a new Joint Interagency Task Force called Counter Cartel, based in Southern Arizona. The task force, comprised of approximately 300 military and civilian employees, provided Mexican forces with a “detailed target package” leading up to Sunday’s operation. The CIA likewise provided key support for the mission.
Expanding U.S. Involvement
The existence of the task force was revealed last month at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. The task force, known internally as JIATF-CC, is part of the U.S. Military’s Northern Command. According to Adam Isacson, director of defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, the Trump administration has given NORTHCOM a “hugely bigger role.”
In the past year, President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have utilized the Southern Command and the Pentagon’s Special Operations Command for targeted killing missions in Latin America. To date, the military has conducted more than 40 airstrikes against alleged drug traffickers, resulting in at least 137 deaths, without providing supporting evidence.
Secrecy and Oversight Concerns
There is a growing level of secrecy surrounding NORTHCOM’s operations and whether they might extend into the U.S. Adam Isacson noted that in the past, the military would readily cite the Posse Comitatus Act—the law restricting military involvement in domestic policing—when concerns were raised. He stated that now, even contacts on Capitol Hill are met with silence when seeking information.
Homeland Security Task Forces
JIATF-CC is a component of the Homeland Security Task Force National Coordination Center. According to FBI national security branch operations director Michael Glasheen, President Trump created a network of Homeland Security Task Forces through an executive order signed in January 2025. The order aims to “end the presence of criminal cartels” and “dismantle cross-border human smuggling networks” across the United States.
Glasheen testified that the task force construct is “the first of its kind,” taking a “whole-of-government” approach. Individual task forces are led by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the mission of JIATF-CC?
The mission of JIATF-CC is to “identify, disrupt, and dismantle cartel operations posing a threat to the United States along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
How many people are involved in the Homeland Security Task Force mission?
The mission involves more than 8,500 federal agents and officers, as well as hundreds of analysts and legal attachés from the Pentagon and intelligence agencies.
What is the “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” executive order?
The executive order, signed in January 2025, calls on the attorney general and the DHS secretary to establish Homeland Security Task Forces in all states to combat criminal cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
As the U.S. Military takes on a larger role in combating drug cartels, what impact will this increased involvement have on the relationship between the U.S. And Mexico?
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