The Pentagon has released “The National Military Strategic Plan for the War on Terrorism”—an “authoritative” document intended to sort out and synchronize DOD efforts in the so-called “long war.” One key provision of the 40-page document—which can be found here, but, caution, it’s a slow load because it’s image heavy—is official designation of the head of US Special Operations Command as the “supported combatant commander.”
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.