update: US military gains access to South America air base
U.S. Air Force personnel have joined forces with their Ecuadorian counterparts at a base in Manta in Ecuador for a temporary anti-narcotics operation.
“This short-term joint effort is carried out as part of our long-term bilateral security strategy, in line with the currently valid agreements in accordance with Ecuadorian law,” the U.S. Embassy stated on X this week.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department and Ecuador‘s foreign ministry for further comment.
Why It Matters
Ecuadorian voters recently rejected a referendum to allow permanent foreign military bases, reaffirming the ban on foreign bases like the one the U.S. previously operated in Manta. The vote came after Ecuador’s president sought U.S. military assistance and supported the opening of U.S. military bases in the ports of Manta and Salinas following Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s visit to the Manta military base in November.
The latest move comes amid tensions over the U.S.’ expanded military presence in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific under President Donald Trump’s intensified anti-drug campaign and potential military action against Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.
What To Know
Ecuador and the U.S have activated a temporary operation at the Manta air base, which Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa described as “part of a long-term bilateral security strategy,” on his X account.
The move comes as Ecuador faces an unprecedented surge in drug-related violence, with homicide rates rising sharply over the past three years and criminal groups expanding their control over coastal trafficking routes. In an operation earlier this month, U.S. special forces under Southern Command assisted Ecuador’s 4th Army Division in a counter‑narcotics action in Esmeraldas on December 3, seizing 1.4 tons of cocaine with a value of about $98 million.
Manta, a strategic Pacific port city, previously hosted a U.S. forward operating location until 2009, when Ecuador banned foreign military bases. Several U.S. allies, including El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, have backed U.S. operations, granting American forces access to local bases and airports. Washington has also expanded its regional footprint by reopening Puerto Rico’s Roosevelt Roads Naval Station and sending additional forces to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Other governments, such as that of Colombia have been more critical, and tensions between Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro have also emerged.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Embassy in Ecuador on Wednesday: “The operation will enhance the capacity of the Ecuadorian military forces to combat narco-terrorists, including strengthening intelligence gathering and anti-drug trafficking capabilities, and is designed to protect the United States and Ecuador from the threats we share.”
What Happens Next
If the U.S. strikes Venezuela, Latin America’s readiness to challenge U.S. military force will be tested, according to a recent assessment by the Council on Foreign Relations, which added that the region is currently “highly fragmented,” with nations primarily pursuing their own agendas.
