How US spy planes are being used to combat Mexican drug cartels: Report

• High-tech U.S. military spy planes are being used to track down Mexican drug cartels, according to a new report. Normally, only one of these missions is flown per month.
• Current and former military officials told CNN on Monday, Feb. 10, that spy planes flew at least 18 missions between late January and early February near the U.S.-Mexico border.
• One of the missions was conducted with a U-2 spy plane, a reconnaissance aircraft designed to collect imagery at ultra-high altitudes during the Cold War.

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High-tech U.S. military spy planes are being used to track down Mexican drug cartels, according to a new report. Current and former military officials told CNN on Monday, Feb. 10, that spy planes flew at least 18 missions between late January and early February near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Why is this unusual?

Officials noted that the Pentagon typically only conducts about one of these surveillance missions a month in the region. These planes are normally used to collect intelligence on global foreign adversaries, such as hunting down Russian and Chinese submarines, as well as tracking Moscow’s activity in Ukraine.

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Military officials said nearly a dozen of the border missions used the Navy’s P-8s, which feature a state-of-the-art radar system, and are often used to identify submarines and collect intelligence.

One of the missions was also conducted with a U-2 spy plane, a reconnaissance aircraft designed to collect imagery at ultra-high altitudes during the Cold War.

What are military officials saying?

Current and former military officials with experience in counternarcotics told CNN that this is the first time they can remember a U-2 being used to track down cartel operations. They said that, despite flying over U.S. airspace, the aircraft used in these missions are capable of gathering intelligence deep within Mexico.

What is the bigger picture?

The report comes as President Donald Trump ramps up military efforts at the southern border to combat cartels’ drug smuggling operations.

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Trump designated Mexico’s drug cartels as terrorist organizations on day one in office and declared a national emergency at the border. Mexican drug cartels are reportedly increasingly targeting U.S. border patrol agents.

According to a leaked memo obtained by the New York Post, cartels are calling for attacks on border agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives.