USNI: “Budget Cuts Could Pull Navy Out of The War on Drugs"

Mar 5, 2013
Defense Drumbeat
 

Days before the House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to hold its hearing on The Posture of the U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command, USNI reports that the Obama administration's defense cuts under sequestration will cause the Navy to stop critical drug interdiction programs. 

You can read the full article from USNI HERE

“U.S. Navy frigates will stop patrolling for drug runners by April because of forced sequestration budget cuts, a Navy spokesman told USNI News on Monday.


"On Saturday, U.S. 4th Fleet was informed by Navy leadership it would suspend deployments of two ships—part of the Joint Interagency Task Force South’s Operation Martillo—by April because of the 1 March sequestration cuts, said the 4th Fleet’s Lt. Cmdr. Corey Barker.
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“Currently the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates USS Gary (FFG-51) and Thach (FFG-43) patrol the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific looking for drug runners  using either high-speed “go-fast,” boats or slow-moving, hard-to-detect drug submarine-like craft to smuggle hundreds of tons of cocaine and other drugs from South America into the United States.

With the frigates out of the picture, the amount of drugs entering the country will increase, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp told USNI News following Tuesday’s State of the Coast Guard address.

We already don’t have enough surface assets down there to interdict all of the drugs that are smuggled from South America into North America,” Papp said.

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“Since we started Operation Martillo on 15 January 2012, partner nations have supported 67 percent of the law-enforcement interdictions of illicit traffickers,” read a statement from JIATF South that was provided to USNI News. “We will continue to look to these partners and employ the assets we have to maximize and sustain the successes we are now realizing against illicit traffickers.”
Since its start, Operation Martillo (Spanish for hammer) has intercepted more than 145,000 kilos (160 tons) of cocaine—worth about $4 billion—125 tons of marijuana, and $3.5 million in drug money, Barker said.
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"Flights of Navy P-3 reconnaissance aircraft based in El Salvador will continue for now, Barker said.
The Navy faces $9 billion in budget reductions for Fiscal Year 2013 if the current sequestration cuts stand and the services faces a yearlong Continuing Resolution.

113th Congress